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Forget world peace.
What are my husband and I going to do about our three-year old Lexus? It’s time to decide, as our lease runs out next week — do we buy or do we walk away?
Before the “unintended acceleration” problems grew into the latest major recall and President Akio Toyoda was called to Capitol Hill, we had planned to buy our car — or buy a new Lexus if the dealership made us a good deal.
But even without that most recent unsubstantiated report on ABC News — where sixty owners of ‘fixed’ cars assert a faulty fix — I feared Toyota had not yet identified the source of the problem. And after reading reports of other Lexus owners, I’m no longer comfortable driving a car that has a mind of its own. We like our Lexus, but in this case, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
It was in writing this post that we decided to buy something different. Funny thing that we’re not crazy about any of the choices — at least not like we were with the Lexus. But since we need a car, my not so tongue-in-cheek question comes down to this — What Would Jesus Do? Would Jesus prefer to drive around town in a Ford, an Infiniti or a BMW?
Two years ago I would have put Jesus in a humble Ford. After all, can anyone really see Jesus driving around in a luxury car? Something about Jesus and luxury doesn’t quite go together — maybe because he’s known for saying words like, “Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth…”
Yet these days, I’m not so sure. Buying a humble car can actually end up becoming a source of pride — when its done for the wrong reasons, like when proving ourselves better than those sinners …who’ve succumbed to materialism. Pity those rich sinners!
Yet…what about that Pharisee who prayed this little prayer, in one of Jesus’ parables? — “God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector.” Jesus always had a surprise twist in his stories — and in this one, the sinful (and rich) tax collector was actually judged to be more godly than the Pharisee because of his humility. Humility rather than exterior appearances always carried weight with Jesus.
Jesus was an equal opportunity sort of guy. He kept company with sinners, the rich, the poor and even the Pharisaic Religious Right. Yet, Jesus saw no one good but God alone — least of all himself. Jesus wasn’t into accumulating earthly treasures because Jesus didn’t want anything to come between God and himself or the rest of the world and himself. And ideally, neither should we, whether the “stuff” be riches, fame, or pride — education, houses or cars.
So forget about stuff. Humility should be my focus — and here’s my favorite take on humility from one who tried to live true to her words:
“If we were humble, nothing would change us –- neither praise nor discouragement. If someone were to criticize us, we would not feel discouraged. If someone were to praise us, we also would not be proud.” — Mother Teresa
Using Mother Teresa ‘s humility yardstick as a litmus test to car buying, my questions become: Will owning a Ford (or a luxury car) change me in some way? Will it make me feel better about myself in some way?
Who knows but maybe Jesus wouldn’t still surprise us today? Can you see Jesus driving around town today in an Infiniti — preaching the good news with recycled words like, “To infinity and beyond.” Or maybe Jesus might tool about in a BMW, as even during his days on earth, Jesus was Big Man Walking. Maybe Jesus would forsake all vehicles and continue to use those Chrevrolegs?
All of this musing helped me recall one of Janis Joplin’s final recordings, written with poet Michael Mcclure and Bob Neuwirth. According to a few sources, the song Mercedes-Benz was intended as “a critical social commentary on how people relate happiness to money and material possessions.” Supposedly — “the song heavily reflects Joplin’s view of what she saw as a materialistic world.” But I’m not so sure. Like Jesus, Janis apparently appreciated the surprise twist in the story she told. Janis drove around in a 1965 Porche.
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me ….a Mercedes Benz?
an everyday life 
Forgive my silliness….but Jesus would have ridden a rented donkey!!!
I know the problem. My concerns when getting cars is a) can I buy it outright(ergo, its secondhand) b) can we afford to run it c) how environmentally friendly is it among those we can afford and d) is it the right size for our needs. I know little about makes and models of cars….the only car I really loved was our beat-up ex-Army lightweight LandRover who was sold to an enthusiast some years ago when we realised it was foolish(andmaybe even dangerous) to keep running her.
I’d go for the donkey, myself…
Viv,
Who knows? But it’s fun to speculate what Jesus would do if he walked or rode a donkey among us today… Maybe Jesus would make tracks with roller skates.
Oh, I hate the car buying process. I’m not sure how the process goes in GB but here it’s like playing a poker game to negotiate the best deal. Emotion often gets in the way — but I like your criteria — using it could help keep one grounded.
I guess a donkey might be good for one who doesn’t like to drive cars!
Janell
I don’t have a clue what Jesus would do, and must confess I don’t really care – at least in the matter of car-buying!
What I can do is tell you how I’ve solved the problem. I’ve had three Toyotas in the last 45 years. I drive them until they die or are murdered. The last one was a 1989 that had 385,000 on it when I sold it for $500. Now, I’m driving the 1989 Oldsmobile that was Mom’s. It has 112,000 miles on it, and we’ll drive it until it dies or is murdered.
Then, I’ll buy something else and given my age, I should be able to drive it until I die or am murdered. Easy!
Linda,
I recall the photo of one of your murdered Toyotas. Ghastly. It’s a miracle you lived to write about it — a miracle I celebrate again, as I think upon it right now.
It does help to have a system I suppose and I’m glad you’ve found one that works for you.
This time I left all the decision work to my husband. I didn’t try to sway him one iota. But it was rather odd to wake up this morning with a strong hunch as to which “we” would ultimately choose — Door #1, Door #2 or Door #3 — in our “Let’s Make a Deal” car game.
Glad it’s behind us. Hope we keep the car for at least 10 years — not counting the Lexus, we kept our previous two 9 years each — but just babes in car-land compared to the one you’re currently driving!
Janell
Hmmm . . . interesting commentary on Janis Joplin’s song. I thought by her bemused words that she might actually want a M-B. I’d like a 1972 convertible in red myself. However, I drive a Ford. It’s a luxury Ford (what a oxymoron that is), a large behemoth we bought to haul kids around. Now, the kids are older, and one drives. I don’t know what I’ll have next.
I’m also not sure what Jesus would drive. The green set would say a Prius. 🙂 ~~Dee
Dee,
Janis recorded this song just a few days before her death. So who really knows what she was thinking when she co-wrote the song. I was surprised to learn she drove around town in a Porsche — albeit one with sixties mod painting.
We had our version of the family “truckster” for years — nine to be exact. We enjoyed driving it — our’s too was a ‘luxury’ vehicle — our first. When we moved to Mesta, it was a too big to fit into our garage — and too wide for comfort to back out of our narrow driveway. Hence the smaller luxury vehicle…
I can just see you in the red convertible. But make sure to get one that can still sniff out the gardening sales like your current vehicle — that has gardening karma to know when to turn itself into the parking lot. The story of your car with a gardening mind of its own and your imaginary conversation with your mother still ranks as one of my favorites stories in blog-land.
Maybe you’ll revive it as a series for the current season?
Janell
I came back to read this again, and this time really thought about Janis.
I have no proof for this assertion at all, but I’ve always thought you have to listen to Mercedes Benz along with Bobby McGee. We don’t always live what we write or sing, but I think Janis had a pretty good handle on another truth – freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
That kind of detachment could drive any kind of car without danger – spiritual danger, anyhow. 😉
Linda,
I wonder if Janis Joplin’s ownership of a Porche led her to spiritual truth — that money — or flashy cars — or whatever — can’t buy happiness. It would help explain the surface incongruity of owning a Porche against her supposed panning of a materialistic world with her frolic of a song. It would also help explain why she would paint her white Porche in a sixties psychedelic motif. Like you, all I can do is speculate.
I’ve thought about Kristoffeson’s lyric quite a bit, as it relates to freedom, especially of the spiritual kind. While there is some sense of freedom granted from having nothing to lose, I believe true spiritual freedom (or detachment) occurs where there is something to lose but one holds all choices lightly, pulled neither this way or that. We try to get to a state where we balance the scales — when one side dips, we are out of balance and not detached.
To be detached, our words match our actions. Our internal beliefs match our external actions. There is no war with self or with others or with God. We are at peace. All of this, of course, likely begins with a struggle — but once we reach that state of holy indifference — that state of true detachment — we like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane pray, “Thy Will Be Done.”
My thinking on spiritual freedom is heavily colored by Mother Teresa’s above comment on humility as well as those nine months spent in retreat with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. I’ve never reached this idealized state on any matter I’ve truly cared about — so detachment is a pious-in-the-sky state for me; it’s a state of someday I hope, I wish I can or I wish I might. But not yet. No where close.
Was Janis truly detached about riches, or fame or whatever? I don’t know. But isn’t it interesting that, when the famous die young, before their lives finish telling their story, we are left with questions and unsettled speculation. But even questions can be good when they make us pause and dig deep for truth.
Janell