Philosophize this...

I saw a beautiful new Chevrolet Corvette on the showroom floor of a local Chevy dealer.  Of course I was not in the market for such a car, but I could not help but admire it for its beauty.

It had the sleekest lines I had ever seen on a car.  The way the body was molded looked like it could weave through space and time.  A two person futuristic cockpit that could travel to other dimensions better than any DeLorean could.  Its color was deep and shiny and not only could I see my reflection in the layers of paint I could also see the image of a man dreaming of maneuvering through the ages…from birth to the present.

While I was there I decided to get in and position myself in the driver’s seat and I could tell that in its motionless state it could protect me through whatever course I would direct it.  The dashboard was like a space vehicle and the stereo could play the latest jams while I was blasting through time and space.

I retrieved the manual from the glove box and began to read about the upgrades and options that were available for this model.  Braking, steering, engine, suspension, and the like and I began to imagine what each of those upgrades would feel like as I was hugging the curves or speeding down the highway. 

I remembered the most exciting rides I had ever taken in an automobile and simply changed the vehicle to upgrade the experience…

But as I sat in this beautiful piece of machinery I began to realize that there is no amount of imagination or transference or previous experience that can translate to what it would actually be like to take this beast down the road and feel the engine, steering wheel, and the suspensions react to my guidance.  While my belief was that I could somehow imagine what it would be like, I would never be able to duplicate the experience in my mind without having the actual experience in my memory.

You can dream all you want about things.  You can read all the great philosophers.  You can subscribe to whatever school of thought you want, but until you get off your ass and experience life and the joys and pains, the success and failures, you will never be able to truly understand the meaning and purpose of life.   Spend your life with your head in a book and you will only know a portion of a thought of a person who is likewise flawed.  Grab the keys and take life on a test drive!  Blow the doors off and blast into this world with respect for others you encounter along the way, but still with some modicum of reckless abandon.

Otherwise life is just a Vet on a showroom floor.