Life is a Cage

Life is a Cage

This world wants you to play it safe, avoid risk and never have too much fun. Those who buy a Jeep reject the very notion of a boring and safe life. For life in a Jeep is never boring.

I struggled to explain to my son why I bought a 1998 Jeep Wrangler when we already owned a more conventional car. Is it fast? No. Is it comfy? No. Why’d you buy it? You’ll understand when we take the doors off next Spring. That first time we drove down a winding country road and he stuck his hand out like a dolphin, I knew he understood.

There’s a great sense of freedom that comes when you’re riding in a Jeep. Where other cars seek to keep you warm and comfortable like a womb, a Jeep will expose you to the elements because it recognizes your resilience and appreciation for the outside world. Windows? Just toss them off. It’s a nice day. Doors? Those are for Winter. A roof over your head? How will you soak up that Vitamin D with that in the way?!

I happened to have been blessed with a Jeep that doesn’t have Air Conditioning. But did this deter me from making a rather sizable financial decision? Of course not! I simply take off the windows or doors and use God’s Air Conditioning. You’re welcome environment!

No other car community is so innately tightly nit than Jeep’s community. I knew of this but found out first hand one fall day as the radio began fading in and out. Probably the alternator, I thought. I headed towards the nearest mechanic shop and hoped for the best. The Jeep began to die about 25 feet short of the mechanic shop.

I’m grateful I don’t have to push it too far. I’m even more grateful when another Jeep stops as he sees me slowly pushing it into the parking lot. The driver and his son immediately hop out to assist me in pushing my white soft top into the parking lot of the repair shop. I’m even more grateful that they offer to drive me home and refuse my money. The Jeep community is truly something special.

What other car community systematically waves at each other to acknowledge each other’s awesome life choices? The Jeep Wave is a truly special sense of community in a world growing socially distance. The roads need more Jeeps. It would be a much happier, albeit slower place.

The Jeep Lifestyle is one of ruggedness. It’s meant for those who are comfortable getting a little mud on the tires. For those who get a few scratches and paint chips on their ride for life is meant to be ridden hard.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

-        Hunter S. Thompson

You always have a choice. There’s the safe road that’s paved and familiar. It’s heavily trafficked with others who follow the paths of those who came before them. Then there’s the dirt road, or trail, or no trail at all that is less well known. Harder to find and even harder to traverse, but all the more gratifying.

Don’t be afraid to be outspoken; be afraid of spending your whole life taking the safe route only to lay on your deathbed wondering what if I was brave enough to be myself?

You’ll find others who are still stuck in their cage, will attempt to bring you back. Its dangerous out there! I heard those things aren’t safe. No one who ever did anything special or memorable did so by playing it safe. When you start making unconventional choices, it makes them self-conscious of their own safe routes. It makes them envious of your boldness.

Life is a Cage. And a Jeep is the ride for those who’ve found the key.

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