The Allure of Speed: Marinetti and the Birth of Futurism
F.T. Marinetti was up all night on the 5th of February 1909 before he and his entourage raced through the streets in their automobiles, crashing into a muddy ditch only to proclaim that the future belonged to the courageous, the audacious, and the lovers of speed.
Thus launched Italian Futurism, which is truly the first avant-garde movement of the 20th century, with every movement after responding to it in positivity or rejection.
Marinetti saw that speed was the technological triumph of humanity over nature, and saw this new dawn of transformation of everyday life through industrialization as the first phase of escaping the past.
In 1909 there was the automobile, the airplane, the reorientation of labor through mechanization, revolutionary politics still explored as a viable option for governance.
This was before Europe committed suicide, twice, and two generations of young men were lost.
It was a time when the future looked bright, and Marinetti, always the promoter, saw the future as the great upheaval of everything, from nation-states to foodstuffs.
Porsche: The Ultimate Answer to Life’s Challenges?
But speed was always the haunting specter in Futurism, and speed was what constantly captivated Marinetti.
Speed was the spiritual solution to all the ails of society.
I agree with Marinetti to a certain extent, but I believe in a certain kind of speed. I’d say that owning a Porsche solves all of your problems.
No self-confidence? Get a Porsche.
No money? Get a Porsche.
Partner just left? Get a Porsche.
Owning a Porsche even solves world hunger and makes war an impossibility. Well, maybe not the last two, but all of your problems can be solved by buying a Porsche.
A Transcendent Drive: Why Porsche Outshines the Rest
Yesterday, I was driving into downtown Portland.
I was on the freeway and hit a patch without traffic, and soon found myself going 95mph, a smile on my face, not a worry in the world.
On the radio, turned to KMHD, was “Kepra” by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (I had to Shazam this), the deep pulsating horns swelling to a crescendo then crashing in on themselves.
Can life get any better?
Every time I drive my Porsche Cayman S, I have this experience.
A transcendent experience.
Sure, I’ve driven nice cars before—Ferrari, Lamborghini, even a Bentley back in the day—and I’ve been in fast cars as well, that Tesla Plaid with Ludicrous Mode is frightening.
But a Porsche is in a category outside this.
It isn’t the speed, or the luxury, or the acceleration—it is the total experience of being in the driver’s seat, hitting a turn, and feeling the sheer exuberance of human engineering.
That is always my feeling: astonishment that this can be, that this was built, and I, through luck or hard work or some combination thereof, am able to participate in this.
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If this resonates, dive deeper into The Poetics of Fulfillment—a field guide for those restless for more than fleeting happiness. Not quick fixes, but lasting meaning. If you crave depth over dopamine and want fulfillment that endures, this is your next step.
Read The Poetics of Fulfillment: Why Chasing Happiness Is Killing Your Fulfillment (And How to Stop)
More Than a Car: The Psychology of Porsche as a Status Symbol
I remember being asked what I thought of it when I bought it.
It was hard to describe because, yes, it is all these things we associate with sports cars or luxury cars.
But for me, ever since I was a child, Porsche was the pinnacle of automotive engineering, and perhaps this accounts for the transcendent experience of being behind the wheel with the Stuttgart shield and horse staring back at me.
It is the handling, hitting a turn, that showcases for me what exactly is happening when you ask me to describe how it feels to drive a Porsche.
It is a feeling of man being at the apex of his creative capacities.
But beyond just the fact that driving it brings so much pleasure, owning a Porsche was the single greatest recruiting tool I’ve ever found for a sales office.
Buying a Porsche surpassed owning a home, some fantastic vacation to an exotic beach, or those thousand-dollar steak dinners.
It became the point of astonishment for a new recruit to come into an office where someone used the money they made from selling to buy a Porsche.
And it is this collective notion of the car as a status symbol that captivates the public.
It turns heads.
When you drive by and everyone turns to look, there is an instant dopamine hit of attention.
When you walk out of the restaurant and the valet has parked the car so that everyone can see it, there it is again—attention.
The Real Lesson: Fulfillment Beyond the Driver’s Seat
But what am I really saying here—that you should go and buy a Porsche?
No. I don’t think that will equate to happiness.
What I am saying is that whatever brings you everything you need to feel fulfilled, you should do on a daily basis.
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