Car-Free Living
April 5, 2009
I finally got a chance to read my copy of Chris Balish's How to Live Well Without Owning a Car, appropriately enough, on the bus ride to and from work last week. My expectations weren't particularly high, but I was impressed with Balish's simple and convincing argument. He might have been preaching to the choir with me as the reader, but I do think the book could succeed at persuading quite a few people.
Balish's hypothesis is that anyone can live a perfectly fulfilling life without owning a car, regardless of where they live or work. Of course, the claim sounds laughable to anyone who would immediately justify their needing a car to get to work, buy groceries, and everything else their daily life demands; the key is that the author's hypothesis doesn't claim that anyone can instantly and immediately give up the lifestyle they've developed over the years.
The belief that it can't be done stems from the decisions people have made in the past and assumes those decisions are unchangeable. If people aren't willing to alter their lifestyles or living situations, then perhaps it really cannot be done. But that isn't really the point of the book, anyway.
Balish's hypothesis is that anyone can live a perfectly fulfilling life without owning a car, regardless of where they live or work. Of course, the claim sounds laughable to anyone who would immediately justify their needing a car to get to work, buy groceries, and everything else their daily life demands; the key is that the author's hypothesis doesn't claim that anyone can instantly and immediately give up the lifestyle they've developed over the years.The belief that it can't be done stems from the decisions people have made in the past and assumes those decisions are unchangeable. If people aren't willing to alter their lifestyles or living situations, then perhaps it really cannot be done. But that isn't really the point of the book, anyway.
