Toyota and other Musings

I’ve been reading about the Toyota recalls. I thank God I decided not to buy a new car (See January 8 entry). I would have been so hot about it! I still get emails from Toyota asking me if I am still (underline under the word still) driving my old (underline under the word old) car. Um, yeah. Your new cars are tragic.

The latest Economist has a cartoon about Toyota and how quickly they fell from grace. Basically, all you see a ski slope and all this snow in the wake. At the finish line, two skiers, who had been knocked down, comment they didn’t think Toyota would come down so fast.

I saw another article that commented how the business model of Toyota changed. When the company was established, the focus was on creating reliable, long-lasting cars. As the company grew, the focus became more about market share and owning a bigger piece of the pie. The shift on quality was replaced to a shift of quantity.

I notice that in life, we spend years and years building up positive reputations. We build up a name for ourselves. We prove that we are dependable. Then, one event can damage our reputations for the rest of our life. Or, at least until the next scandal breaks. In some ways it sad, it other ways is just life.

In the end, more does not mean better. I received an email this morning that touched on how we had bigger houses but not homes. We have a lot of books but no knowledge. We have a lot of sex but no love. I wonder when we confused everything. We have so much, yet we have so little. We continue in this pursuit for external validation and prizes.

Like Toyota, we have gotten off track. Let’s focus more on the quality of life. Not all the things we can amass to prove we have made it. Life is too short and none of the fixings are coming with us.

In my head, my life would be so much better when I win the mega millions. It would be nice to not have to worry about money. In truth, I would worry less about money but any fears, doubts, insecurities, etc. wouldn’t leave me. Nah, I would just have the money to pay for the best shrink that is out there. Money won’t necessary bring happiness. That has to come from the inside. (I would love to test this - smile).