A Powerful Story About Life, Starring A Tesla Model 3
Credit to Author: Johnna Crider| Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2019 03:30:37 +0000
Published on September 6th, 2019 | by Johnna Crider
September 6th, 2019 by Johnna Crider
“A Story About Life,” starring a Tesla Model 3, is a somewhat new video posted on Vimeo. It’s not just another Tesla video. Yes, the Model 3 is a co-star in the video, but the main character is a gentleman whose journey isn’t just another Tesla road trip, but one of choice as he reacts to something heartbreaking.
I thought this video was going to be a typical video about Tesla, maybe a review of the Model 3 by the guy in the video. As soon as I hit play, emotions slowly drifted through my speakers as the camera showed the depth of emotion in the gentleman’s stance and eyes — I knew that it was going to be more than just about Tesla.
The gentleman in the video seems to be going about daily life when it shows him sitting down. The look on his face shows him facing a moment of heart-stopping grief that rips through the core of your soul, the type where you have to face the fact that something has changed forever and there is nothing you can do about it but hurt. Then the video moves to the next scene: him charging his Tesla and going to the airport.
He walks inside and is overwhelmed with the noise of travel life surrounding him. The sound of the escalators humming, voices chattering excitedly, loud engines of airplanes taking off or descending, chaos. He turns around and leaves, going back to the solitude of his Model 3.
Then he chooses to take a drive to his destination.
As he drives, there is someone in the background speaking, sadly. Her voice rings of sadness and grief, matching the music in exquisite contrast to the visually striking images of the video.
“Hey. It’s like I’m reading a book. It’s a book I deeply love. I’m reading it slowly now and the words …”
It sounds like she says, “And the words I still read.”
“And the words … are so real and true.”
His journey, accented by the voice and the music, is to a colorful chapel. He drives along a scenic highway that shows views of the mountains and the river.
As he climbs the steps to the chapel, the voice continues. “Where am I now? Am I lost? I’m finding myself between in the endless space between the words now, outside of the physical world and it’s the place where I am now.”
Pause. This is why I had to stop writing yesterday. This went from a story about a guy in his Tesla with stunning video shots to a moment of grief that came back to grip my own heart with its burning hot fingers, branding me into the memories of the night she died.
“It is pointless to resist. You know, the darkest hour came to me too quick like a rock being pulled out from under me. Because before, every time I fell, you were there. Every time I struggled, you were there. As I fell deep into … there seemed to be no ground for our feet to touch — just falling”
Her voice follows him as he journeys from the chapel to a town. He goes to stare out of a window of an abandoned building as she continues.
“And when I thought I would fall forever, like out of a nightmare, it was so unreal.”
The video changes to show a speeding Tesla Model 3 as she speaks again: “But I saw you, in this moment, and everything was true.
“I felt the wind blowing around us. I saw the rain on your face. I could smell you when I put my arms around you. No falling.”
He parks near the dock and walks up onto it as the breeze moves through the trees.
“I looked into your eyes and I hope that they’re still there when I arrive where I’m forced to go. And if you ever get here, come find me. Nothing will ever tear us apart. No storm, no distance, no excuse. Maybe this thought will come through you until we see each other again.
“But I want you to live your life. I want you to live the life you’ve always told me about. See the oceans, the coasts, see the forest and the woods. See the valleys and mountains, rivers and creeks. I’m sorry you have to let me go and I’m sorry I can’t finish reading the words of our story as much as I want to. Bye.”
Her voice is with him as he finds the place he was looking for. The sun sinks into the waters in front of him and the wind captures the ashes, taking them into the sky to gently drop them into the water.
At the very end of the video, there is a fact from the World Health Organization (WHO) from 2017:
Every year 7 million people die prematurely from CO2 emissions.
Whether or not this story was the personal one of Aaron Humelt, a student of Hamburger Akademie für Kommunikationsdesign Hamburg who shot this as a part of his thesis, or one inspired by witnessing someone’s loss, the message hones into all of us who have lost a loved one.
In the video description, Aaron credits Tesla for supporting him during the shoot.
This video is a reminder that all life is precious. And it gives a reminder that premature deaths can be prevented. Whether it’s a father forgetting to put his gun up and his toddler getting ahold of it, or someone not quitting a dangerous habit such as smoking or even drug addiction — prevention was possible. Yes, we are all going to die. It’s inevitable. But death, from our perspective, seems to be a destination.
It’s not getting there, but how you get there, that really matters. It’s the journey — each moment and decision that impacts us.
I wanted to write this article yesterday, but I couldn’t. Once I finished watching the video, I had to go offline for a bit because … I, too, scattered the remains of someone I loved. I went from watching the video to being the guy in the video. I’ve been there and this video brought that memory back in vivid detail.
Yesterday was September 5. My mother died on Labor Day, which fell on September the 5 when she died. Yesterday was the 8 year anniversary of her death. I was paralyzed by grief after watching this video, but I know she would want to read the words of this article if she could.
Johnna Crider Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem and mineral collector, and Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.” Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter