20 August 2011

Nordic Soul: The World As It Will Be

'The Nordic man does not live in the world as it is; he lives always in the world as it will be. He is not the master of the instant, but rather the master of the distance. He is not cutting suddenly into the curve; he bends the curve. For him turning is “nice” if it can be predicted and then, if possible, played down. The Mediterranean driver loves surprise: only in it he can prove to be the master of the moment. The Nordic driver anticipates always ahead of the coming event, even a possible coming event. In this way he provides for himself some preplanned traffic regulations for all possible cases, which would likely irritate the Mediterranean driver, perhaps more so than it would make the driving easier for him. For the driver of the Mediterranean type there is no relief if the thrill of surprise is missing.'

Ludwig F. Clauss, Rasse und Seele (1938)

3 comments:

Raoul said...

Makes me want to go out and buy a Saab
(but not a Volvo) and name it "Valkyrie," or something otherwise
Wagnerian, and lay waste to an Alfa Romeo.

Anonymous said...

Raoul: That is hilarious as is your name - sorry but there's an ad here of a Latin lover type in speedos called Raoul!

Raoul said...

So you have heard of me, meraviglioso. Word travels fast in the tiny kingdom.

Il tuo amico,

Raoul Fazool