I am going through what some would call a “midlife crisis”.

Yup it’s true.

Now I know you are sitting there thinking, how could someone who is so young be going through a “midlife crisis”. 

Well I am, and it has got me bad.

How do I know it’s a “MLC”? Well you see I can’t stop thinking and dreaming about one thing.

Porsches.

GT4’s, GT3’s, Carreras, GTS Turbos, 911’s you name it and I want it. I am like a little teenage boy with the latest edition of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Dribbling every time I see one and constantly day dreaming about driving one.

It’s bad. Really, really bad.

So I decided that on my upcoming trip overseas that I would satisfy my “MLC” by hiring a Porsche to get it out of my system. Well that was my plan until I started researching the prices and then I quickly realized that all cars are pretty cheap in the States, except Porsches.

Typical. 

Anyway, there I was scrolling through the prestige collection of cars I could never afford to drive when I stumbled across a car that only costs more than a small house but could also feed a tiny nation. 

A Bentley.

Now I am not a fan of them at all as I think they are one of the ugliest cars around but what I am a fan of was an idea that came out of Brazil that involved a Bentley. Well to be more specific it was a Bentley and someone who could definitely afford one.

His name is Mr Chiquinho Scarpa.

Mr Scarpa is one of Brazils most eccentric billionaires. He has dated every beautiful woman on the planet as well as owned every car you or I wish to have ever owned not even just driven, including my Porsches.

He is one of those people you hate, I hate. 

Actually this idea I wish I had done was all about him and how he became the most hated person on the planet over night. And for very good reason.

Back in September 2013 it all started with one social post featuring the very rich and very smug Mr Scarpa. Here he announced to the world that he would be burying his $500,000 Bentley in the back garden of his enormous estate in the richest suburb of Brazil.

Why? Well, he wanted to be comfortable in the after life. 

Yup, you heard that right. He said he was influenced by the Egyptians and how they would bury their prized possessions to go with them to make their journey in the after life easier and he wanted to be comfortable.

What a douchebag.

Here is some rich guy in one of the poorest countries in the world burying a car that was worth half a million dollars because he wanted to be comfortable whilst his fellow Brazilians were living on the bread line.

So there was little surprise that over night every person on the planet hated him. He received death threats and had to have 24hr personal bodyguards protecting his smug ass. He was now the topic of conversation globally with the debate raging on how someone with a beating heart could be so selfish as a human being.

But Mr Scarpa didn’t care.

He posted again on social media. This time he was standing smugly with a horrible red suit jacket and an even smugger white cockatoo perched on his shoulder. His foot was perched on a shovel next to the beginnings of the burial hole. He then confirmed the digging had begun.

People got very angry and the debate heated up. 

Discussions started on what could be better done with the money and how it could help the nation of Brazil. Numerous pleas flooded in from the Brazilian people and all across social media people begged him to donate to charity instead of wasting it and being so selfish.

But of course Mr Scarpa, didn’t care as he wanted to be comfortable in the after life. 

Then another social post, the third in three days and now it was getting serious. There he was controlling an excavator dressed in his usual suit finished off with that usual smug smile everyone had grown to hate. Now a bigger hole had appeared that was twice the size of the Bentley and a mini ramp for it to drive down into the burial pit. 

The nation went mad and called for justice.

He was invited on live TV to defend himself and he smugly accepted. He appeared and assured everyone that he was going to do this and it was his right to do so. He even invited all the press to the burial of his Bentley on Friday the 20th at his home to see it happen with their own eyes.

Of course that was like moths to a flame and every major Brazilian TV station was there. There were more helicopters flying above his estate filming the burial than there were at the Beckham’s wedding.

The shenanigans drew crowds of paparazzi from around the world with hordes of angry demonstrators uniting at his gates. Police were called in to erect barricades and water cannons were on standby for crowd control. All of this being live streamed for the world to see via the helicopters above.

Then whilst the world was waiting in baited breath for Mr Scarpa to arrive and do the unthinkable. Something happened as he was about to release the car into the pit. He stopped and invited all the press into his home, turned around and walked away. 

Everyone was a little confused but followed Mr Scarpa inside. Once  inside the worlds press were seated facing Mr Scarpa who stood at a podium with a microphone readying himself for the world stage. He cleared his throat, straightened his tie and the world waited in anticipation.

Then he said this,

“I didn’t bury my car, but everyone thought it absurd when I said I would,” 

“What’s absurd is burying your organs, which can save you many lives. Nothing is more valuable. Be a donor and tell your family.”

Mic drop.

It was genius. You take a rich smug man who has everything. Then you get the world to hate him by using his eccentric behavior combined with 3 social posts to spark a discussion. Then you do a switch on a global stage that sparks more discussion on the value and importance of life. What an amazing PR Stunt and it only cost $6,000 to pull off.

Slow golf clap.

In a way I wish I was him, not because he has the money to drive a different Porsche every day of the week, but because he started a discussion about the important topic of organ donations and the importance of helping your fellow humans rather than surrounding yourself with material possessions. 

Now, don’t get me wrong as I would still love to own a Porsche, but I am happy for everything I have especially good health.

So take that midlife crisis.

I Wish I Had Done That.

Gary