Today, Julian wouldn’t just be a lawyer. He would be a tech founder burning through Adderall, a day trader chasing meme stocks, or a "hustle culture" influencer posting sunrise reels while fighting a panic attack. The uniform has changed (hoodies instead of suits), but the disease is the same: the belief that external accumulation leads to internal peace.

You don't need to sell your car tomorrow. But you might want to check the engine of your soul. Is it running on empty? Or are you driving toward a destination that actually matters?

As the sages of Sivana would say: "Act now. The river of life flows only forward."

In 1996, a litigation lawyer named Robin Sharma wrote a self-published book about a hotshot attorney who suffers a heart attack in the middle of a courtroom, sells his mansion and his red Ferrari, and travels to the Himalayas to find enlightenment.

To be fair, the book has flaws. It is relentlessly optimistic. It assumes that everyone has the luxury to "sell a Ferrari" when most people are just trying to pay rent. There is a whiff of spiritual materialism here—the idea that enlightenment is just another luxury good for the burned-out elite.

Julian Mantle did not find happiness when he sold the car. He found it when he realized the car was never the point.

We are living through a mental health crisis. Rates of loneliness, anxiety, and burnout are at historic highs. We have more connectivity than ever, yet we suffer from a catastrophic lack of meaning.