"Vehicle" of change. That's what a bike is. We are so used to riding in cars with the A/C on and the windows rolled up. We see our world like watching a movie through the windshield. On a bike, you are acutely aware of everything that goes on around you, 360 degrees, partially because you don't want to have some parked car open a door in front of you or a guy driving while texting behind you spoil your groove. But mostly because you are drawn into your environment. You see and smell your surroundings, you feel the actual temperature of the moment, and the noises of birds and waves are not silenced as they would be in a closed vehicle. I guess an open Jeep Wrangler would be a close second. I don't think that every place lends itself to biking. The low speed limits and the other bikes on the road do give an added level of security here on the island, but riding is still not something that allows inattention. But then again, why not pay attention all the time in life? There is never nothing going on. The three rules of ZEN are Attention, Attention, Attention. Maybe the bike is a metaphor for what the rest of our existence could be...not seeing things in neat little framed boxes separated from the world by glass, fully in touch with nature and the elements, using all of your heightened senses, and moving that machine known as our body instead of just putting our toes on the accelerator and pressing lightly. It could be that we owe it to ourselves to pedal hard and not just press lightly as we travel through life. It's worth a thought.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
PUMP up the VOLUME
"Vehicle" of change. That's what a bike is. We are so used to riding in cars with the A/C on and the windows rolled up. We see our world like watching a movie through the windshield. On a bike, you are acutely aware of everything that goes on around you, 360 degrees, partially because you don't want to have some parked car open a door in front of you or a guy driving while texting behind you spoil your groove. But mostly because you are drawn into your environment. You see and smell your surroundings, you feel the actual temperature of the moment, and the noises of birds and waves are not silenced as they would be in a closed vehicle. I guess an open Jeep Wrangler would be a close second. I don't think that every place lends itself to biking. The low speed limits and the other bikes on the road do give an added level of security here on the island, but riding is still not something that allows inattention. But then again, why not pay attention all the time in life? There is never nothing going on. The three rules of ZEN are Attention, Attention, Attention. Maybe the bike is a metaphor for what the rest of our existence could be...not seeing things in neat little framed boxes separated from the world by glass, fully in touch with nature and the elements, using all of your heightened senses, and moving that machine known as our body instead of just putting our toes on the accelerator and pressing lightly. It could be that we owe it to ourselves to pedal hard and not just press lightly as we travel through life. It's worth a thought.
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