The Bikin' Fools

The world just doesn’t get it!

In the complexity of modern living, the most basic elements of life are drowned out by the glitz and flash of the material age. Such technical wonders as this computer are so distracting that we lose sight of what it means to be alive. We falsely assume that the ‘things’ are of the greatest import, yet people in the most wealthy countries tend to be the least happy. What is wrong with this picture.

In my opinion it has to do with greed, with trying to find security and trying to fix life to be safe and predicable. Although it is possible to secure some level of safety from the dangerous elements of our world, ultimately it all dissolves. We are thrust back to the organic, simple aspects of daily life; food, shelter and sex. Somewhere in the pursuit of these items, we may discover our real nature. All else is an illusion, nicely legitimized by the bankers, the merchants and all of the other money changers in our world.

So distracting is this rampant materialism that most people haven’t a clue as the more organic, simple yet beautiful life that waits beyond the isle of Wal Mart. The fixation on the automobile is truly maniacal. These beasts of burden have become symbols of ‘success’. Yet they are nothing more than monuments to our genius and stupidity. The precautionary principal has been abandoned in our race towards material wealth. This principal suggests going cautiously towards industrial solutions to age-old problems and living situations. As great as the auto is, also it is a disaster. But it need not be that way. It has become a race between the dash to stockpile ‘things’ and a more studied and intelligent way of life. There seems to be a showdown with Mother Nature.

So it is that the more time we spend in the natural world, the greater chance we have to understand and admire the complexity of the world out there. Somehow, all those little critters seem to survive, despite a decreasing habitat. How do they do that? We would be hard pressed to survive one day without our creature comforts. That’s not necessarily bad news, its just that there is a lot more intelligence and ability in nature than we tend to think. We are programmed to think that we are superior to nature and not part of it. The realization that we are in fact, merely small parts of this whole, big spinning orb is the beginning of the journey home. When enough people arrive home, joy and happiness will displace avarice and the foolish notion that any one of us is a ‘rugged individual’.

How ever one finds the way back to the wisdom and the wealth of our Mother Earth will bode well for all. The mt. bike enters the picture as a viable tool to aid one in that pursuit. Take the time to appreciate the good fortune that you have to be part of this unique sport and to ride a vehicle that can take you beyond the superficial elements that dominate our existence.