It’s funny about how things happen in life. Random events happen in a row and it makes you stop and think about stuff. Or at least it makes me stop and think for a few moments.
Today I am going to deviate somewhat from the topic of cycling and cycling related stuff. In many cases some of my best ideas come when I am out spinning the crank. Maybe these are my “Pedalations” these ideas that come to me in the saddle and out on the open road.
One thing I love doing out on a ride is saying hello to everyone that I pass by. It is a simple gesture but how often do you acknowledge everyone that you pass by during your day? Words don’t have to be spoken but a kind gesture such as a smile will work. In our busy hectic life the kindness of human interaction could go a long way. I mean genuine interaction not that kind that you sometimes get from a store employee because someone told them that they needed to acknowledge you. I mean true genuine interaction. (What has always amazed me is that when I travel south on I95 that the farther South I get the more friendly people are and it is genuine friendliness. Why is that?) When I pass somebody on a ride whether it is a fellow cyclist, a runner, or just someone cutting their lawn or retrieving the mail they are often caught off guard when I greet them. In almost every case I get a smile or a wave in response.
Why do I tell you this? Well yesterday (October 28) my wife forwarded this e-mail to me from her God Father.
It is a curious thing… that every creed promises a paradise which will be absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilized taste. – Evelyn Waugh, British author, [Vile Bodies, Brideshead Revisited], born on this day, 1903 Harps? X number of virgins? Streets of Gold, with much casting about of golden crowns? Reunion with family and friends (whom we may have spent a good deal of time in the earthly life desperately avoiding)? Boredom? No sex? No hearty Burgundy, or dry vodka martinis? No, forget it. Waugh is absolutely correct. Absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilized taste. (And let’s just ignore for a moment snobbery, or any delusion that any of us can define civilized. What’s paradise for you? And remember, it changes as you age. At least, that is my experience, and my wise “warning” to the younger among us. Gene Rodenberry (creator of Star Trek) understood this: he had alcohol that didn’t intoxicate, and food that didn’t fatten – but he also did away with religion and God among the human race in the 24th century!! I agree with him; good idea. I would choose A Star-Trek starship as my paradise – except for the fact that they didn’t outlaw violence and war. However, from my present perspective, religion and God (in the hands of human beings) creates often a place absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilized taste. Not to say that religion and God couldn’t provide a habitable place for anyone of civilized taste in this world. It’s just that we are leaving the determination of this to the experts, so-called. Like, the clergy. And a lot of the clergy have, shall we say, neuroses that disqualify them from being able to provide good guidance on this, mostly because they are minions of an institution rather than servants of the God/ess of Compassion. So. Think today about what your Paradise would be like! If you like, send them to me (not too long please!). I will either rewrite the Book of Revelation, or I will use them in Reflections (with comment, of course), or write a book about people and their strange ideas about Paradise, or use them to inform my prayers to God for your rehabilitation!
But also: think about what Paradise really is for you. And use it to start a plan for How I Will Live Now.
So it got me to thinking about stuff as I have been of late and I sat down and wrote this out off the top of my head without much really editing. Here was my reply to Brian:My “paradise” is in a southern climate, preferably an island where everyone is friendly and accepts responsibility for their actions. Somewhere along the way we have evolved to a self centered, what is in it for me lifestyle. Often not looking at the bigger picture. We have moved in many ways to taking care of people outside our country then taking care of the less fortunate within this great country. The sense of community is rapidly breaking down if not gone at this time. Instead we are stepping on each other to get ahead in our daily lives. In a race to acquire the most status symbols among our friends. However we are so busy trying to acquire these things we don’t have time to spend with our friends to show them off! So busy in fact that when driving their cars on a rainy day, people don’t have the time to stop and let a pedestrian in the rain cross the street. My paradise would be an area where people are considerate and respectful of their neighbors, know who they are but not busy bodies. The community would function as a community watching out and taking care of each other. Our kids could run and play in the streets, ride their bikes and Mom and Dad would not have to work in fear of their children getting kidnapped before they got home from work. This community would not be so expensive that one had to work all the time to survive. Instead they could work to live but not live to work. Here they could afford a home and still have time for family and friends and other loved ones. As our country evolves it is evolving in the wrong direction away from what many came here in the first place. Freedom of religion but also a freedom from too many laws. Our country is trying to legislate everything one does. My paradise is a world where people are considerate of others in their daily lives and live that way on a regular basis accepting responsibility for ones actions and holding those around them accountable for their actions. So I wrote this yesterday and then this morning as I was gearing up to do some work I turned on the TV to see what was on as I got my morning started. The Movie Pay It Forward was on. I’ve never watched it and didn’t really know what it was about. I had heard about it and I know Oprah has been talking about this on and off for a while now. I even Google’d today and learned there is a Pay It Forward Foundation.
As the movie progressed it got me to thinking about how it kind of tied together some of what I have been thinking about lately. That we can truly all make changes in the world if we all do something in our daily lives to improve the world we in, making it a better place. I think my paradise is where people are Paying It Forward in some small way each and every day.
Let’s face it many people are willing to make minor changes in our lives; the simple things. It takes a little more for us to move to the bigger changes but we are all capable of it. They say you need to do something for three weeks to make it a habit or a natural part of your daily life.
Maybe you can ride your bike a little more. Did you know that 40% of the trips in this country by automobiles are 2 miles or less in length? How many of your automobile trips could be replaced by your bicycle.
Everything little change/difference we can make will make in our daily lives will lead to gradual change in the long run. Hopefully you shop locally for as much as you can, give away what you can that is still useable by others and unwanted by you. Wave to the driver behind you who let’s you into traffic, be the person who let’s someone into traffic. We recycle because our leadership has made it easy. Do you genuinely acknowledge those that you come in contact with during your daily life?
One thing we can all do that is simple is to make the roads a friendlier place among cyclist and wave and acknowledge everyone you pass along your ride.
