Motorcycling as life lessons

Motorcycling is an independent philosophy. it teaches you wordlessly about life, not only how to cope with it but how to revel in it. It frees you from the drudgery of the ordinary, in the first sweeping corner of the day. on the long straight , just as the wrist cranks up the throttle and the exhaust note changes from a low growl to that manic scream that echoes down the motorway, the mundane world full of bills and taxes ,just melts away in its bask glory. When the scream reaches its maximum volume and the engine at its maximum capacity the rider is lifted to an exalted state of concentration and focus that only after years does a yogi ever acquire this level of attainment. Even the most serious ride will crack a smile as he feels the rear tyre grip the tarmac and the front wheel begins to rise even in the smallest of wheelies.

Each ride is an unusual and unique experience. You learn with every rotation of the wheel. Every corner is entered anew, every turn exited afresh and the same straight viewed differently on every ride. It refreshes your mind and soul from all the slow, mundane life you've been living for the entire week and awakens a new experience and as you grow better, and ride harder. Eventually, motorcycling will teach you trust and commitment like no other. Pulling out to overtake that 16-wheeler, after you are sure nothing is coming at you( yes I mean coming at you on the SAME SIDE), will teach you to trust yourself and for your buddies behind, that follow your footsteps(in this case your taillights) will teach them to trust you and will teach you be a decisive leader of the pack. Powering ahead to make that overtaking manouevre will teach you commitment. No long lectures at the counselors, no spiritual jargon...just a smooth, well planned overtake will sort two of the most complicated in life on just one short ride. Your body becomes one with the bike. Your sense heighten as you pick up the revs. You empty your mind of all else. Your orchestra is a perfect combination of the exhaust note and the slither of the chain, the quickshifter blipping the throttle is the thumping drum beat. An amazing dance begins, you begin sing and shout. To none but yourself. The road always appears new and unexplored on different days with different conditions. The wet, the dry, the newly laid tarmac...all turn the same road into a vastly different arena. Sometimes enjoyable...sometimes just downright dangerous. ITS LIKE LIFE ..you handle whatever comes your way with an extremely wide variety of skills(you grow these skills unendingly because evolution is the key to survival).

Motorcycling deals in teams. Friends riding in a group, surviving the travails of the road and ensuring that all get to the other side. Friendship can only flourish if it is nurtured by both parties compassion and understanding the two wheeled crotch rockets(it matters; family we can’t choose but friends we can). Like what most adventurers say, its not about the destination , its about the journey to the destination(there are also some who say the journey is the destination). To be one with the 'universal pub' at the end of the day's ride. The spiritual guru may win with selling the 'afterlife' but motorcycling wins hands down selling the 'HERE AND NOW'. You shouldn't map and schedule everything out: life isn’t meant to be planned down to every little detail. At the end of the day, it’s just meant to be lived. When you plan things out, you get frustrated when life doesn’t follow those expectations to a ‘T,’ and there’s no excitement left. And life is supposed to be exciting. Frustrating, frightening, intimidating? Sure, it’s all those things, too. But in the end, when it’s done right, it’s an adventure you wouldn’t trade for the world. My motorcycle and riding have taught me that sometimes the best destination’s are the ones that aren’t planned and sneak up on you. The crew chief of Repsol Honda racing MotoGP team, Santi Hernandez the man behind the legendary racer Marc Marquez once said in an interview "Of course, you don't always have the answers, because problems come along that you aren't prepared for". Life can often be complete chaos. You feel like you’re trying to balance multiple different things all and once, and it gets stressful. Sometimes you feel like the people around you have these standards and expectations for you which can be a big burden. When moments like that happen, all you need is YOU and the ROAD. You don’t need anything else because that’s enough for you. You need time to remove yourself from all of that, think, relax, and come back to it later. And if there’s anything that riding has taught me, it’s that sometimes

your own company is the best. Do what’s right. It pays in the end ,always.

No doubt the rather obvious things riding a motorcycle teaches us. Situational awareness(especially for all the clumsy ones out there) be it bicycle of motorcycle — you have to pay attention to what pedestrians and motorists and other road users are doing in order to survive. The majority of accidents are due to motorists who fail to detect and recognize motorcyclists. Learning to pay attention and scanning your surroundings constantly makes you generally more aware of your vicinity It should also make you a better writer learn to “read” people better. From time to time we have to alter the course our personal or professional life takes, which can only happen if you “slow down": ponder, plan and then execute. it doesn't do any good to look behind especially while you ride. You look forward, sure you can catch a glimpse behind you to make sure nothing is sneaking up on you that could do some damage, but you keep looking forward. I’ve taken that lesson and have just applied it to life in general. Things happen, some of which we wish didn’t. But the past is the past and it doesn’t achieve much to continue looking back at it. When you get so caught up in what’s behind you—what’s already happened—you can’t see what’s right in front of you. Life is about moving forward, not backward. It’s part of the reason why motorcycle won’t reverse without a good bit of effort to make it happen. You keep going forwards and leave everything behind you. Glamorous guarantees nothing(or like what most people say what glitters isn't always gold) modest to can be grand. Too often we attach value and impact to glamorous and exorbitant items we sometimes wish we had, ignoring the fact that if it supports any immediate or gradual purpose. But sometimes we need to open our eyes(or heck just uncover your visor) and be grateful for what we have, cause who knows what we have in our destiny. All we know is that we create it.

Riding a motorcycle will teach you the difference between a calculated risk and stupid bravado. If you learn the lesson right you will shine at your workplace(heck even on the street) . If not, you will read the paper every day, for months, in the hospital bed that you will come to know SOOO well. The knowledge of how to differentiate between the two will be a game changer in your life.

So go ahead. Scrap the guru. Buy a motorcycle instead!