It has been two months and 13 days since I have written last. Although it may seem like an abandonment, it is nothing more than a testimony to where my loyalties lie. I have continued riding just as I was then. Something significant has happened though. The weather has begun to change. I know, it's autumn, the weather is supposed to change. What is amazing though, is that I have felt it on a much deeper level while riding. In the searing desert heat, the longer I rode, the weaker I became. Not just on a single ride, but throughout the week. My energy would be sucked out of my soul and each afternoon became harder than the previous.
When temperatures began to drop, an amazing thing happened. I became stronger. As much as I would like to attribute that to my own body, I know it is because of the weather. When one is trapped in an apartment, office, and car, one does not have any sort of relationship to the weather other than a minor, brief, discomfort. But when I'm forced to submit to the mercy of Mother Nature, the whole world changes.
As I ride, I can't help but feel shame and pity towards all those other folks I see hiding from the world in their cars. I wonder how they would fair if all kind of motor transportation were to disappear. They are weak. That feeling of superiority and importance that they get everytime they throw their lives at the pump is nothing more than illusion. We are the strong. We know ourselves and the planet. We will survive. When it rains, gather water. I don't hate cars. I kind of hate drivers. But mostly I hate how weak it has made the top species on earth. Where have we gone?
Finally realizing your place in the world like this provides an erie sense of freedom.
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