Whatever you notice by bike will lead down a twisty road. Begin with an observation about a real dog, you might end with a revelation about dogma. Riveted this ferocious beast’s attention by merely rounding a corner then silently riding by minding own business. This jackass sized canine strained at a flimsy chain tenuously stretched behind. Its intent was as obvious as it was vicious, a tragedy worthy of Hamlet waiting to happen in that hamlet. Don't know why people breed and keep pets so huge, except, of course, to intimidate intruders, pony up a fortune for chow and fences, and shoulder responsibility of white man's burden to impose order over unknown anxieties.
Momentary terror pushed aside whatever was being mulled, which is what riders do, pray or puzzle over everything through which they ever lived. There's little else to do while pedaling because listening with headphones is illegal and reading impractical. Prior train of thought had something to do with how cycling obsession resembles proselytizing religion. Not exactly what people think of as doctrine, pedaling does have a spiritual core. Modern credos command control, guilt, manipulation, mass hysteria, and validation of wrongdoing; they demand unquestioning belief in an evolving scheme that involves denying oneself now for a ticket to paradise supposedly redeemable once dead, if the trauma of transition doesn't make you forget to present it. Fear of nature, beastly and inhumane, constrains. They'll instigate crusades against infidels and discontent against secularism, same as cyclists only with motorists and motoring. Either way, organizations exist to chisel from you; outsiders falsely assume adherents behave and think alike; penitents congregate on Sundays; songs designed to instill humility are badly sung; tithing occurs at church or local bike shop. Parishioners celebrate mass en mass, whereas cyclists devotedly mash alone even when convened in groups. Ushers pass plates for cash and coins, whereas cyclists leave coins in gutter and notice tar spots that shine like coins but are as phony as most who boast of belief. Riding can be performed ritually and worshipfully, kowtowing like an acolyte over handlebars among pelaton or posse in communion queues. However, in contrast, bicycling goes back to roots of all beliefs in agape, chaste fellowship, the prototype taught by prophets. What few rewards it offers in camaraderie, education and health are immediately realized while still alive. Going by bike is a loving, nontoxic, nonviolent alternative unlikely to cause harm to anyone other than cyclist who choses to do so. It's self sacrifice for the sake of community. It makes real jobs, not simply stuffs ministers' pockets.
Neither blog nor book tries to replace old wives' tales with newly concocted but similarly wrong substitutes. Adages remain undisputed, apothegms startle, and epigrams ring true, but every one is outdated, situationally dependent, and unworthy of your consideration. "Where there's smoke, there's fire," has been used to accuse more innocents than perpetrators by implying guilt by association. People repeat all sorts of things. Men concocted dogma to consolidate power. Wrongdoers cite maxims to justify crimes. How can you expect decent folks to help those down on their luck? You've got to do your own research if you expect to go forth in safety with authority. Neighborhoods you bike through change over years, usually for the worse. Better there was no literature than readymade sayings that stand in for erudition.
Blaming women for troubles is like accusing religion for causing wars. Implicated? Surely, but not the root cause. Frustration produces aggression. Once unleashed, nobody’s safe. Abused children become abusers themselves, or worse, sociopaths who kill without remorse. If one child is forsaken, some wretch will rise to take out rage on unsuspecting citizens. Kindness in schools identifies and neutralizes threat, yet they cut spending for social programs without considering consequences already manifested in mass shootings. Terrorists abound; mustn't foster means and opportunities though neglect. Religions align with this ignorance. Clerics never speak freely or wisely, hold lies and spin above truth. Yet without good inherent in doctrine, greed and tyranny go unchecked.
Anything you question will alienate a thoughtful audience, all 10 of them. Majority can’t grasp advanced concepts. Often cyclists are not dog lovers. Labann abhors breeders, who for profit foist millions of pets onto a populace that can’t afford to feed itself never mind hungry snouts which wouldn’t otherwise exist. So what if this perspective perturbs PETA? Owners fall for relentless advertising and maneuvering. Aimless arm themselves with ammo and animals. Pets are neither farm livestock nor fauna that contributes to ecosystem diversity. Glad to glance deer poking out of trees at dawn and turkeys settling into suburban spots. Acceptance and forbearance are considered weak positions that invite vengeance. As in the Terry Nation film
And Soon the Darkness (previously mentioned but now available), you're more secure if you pair up and stay together. Metaphysics never concerns itself with your survival. Making reliable friends is up to you.
