Well, I am an endurance athlete and I like to do things big, I like to do them on my own testing my perseverance, strength and will. Doing it with a group doesn’t do that for me, I don’t want the help of a team in such endeavors, I see it as “Me against the world” and I plan on sticking with it and making it work, not giving up, not giving up, and if I have to sing my all time favorite 90s fight songs.
When I explained to a friend that I wanted to cycle across the United States alone, unaccompanied or with a group of cyclists and that I wanted to do it in 3 weeks, she told me I was crazy, crazy, basically calling me a lunatic with a death wish – It is not like this. I’m not crazy and this challenge myself isn’t crazy it’s an adventure and the cheesy tourist bike rides are pathetically easy (aka anyone can do it) I plan on doing 250 miles a day it’s like running a marathon a day for 3 weeks. These “Ride Across America” type group rides only do 50-100 max, it would take too long, I’d get bored. Always, Trust yourself. It’s practically an American tradition, victory is for the bold, not the meek. Ha ha ha. I’m all male (a bit of Alpha Male Syndrome there). I told; “I see your woman’s point of view, of course, but if you do everything in the approved way, you will never be able to escape or escape, you will always be a fish in a school, a sheep in a flock, or a human in the Borg.” .” Dear Reader, Take a break and listen to “It’s My Life” Bon Jovi.
It turns out that my friend wanted to argue this point of masculinity with me by saying; “Most cyclists are male, and most ride in packs! For safety! I’m all for your Trust Self thing, but NOT because it’s a man/masculine thing. Remember Amelia Earhart? Absolutely a Trust Self thing and woman… and where the hell is she? BUT, go for it! She’s definitely bold. And whether you make it back safely or disappear, it’s definitely one hell of a quest.”
I explained to my friend; yes, as a pilot I am aware of the Amelia Earhart story, there were other factors as well. It is not an adventure if you do everything by the approved method. It’s not even remarkable, hundreds of people do it every year in groups. Why would you want to be like everyone else? I don’t consider myself a cyclist (aka Bike Weeny) and I don’t belong to any biker group, however I love passing them by on their $6000 bikes in full gear ha ha ha.
Don’t worry, we come from different mentalities. I like to win. Take the road less traveled. Test my will, strength of character, not belonging to a group and following a supposed authority telling me how to do everything by the book. I say that the book was written by lesser men, and those who cannot teach. Humans are often like sheep in herds, but not all of them, some are like eagles in command of their domain, they don’t need the group to survive, they believe in themselves. I hate bands, you have to give up a part of yourself to belong, supposedly for something great, but in the end all you get is a higher level of mediocrity. that does not interest me
Shout all you want, you wouldn’t be the first, but if you understand the psyche of what I’m saying, you’ll also realize that telling someone like me “you can’t” is actually a motivator for “Just do it” and that it is what makes life worth living, living life, we weren’t born to follow.
Power to the individual, who needs socialism, who needs a people? The individual is ALL that matters. The groups are for those who do not understand themselves or what they are capable of – What do you say? Philosophically speaking that is?
