Venerable Old Fox Sir, astonishingly impeccable penmanship as always. You hit the proverbial nail smack on the head, we all need to "slow down" and enjoy the nuances of life which are unique to each one of us and extraordinarily beautiful in their own. What is the use of that posh flat, swanky car and all if one has no one to share them with. The mechanization of the youth of this country is proceeding at an alarmingly rapid rate and woefully there are no checks in place to prevent us from becoming automatons to be toyed with. This "competizione" spirit that is being engraved into the psyche of a few kids of today is going to have a derogatory effect on the denizens of our country.

We ride because we care...

^^ to the Old Fox's input about slowing down etc.

I remember a story I had read sometime in an issue of Readers's Digest, sometime in the early 80s. It showcased a top-flight cardiac surgeon's life - his training, work day, family, ambitions, successes, failures, hobbies etc. A married man with two kids in school, I very distinctly remember the article mentioning that this gentleman owned a Ferrari. He had it parked at a nearby disused WWII aerodrome; the hangers for the mistily remembered Lancasters and Mosquitoes served as a garage. But.... what use was a Ferrari to a top-notch heart surgeon? Read on...


In his own, admirably radical way, he struck a balance between Life and Work. 'Cause he was wise enough to know that Work is work. Work is NOT Life. Money is not Life. Fame is not Life. To be able to devote a proportional amount of time to what makes one happy and contented and to rejoice in making one's own happy - that is Life; I suppose the surgeon saw it this way.

For us bikers, reading the HT thread, this story has immense value. It teaches us that we can have the OMG moments on tracks, preen about time to the ton, about lean angles and riding gear et al. And yet, experience a reset of our priorities with small gestures - making conscious efforts in understanding our parents, partners, spouses, children, friends, foes, rivals in a much better fashion. And in that process, slowing down to a natural rhythm, in keeping with our individual selves. To acknowledge that taking one's mother/wife pillion on a superbike to the market for the weekly veggie purchase gives as much satisfaction as the 10,000 RPM/300 kph straight run, the 100 kph+ chicane and the smoking figures of eight. Small things, big results. Small things, big smiles. Small things, much happiness, much peace.