A few days ago I wrote about the fun I had riding my dirt bike. Being me, it turned into a multi-part post. It’s not Shakespeare and if you don’t do nature or motorcycles it might not be your scene. That’s ok. I’m just linking here to provide some context:
- Dirt Bike Americana: Part 1
- Dirt Bike Americana: Part 2
- Dirt Bike Americana: Part 3
- Dirt Bike Americana: Epilogue
- Dirt Bike Americana: Pics Or It Didn’t Happen
Stories of my silly adventures get enough notice that I figure I’m not completely pissing into the wind when I write. But it’s the post about my disappointment over hearing NPR fret about absolutely miniscule risks that hit the target. NPR’s weaksauce (and really the whole of society’s dimming spark) fills me with a mix of pity and revulsion. The saddest risk in life may be forgoing life to avoid risk itself:
“America is best when we ignore cessile, inert, semi-sentient, weaklings. Without the spark of life that makes the world so wonderful, they crawl up their own ass and weep while clutching cell phones. They may not know it, but they’re dead already.”
Such were the musings of a backwoods fellow who’d been out playing in the sun. In this, I struck a chord.
357 Magnum noticed my little irrelevant blog and posted Adaptive Curmudgeon is Cooler than You:
“He sails a boat the he built himself. He rides a dirt bike. This is about the dirt bike. …[snip]… You really should read it, if only to live vicariously, but AC always does make me laugh.”
Bayou Renaissance Man likewise posted with Well said, sir!:
“Isn’t it nice to find an island of sanity in the COVID-19 hysteria bombarding us from all sides? Fortunately, there are many of them out there, if one looks.”
Thinking about risk and how society is losing it’s will to live means something to me. My next post will be weird. I had and idea and will announce it then.
One of the reasons I read you every day is because you are an island of sanity in the ocean of hysteria flooding over us all. Must be all that global warming. Unfortunately, many people who are glued to their computer/phone/tablet/tv are being bombarded with sky is falling predictions and ever more whacked out viewpoints. For example, I had a dental cleaning yesterday. TVs were blaring some news station in the waiting room and in the exam rooms. I spent an hour being hammered with “news” stories, 8/10 being Covid related. People screaming about wearing masks. Others screaming about not wearing them. No one touches on whether masks do or do not actually prevent the transmission of Covid. Since it’s 24/7 news, they have to make every story seem like the apocalypse, from Covid to the latest tropical storm. If people would get away from being Ted Turner’s lab rats (yes I know he’s no longer in charge but he started it with that damned CNN) and go outside for awhile, they might realize there is more to life than huddling up at home praying not to get sick. But then again, what the hell do I know? I’m just some neanderthal who has the audacity to not believe everything I see on TV or the net.