Cycling and compassion
Choosing Compassion for Everyday Biking by Kristen Steele
via Cycling on the High Road | Momentum – The Magazine For Self Propelled People!.
Excellent article about how swallowing your pride and anger when you’re wronged by another vehicle is always the better way to go. I must admit that I find this difficult to do.
Here’s a taste:
Seeing the humanity in others is an essential part of cultivating compassion. Jay Ferm, a Madison WI cyclist, says that when he’s faced with a driver behaving badly he “imagines that perhaps they are rushing a kid to the doctor, or are late for a job interview.” He admits that at times he gets angry and, when he catches himself, remembers that he was once “an unconscious road user.”
This article quotes the Dalai Lama, and the Buddhist practice of mindfulness. I would claim empathy and compassion as Christ-like virtues as well.
Major religions of the world unite: cycling is the one true path to enlightenment!
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One Response to “Cycling and compassion”
I totally agree. My best friend was killed riding her bike by someone in the wrong. However imagine my surprise as I was driving my car a while later, and came upon a cyclist on a bridge. Another car was coming in the opposite direction and the bridge was tight, so I slowed down and waited behind the cyclist until we were both off the bridge – and promptly got abused by the cyclist! All for trying to be cautious and look out for him. What I did, I don’t know. I hope he doesn’t continue to make a bad name for bicyclist, as not everyone has lost someone in this manner and been quite so compassionate.