Embrace Nothingness

Embrace the nothingness of the universe and all knowledge shall flow forth.

The Zen of motorcycle riding is much more than trite allegory. A rider cannot simply rely on reflex and palpable stimuli. Doing so would be too coarse or too slow. One must reach into the nothing of the universe and see all, sense all. Raw processing of all input while flying at 70 miles per hour only inches above asphalt is staggering. Piloting a two wheeled vehicle is not a practice of processing but of trust.

Trust in the physical world. Physics keeps the bike vertical at 50 miles per hour. Physics makes the tires stick to the road when cornering. The environment will always affect the rider and bike in predictable ways. Brakes will work only to a certain predetermined point before the tires loose traction and become ineffective. A motor can only accelerate a bike at a certain rate.

Trust in the ethereal world. The Tao. Nothing and everything. There is a higher being or knowledge or what have you; conventional or not. Trust it is there.

Trust in your inner self. Trust in your abilities. Trust in your skills. Trust in your knowledge. Trust that you have limits.

Lasty, trust that you can meld the physical, ethereal and inner self. That is key in any journey, whether it be on a bike or within the context of a life.