What happened to my brother late Tuesday night, is exactly why I'm convinced that one should live life the best way one knows how and if that means rejecting how others want you to live your life, so be it. I'm not talking about unethical, immoral and obviously bad Karma living that hurts others (I guess everyone has to have their own way of measuring this). I'm not talking about those things that we'd probably all agree are anti-social, anti-human rights, etc. I'm thinking more like, riding a motorcycle, hang gliding, ultra-marathoning, becoming a weight lifting master--pretty mundane stuff--according to how I measure things.My brother, Michael, coming home from a painting job Tuesday night was walking down an alley and someone driving at Indy 500 speeds blasted into that alley and this "person" hit him and dragged him a great distance. He is seriously injured, suffering from a crushed pelvis; broken legs; one broken arm?; kidney damage; head and brain trauma; one ripped off ear; bottom lip is tacked on and actually looks like one if you stretch your imagination; two collapsed lungs and some other internal damage that remains rather vague. The doctors do not expect him to survive. But he made it through Wednesday night after suffering one "crash" and internal bleeding that hasn't been stopped but is now leaking only slowly. Last night two ministers visited his bedside. Machines now keep him alive
What does this have to do with motorcycling? A lot! Just as I hopefully made clear in my response to the $65,000 question, we never know if and when our lives can be changed forever--even ended by some unanticipated event. In a flash, our lives can take turns that come seemingly out of thin air. One day you're fine, the next you're dependent on mechanical devices, "living" moment to moment.
Risk is ubiquitous. There is no way to avoid it. Not too long ago a couple sleeping in their house died when it blew up--some sort of explosion from a faulty furnace--carbon monoxide is another silent killer that wrecks horror on hundreds each year.
Stuff happens. All the time. And, that's why I think we should walk through life fully but gently, doing our best not to harm others but keeping a good balance by not shortchanging what brings us joy. Life is short. Treat yours and others special so that when it is your time, you've made this world and the people you know in it, better.
