Re: vfr Digest, Vol 53, Issue 37

I understand your position I just try to be true to myself. I think in
most situations I have to weigh the risk. Am I willing to live with the
fact that this tire plug could possibly give out and injure or kill
someone? If so then So be it.. I can't impose my standards and beliefs
on others. Just like sex before marriage. I think it's fine for me.. but
NOT for my daughter.. :) a double standard? sure.. oh well. My question
is where do you draw the line. If I ask to borrow a dollar for a drink
are you going to make sure that not only am I getting milk, but that
it's also lactose free organic soy milk because you have decided all
other milk is unhealthy? I have to live with myself and my actions and
while I don't loan money to friends for drugs, I would and have loaned
them money for smokes,, even being an ex-smoker. They know it's
unhealthy, so do I. but that is NOT the point.. it's NONE of my business
what happens to the money.. for all I know they could lie and instead of
cigarettes buy some crack. Maybe I should purchase the smokes for them..
to be safe. I'm no saint but I do remember reading a story where a
couple of the disciples were talking and they decided that it's best to
not do things that YOU feel are wrong and not to do things that would
make your neighbor stumble as well. it was a story in reference to
eating pork. My tak eon the bible is one of love and tolerance of
others. I live and let live as much as possible.. If other thought they
should impose their beliefs and views on unwilling people we wouldn't be
free and probably wouldn't be riding bikes as they are deemed unsafe by
a great majority of people here in the US. I'm glad I can ride, wreck my
bike, and ride it again w/out people trying to stand in my way. I do
respect your right to behave in a manner that is congruent with your
conscious. I think I'd rather trash the tire myself than live with the
guilt if something went wrong.. BUT I would loan someone some money to
fix a tire and not meddle into the detail s of exactly what that meant..
if they patched it instead of replacing it my conscious would be sad,
but clear.

Damon

vfr-request@xxxxxx wrote:
> Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:52:14 -0500
> From: "Thomas Wyse"
> Subject: Re: crapola
> To: "Bob Wortman"
> Cc: vfr list
> Message-ID:
> <66084d090808241452m3323330fn808bdc2ee01f2e74@xxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Bob -
>
> I suppose my statement could use a little clarification. Here's my
> thought process on this one:
>
> It has been suggested that patching/plugging motorcycle tires is a poor
> choice due to the probability of failure and bodily injury/death of riders.
> In some people's experience it has been concluded that patched tires are not
> an acceptable choice for their riding style. Given the wisdom acquired by
> this knowledge it should be clear that if one provided a faulty tire to
> another who then had an accident due to this fault it would bring a
> heaviness to the provider, justified and brushed off as 'not my problem' or
> 'everyone learns somehow' or 'shoulda known better' and likely forgotten to
> the best of ones ability. Possibly a guilty thought crosses the mind and
> ego steps in and lets us know it is OK to have done what we did. The issue I
> see comes only in the commonly accepted practice of 'lowest common
> denominator' found in this country/culture as opposed to the other option -
> raise the standard by practicing that which we know is right and avoiding
> the easy opportunities to pass on a perfectly good error. This is standard
> operating procedure in almost all public schools and many private schools.
> The entire system is held to the productivity of the slowest group of
> students as opposed to bringing a higher standard to light and teaching at a
> level becoming of a culture who desires to provide only the best
> possibilities and opportunities. Only at the university level do you find
> students working at their true capabilities, yet their possibilities have
> been stifled by underdeveloped training through the lower grades.
>
> As a practice I will not lend money to my friends (or others) for cigarettes
> or otherwise go out of my way to assist the acuisition of such things, I do
> not offer hot dogs (or other similarly unhealthful foods) for those who
> request them as I have found truth in the 'you are what you eat statement',
> I believe that each person lives life to its fullest as provided by their
> experience and acts in accordance with that which they have found to be
> true. In order to raise the standard of living for everyone each individual
> must live in accordance to the standard which they believe is higher than
> that which they believed yesterday. If I am providing that which keeps
> someone living below this standard then I am perpetuating that which I have
> found to be unnecessary, unneeded or otherwise detrimental to the right
> function of the workings in this reality. I am a part of the solution. I
> am the change which I wish to realize in the world. I have all that power,
> as do you. Every choice effects everything else in this world, what choices
> shall be made? Which opportunities can be itemized as possibilities? The
> depends on the level of dedication one puts forth to his beliefs.
>
> I pass no guilt on to you as I believe you are holding to what you feel is
> right and true. I offer only another perspective on how to process those
> things which are found to be less than acceptable for you in the future.
> Place the tire next to the garbage can where a recycler can grab it. The
> tire is useless to you and everyone you love and care for, yes? Why then
> should anyone else in the world be offered less than this level of
> appreciation at all times? If I accepted that tire, patched it and rode on
> it, only to have it rip open while riding down the highway would there be no
> emotional rift upon reading my posted accident? Of course there would, it
> is human to feel the pain of another and accept that pain as one's own when
> involved with that other person.
>
> Allow me to take a moment (ok, another 8 minutes) of your time to provide a
> better explanation of this thought process via a youtube video I found a
> while back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3EE-...eature=related
>
> Thanks for taking the time to read this.
>
> -tom
>

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