I read this post of Gwadzilla’s today, and it really resonated with me, because he describes almost exactly my philosophy and methodology of commuter-riding and road-sharing. I’m going to post it in its entirety and then encourage you again to go and read more of his blog. If you’re a cyclist, especially if biking is a very major component of your lifestyle, you will almost certainly enjoy his site.
The post is as follows:
sharing…
there is a bit of a misconception of sharing
most people do not get sharing
I witness the misunderstanding of sharing when I see parents dealing with their children
so often sharing means to give the crying child the toy that they want
that is not sharing
that is placating the spoiled childmy boys are very generous children
they are excellent sharers
but… they do not think that sharing means that they need to forfeit their toys when someone else demands
so often some kids will be over playing with my boys and a child will say… dean is not sharing!
which to so many parents a statement like this means…
take the toy away from dean and give it to the child who has claimed that the other is not sharing
now how is that sharing?
that is a coy way to take things?
some children learned quickly that this was a good form of manipulation and a wonderful way to get what they wanted
this behavior never teaches the children how to share
just as giving the toy to the crying child rewards crying
giving the child the who claims that the other is not sharing is not teaching that child to share
sharing means waiting your turn then giving others their turnon the road there is this notion of SHARE THE ROAD
an idea which is so often confused with SHARE THE LANEthe driver’s of cars tend not to be good sharers
I guess from the perspective of the cars behind me
I often appear to be a poor sharer
but… my sharing the road does not mean that I need to ride in the gutter all the way to the right so that the cars can pass effortlessly by me within the same lane
nor does it mean that I need to clear the path when I feel the hum of their engine behind me
Sharing the Road means sharing the road
granting respect to others
allowing others to be safe
it does not mean for me to scramble out of the car’s way as they approach
that is far too similar to the child’s misconception of sharing
which is focused on the notion of ME instead of the notion of WEenough on that
I am not sure if I can bring this thought to a sound conclusion
so
PUBLISH AND POST