Cycling to New Spiritual Heights

Photo by Diego Cupolo

I like cycling.  I ride my bike to work for no particular reason other than the fact that I like it.  I'm not a particularly philosophical or political guy.  I'm just trying to have a little fun, that's all. 

My bike commuting addiction is not rooted in any profound commitment to environmentalism.  Sure, getting to work without using a car provides a tangible benefit to the environment by reducing the amount of pollution in the air.  There's no denying that.  But I don't do it to be "green".  That's not what compels me to get out the door on a single-digit February morning.  I'm not one of those "simple living" guys either.  I am generally angst-ridden and prone to extended binges of overthinking.  I can even render the supposedly "simple" act of riding a bike into an overly-complicated exercise in grandeur (witness this blog, for instance). 

My bike commuting is not an attempt to get in touch with my spiritual side either.  I don't debate that a long ride in the country, wherein one has time to take leisurely breaks under the sheltering reaches of old trees, can bring a person to Whitmanesque visions concerning the presence of divine energy in nature or whatever.  I don't usually have time in my schedule for such uplifting jaunts.  More often, I find myself in situations as I did yesterday afternoon, cussing at traffic in the midst of a soaking rush hour rain.  Not so spiritual.

My intentions aren't lofty.  In truth, my motivation for bike commuting is to have some fun, to feel like I did when I was a kid, before life got so darn complicated.  Although I'm too impossibly complicated to ever truly feel like a kid again, bike commuting does permit me let my hair down a little.  I wouldn't be able to sit behind a desk all day playing the role of Mr. Serious Attorney without it.  It also helps preserve my sense of humor, something which we all need more of these days.  Don't forget that during the last global economic depression, we had entertainers like the Marx Brothers to keep us laughing.  I don't know if you've noticed, but movies aren't so funny anymore.  Maybe it's up to us to make ourselves laugh a little. Riding a bike can be funny, if you let it be.

One guy who really has the right idea is co-religionist Baruch Herzfeld.  He runs a bike gemach (loan program) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, beloved home of Satmar Hasidim and hipsters, two subcultures who both happen to take themselves way too seriously.  Herzfeld, an Orthodox Jew himself (although not Hasidic), tries to help Williamsburg's Hasidim lighten up a little bit by loaning them bikes.  The sign over his small storefront in Brooklyn features a "large Star of David constructed out of 50 or so rubber chickens," the center of which contains Yiddish text stating, "You can come borrow a bike to ride around and have fun."  Says Herzfeld:

“These guys always complain to me. They say: ‘Baruch, what can I do? I’m miserable. Help me out. . . . I said, come to me. I’ll give you a bicycle on the side.”

So far, it appears that Herzfeld has been successful in getting some Hasidim out on bikes.  I'd like to extend my best wishes for Herzfeld's continued success in putting a little levity into people's lives.  If you think Baruch Herzfeld is a swell guy, as I do, be sure to vote for him to receive the Jewish Community Hero Award by going here.

I think we can all benefit from a little more fun in our lives, and riding a bike is a pretty good way to do that.  Just remember, and I'm speaking to myself here (actually, I don't think anyone reads this blog anyway, so I guess I'm always speaking to myself), not to take cycling too seriously because that would defeat the whole purpose.  It's hard not to notice that riding around on expensive fixed gear track bikes has done little to help hipsters from taking themselves and their bikes too seriously.  Instead, just get out and have a little fun.  And if you don't wind up having fun, then at least try to laugh about the fact that you didn't have fun.  And if you can't laugh about the fact that you didn't have fun, at least try to laugh about the fact that you couldn't laugh about the fact that you didn't have fun.  If you can't do that, well, I guess there's no hope for you.  Maybe try the environmentalism thing.