My OperaThe brake
Wednesday, August 22, 2007 10:41:47 AM
Brakes are for stopping, right? You are riding fast. You pull the brake (deliberately or accidentally), and your bike slows down and comes to a halt. In other words, it obstructs your swift and free movements, decelerates your velocity. It's there to restrict your speedy greed.
But is it so? Today (one period of 24 hours in a tiresome, 3 day long Today of moving back and forth 1,000 km collectively), my bike's brake broke down when I had just entered the notarization site. Later, I came out to the street, on a bike without brake. Even more free than a bird - without bird's limitation. I had to cross the street (drive on your right side of the road, please). A big white truck obscures the part of the road behind it, and I could not see vehicles coming. But I know that they were. They would emerge from behind the truck at an average speed, run up to me, face to face.
When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Oh yeah. So I know I had to cross the street, and make sure that nothing would bump into me before that. That simple job surprisingly took longer than it supposed to, because I was moving very slow. And even though, there was still fear that a motor would appear from nowhere and attempt to run over me in the middle of the way. And in that case, they would be nothing which they expected me to do that I could do. Couldn't speed up, nor halt. Just went on without a brake.
Anyway, I got to the other side, but the slowliness of my bike riding still didn't change. Street crossing. At red light stopping. Pedestrian passing. They didn't know that I could not do what they expected me would do. Couldn't speed up, nor slow down.
Of course I could not slow down. But what kept me from speeding up was (aside the fact that I wouldn't be able to slow down itself) my nasty front wheel. Sometimes it just halts, and refuses to move any single inch. No reason, no harbinger.
Hush-just-stop.There's nothing you can do or say.
And now, imagine, what happens when it decides to do that when I'm speeding up?
So, is the brake really "the brake" (that obstructs your swift and free movements, decelerates your velocity, restricts your speedy greed)? Seems no to me. What I see is, that definition fits "the brake-free" state better. And quite contrary, the brake itself seems to be the key for the limitlessness.
Perhaps this is also true for almost anything. In order to move forward quickly, and safe and sound, you have to hold the ability to stop whenever you want.
But is it so? Today (one period of 24 hours in a tiresome, 3 day long Today of moving back and forth 1,000 km collectively), my bike's brake broke down when I had just entered the notarization site. Later, I came out to the street, on a bike without brake. Even more free than a bird - without bird's limitation. I had to cross the street (drive on your right side of the road, please). A big white truck obscures the part of the road behind it, and I could not see vehicles coming. But I know that they were. They would emerge from behind the truck at an average speed, run up to me, face to face.
When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Oh yeah. So I know I had to cross the street, and make sure that nothing would bump into me before that. That simple job surprisingly took longer than it supposed to, because I was moving very slow. And even though, there was still fear that a motor would appear from nowhere and attempt to run over me in the middle of the way. And in that case, they would be nothing which they expected me to do that I could do. Couldn't speed up, nor halt. Just went on without a brake.
Anyway, I got to the other side, but the slowliness of my bike riding still didn't change. Street crossing. At red light stopping. Pedestrian passing. They didn't know that I could not do what they expected me would do. Couldn't speed up, nor slow down.
Of course I could not slow down. But what kept me from speeding up was (aside the fact that I wouldn't be able to slow down itself) my nasty front wheel. Sometimes it just halts, and refuses to move any single inch. No reason, no harbinger.
Hush-just-stop.There's nothing you can do or say.
And now, imagine, what happens when it decides to do that when I'm speeding up?
So, is the brake really "the brake" (that obstructs your swift and free movements, decelerates your velocity, restricts your speedy greed)? Seems no to me. What I see is, that definition fits "the brake-free" state better. And quite contrary, the brake itself seems to be the key for the limitlessness.
Perhaps this is also true for almost anything. In order to move forward quickly, and safe and sound, you have to hold the ability to stop whenever you want.
