Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys

I enjoy riding my motorbike. I enjoy the wind all around me. I enjoy the aromas on the open road. I enjoy the way it makes my troubles fall away. I enjoy the solitude inside my helmet as I ride along. I enjoy the lighting fast acceleration and precise handling of the machine. I enjoy being somewhere else, in space and in my mind. The senses come alive to all that is about in nature, something no car, truck, bus, train or plane driver can attain in their air-conditioned cabins.

But I want to know why I have become to a second class citizen? In the state of Queensland in Australia, politicians have made it illegal to ride in groups of three or more. Now they will argue that the laws were made to target criminal motorcycle gangs, but inside the legislation it clearly states a "gathering of three of more". The list of so called 'outlaw' gangs is in a separate part of the bill. Let me explain ...

Some years ago a new law was introduced that targeted motorbike riders who were doing stunts on public roads. It read "must keep three point of contact with bike at all times". Fair enough. Fast forward to January 2014 and a motorcycle rider is issued with a ticket for this very offence because he was stretching his leg and had lifted one foot off the foot-peg. This is a very common practice among riders, to stretch their legs, and a photograph was posted on the internet of a police officer doing the exact same thing a few days later. In any case the rider still had four points of contact with the motorcycle; his two hands, his other foot and his ass.

The intent of the law has been perverted by adherence to the letter of the law and police have moved from policing to enforcement. The reactive attitudes of the media have become a part of our culture now and everyone, including the police, have no answer except to exert authority instead of utilise common sense or respect.

Another example: police in my town stopped not one, not two, but three funeral processions to harass and document the mourners on motorbikes. The police utilised their immoral legislative powers as the processions made their way to the graveyard. The police didn't have enough decency to wait until the burial was complete. One poor women, who died of cancer, had ridden with the notorious Ulysses motorcycle gang. Those baddass over fourties ride their motorbikes on weekends as part of a social club. These dangerous criminals probably swap tales of their illegal activities over their cappuccinos at roadside cafes whilst trafficking the latest in rheumatoid arthritis drugs. (#parody)

When did good governance become about controlling it's citizens? When did good governance stop being about protecting the weak and innocent? I will tell you when! When politicians started focussing on being elected to government instead of being in government. When spin doctors applied the same celebrity status to policy makers that they do to actors and musicians. When cartoon characters have more social influence than an Australian politician can muster. (Bill Shorten quotes Groundskeeper Willy in Federal Parliament)

Here we have one of the greatest benefits of riding a motorbike - sanity. I can leave all this rubbish behind! Where do you go to escape, recharge, and renew? It's only human after all.

Let's Drive,
ren0vator

What Does It Mean

The ren0vator is not afraid to go anywhere, discuss any topic, examine any thesis, or dissect a philosophical argument. I could debate either side of the prescriptive truth versus descriptive truth dialectic, or work through Confucious' thoughts on the moral requirements of governments and institutions. I would argue vigorously with Karl Marx about his interpretation of being and even disagree with some Immanuel Kant's views on moral reasoning.

But for the life of me I cannot figure out what this means >>>

So I took my own advise and laughed. I mean, how many people did it take to blow this up? What does it mean? I dunno, but it clearly demonstrates our species has many forms of expression. Possible thoughts coming to mind include:

• Stuff you, I am an artist and live by a different set of rules.
• Workers at the factory forgot to turn off the #goonbag machine on Friday afternoon.
• I enjoyed getting wasted on the beach - this much.
• Western Australia clearly needed to compete with the Big Banana, Big Pineapple, etc.
• Felix Baumgartner is preparing for another jump.
• Check out the full story over at Perth Now Website.

What does it mean? Well like most art I guess it's open to interpretation by the viewer. So how do you view your life? What statement do you want to make? (Remembering that some of the biggest statements have the smallest merit, just like #goonbag.)


Better not drive till I sober up (hick),
ren0vator

Why Am I Here

Too often I find myself asking this question. I guess people throughout the ages have asked this very same question. I wonder if anyone has come up with a really sensible answer?

Let me relate some background: Lately I have spent a lot of time sitting in front of a laptop listening to online lectures, reading books packed full of new information, dissecting theories, following procedures and generally trying to cram my mind full of supposedly important stuff. Besides the over-arching 'will all this learning make a difference' (because only time will tell), it's the busyness of the mind without any corresponding physical action which had me concerned.

But as far as work goes, it is just a part of life in the 21st century, capitalist dominated, media driven, democratic culture we are embedded in. Over the years in industry I've watched many workers walk around in circles for an entire 12 hour shift and come back again and again and again. Surely life must go beyond this thing we call work.

Anyway, as I rose from the business chair, turned away from the laptop, left the office and walked down the hall, I stopped in the kitchen area and asked myself this very question; "Why am I here"? ... I've just walked probably 15 metres and can't even remember why I wanted to be in the kitchen. (and you thought this was going to be deep) Food? Nope I'm not hungry. Coffee? Nope just had one. Dishes? They're all clean. arrggghhhh

So when I couldn't remember why I was there, I went beyond it. Yep, I felt there was a bigger question here that needed to be answered. 'What is the consequence of me being here'? So I laughed at myself. Silly buggah I am. It made me feel better for that moment and it certainly was better than cursing myself for being so stupid and forgetful. Forget anger, get past stupidity, put away depression and enjoy life!

So I encourage you all to do the same. Smirk, smile, chuckle, laugh out loud, it doesn't matter. It's strange how the smallest smile can make us feel better. Life is worth living!

Let's Drive,

ren0vator

P.S. Oh yeah, just before I sat down I remembered why I went to the kitchen, to wash out my coffee cup ;-)

Information Overload

All of this happens in one minute:

• YouTube users upload 48 hours of video,
• Facebook users share 684,478 pieces of content,
• Instagram users share 3,600 new photos, and
• Tumblr sees 27,778 new posts published.

Source: www.thedinfographics.com/

So many people with so much to say. Or do they? I guess if you asked the person who is posting online content, they would argue what they have to say is worthwhile. But if I had to stay on top of all this new information, well I'd go crazy.

I make judgements all day about what is important, what I need to take seriously, what I need to pay attention to and conversely what I can delete from memory, what I can ignore, etc. What am I asking myself in the process - I think it's basically; what has value to me? I compare and contrast products to make informed purchasing decisions, by assigning value to what I like. When driving down the road I make judgements about when to brake, when to turn the wheel, where to position the car, and so on.

We can make judgements about products (made by people), we can judge information in the media (made by people), we can even judge cultures (made by people). Interesting then that we are constantly being told not to judge people? Is it really that everyone's thoughts and actions have equal merit? Well of course not, otherwise we'd let children experiment with power points in the kitchen.

Every decision we make is inherently value laden, no more so than when making moral judgements. Do I want to listen to your opinion? Do I value your point of view? Do I want to be friends with you? As human beings we are entitled to make our own decisions and live by the consequences. Shock - horror, this might mean that someone else disagrees with our judgement. "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle

So what's my point, we judge things, events, information and people. But condemnation - well Jesus said it best; "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7


Let's Drive,
ren0vator

Habits of The Mind

• It's not what I do sometimes - it's what I do every day that makes me.
• If I spend too much time judging myself, I won’t have any time to love myself.
• A great task isn’t to find love, but to discover and destroy all the barriers within ourselves that we have built against it
• I focus my conscious mind on things I desire, not things I fear.
• When I have two options, I go with the one that scares me the most.
• When I drive I look through the windscreen, not in the rear view mirror.

People will spend a lot of money on gym memberships, where trainers instruct them on the best way to exercise. How many of us do the same thing for our minds? Repetitive thinking forms beliefs, beliefs form habits, habits affect our actions. How much time do you spend exercising your mind under the guidance of professional instructors? Thinking in the specific manner can change the way you experience life. One of the easiest ways to change thinking is through affirmations. The best one's are written in the first person, like the examples above.

Reality: where thought meets action.

Let's Drive,
ren0vator