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https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-how-a-bike-accident-changed-me-by-a-philosopher-of-hope-184311>
"Cycling once made me feel free unlike anything else. I loved the sensation of
slicing through the air, flying past pedestrians and cars stalled in traffic.
Where I live (in Melbourne’s inner north), the best way to get around is by
bike.
One sunny Sunday in March last year, my partner and I set off to explore the
city. As I approached an intersection near our home, I felt some fear, as I
always did with cars nearby. Out of the corner of my eye I watched an SUV
driving alongside me, worried it would turn suddenly and hit me across the
side.
As I accelerated to avoid that danger, another car made an illegal turn ahead
of me, blocking the bike path. I remember yelling, hearing the crunch of my
body hitting the car – but after that there’s a gap.
“Blacking out” is a good name for it. We spend roughly eight hours each day in
a state of semi-consciousness. However, as our half-remembered dreams remind
us, the mind remains active while we’re asleep. This felt different, a forcible
blank.
The next thing I knew, I was picking myself off the asphalt, rushing to drag
myself out of an eight-lane thoroughfare before another wave of traffic
arrived."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
