“Food for Thought� by James Richmond

[belgarathc]

Thought this is nice, probably posted before, but then, I'll post it again.

 

‘Why do you do it?’ friends often ask, perplexed,

Brows raised, minds sorely vexed.

‘The world out there is dangerous!

Aren’t you scared? Why do this?

You need steady work, a house, two cars!

You have only a motorbike, and sleep under stars!’

Dear friend, if you must ask, you cannot know

This curiosity that drives me so.

To you it is hidden; in me rises unbidden!

But one day the world I’ll have ridden

By iron steed, then perhaps this need

Will have vanished, finally vanquished!

That day will find me on deathbed,

With no regrets for the life I led.

Will you be able to say the same?

Or will you despair a life worn plain?

I will stake my Himalayan memories

Against your estate of a thousand trees.

Pit my Thai sunset

Against your private jet.

Weigh my horse rides at sunrise

To your Italian suits and ties.

I’ll rejoice in friends before I go,

Not the figures of my stock portfolio.

And, amazingly, there are more like me;

They reject slavery, and are truly free.

They took the chance we all had,

And honestly it makes me sad

That you didn’t.

You thought you couldn’t…

What?

Live without the luxuries

Of all our modern amenities?

You choose the bonds of mortgage, but claim to be free,

Wasting a lifetime absorbed by TV.

Why watch it? but live it!

One life’s all you get!

Don’t put off ’til morrow and continue to borrow

The lives of strangers; ’tis the greatest of dangers

To the soul

Which grows old

Before its time.

Hercules, Columbus,

Guevara, Odysseus,

Champlain, Agamemnon,

The list goes on…

What have they in common?

Regardless man or god,

The soil of continents they trod,

Not in search of gold but adventure!

Not growing old ’cause they ventured

Far from safety; but far be it from me

To Judge…

 

The pitiless pity us

With souls black pitted.

Pray! save it for those less spirited.

For us… our horizons are unlimited.

[Icomeforyou]

Beautiful, thanks for sharing.

[DeusExMachina]

Very poetic.

But while I love the next riding adventure as much as the next rider, I would like some luxuries in my life too.

 

Hell, I want it all!

[cougar]

Jimmy rogers is dam rich, and he rode through middle east through asia on a bike adventure too. Thats riding without worry about money. Money can bring financial freedom, having a job doesnt.

[belgarathc]

A lion, a cat and a cougar replied.

 

Yeah, money can work wonders.

[cougar]

A good book to read, 'zen and the art of motorcycling'. A description of 2 biker mentality, author's friend who rides a bmw and himself riding a norton or triumph does his own maintenance. His friend doesnt, much like the series 'long way down', Ewan who is not as mechanically incline as Charlie. They are both on the same journey, but each have different priorities and approaches to the trip. Understanding these helps you appreciates your ridding companions more on your road trips.

[belgarathc]

I do have that book. But it's a difficult read for me with the heavy philosophy discussions. I should reread it again one of these days.