Where the road leads

Getting around in times of turmoil

- BARRY DAVIS

In these sad, tempestuous, horrific times, for me at least the sense of being in a helpless sitting duck position is highly frustrating and only serves to exacerbate feelings of doom and gloom. Besides, naturally, doing what we possibly can to stay safe and secure, we also need to try our best to stay on an emotional even keel so that when the bad news inevitably filters through, we can take it on board, regroup, and get back to life.

As an avid cyclist, I tend to adopt the mindset cheerily propagated by that irreverent chappie strapped to a cross along with the title character in the closing scene of Monty Python’s hilariously iconoclastic cinematic romp Life of Brian. As Brian bemoans his fate at the hands of the all-conquering Romans, Eric Idle breaks into a stirring rendition of the song “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” That ludicrously oxymoronic satirical approach may seem a philosophical stretch these days as we wake up to wailing sirens generally followed by explosions of varying volume levels, but in my humble opinion, it wouldn’t hurt.

Back to the human-powered two-wheeler line of thought and proactive take on our predicament, I am reminded of cycling-themed reflections on our corporeal existence. One such adage suggests that life is like riding a bicycle; if you don’t move, you fall over. Another, a little more in the sardonic line, posits that if you feel things are easy for you, that’s because you're “over the hill.” Most cyclists tend to take a more positive, relaxed, and appreciative view of descents, especially if they have sweat their way up a challenging ascent, gasping for breath with leg muscles on fire, to earn the joyous payoff of the freewheeling downward turn. However, the proverbial point is duly taken.