Conflict has a place and a purpose but it is not always constructive. Conflict can be a stepping stone to the resolution of differing opinions but it isn't always so. Conflict is so very rarely a positive experience that it is not worth pursuing nor is it worth engaging in unless there is some way to be asbsolutely certain that compromise or an attitude of agreeing to disagree can be established.
Few conflicts are worth the effort. When my son and I disagree about his behaviour, that is conflict but it is worth standing my ground because my ultimate goal is to teach him to modify his behaviour so that he lives a life of integrity. Standing up to a bully is also conflict that has value. Arguing over a parking stall has no value and no positive outcome and is a type of conflict that has no purpose.
If you choose to attempt to engage me in conflict, I will likely just walk away from you. I will give you fair warning that I have no interest in conflict that has no worth, value or positive net outcome but if you persist in pushing our interaction into conflict I will simply leave you to your conflict and find something else to do.
Pick your battles and if you decide to fight, then fight to win but make sure it's worth fighting for. I have no desire for conflict for no reason. Take that BS somewhere else; maybe there's a crazy person driving around somewhere that can trade road rage with you. Otherwise grow up and let's find ways to get along.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
The Tour Divide
in·san·i·ty/inˈsanitē/Noun:
1.The state of being seriously mentally ill; madness.
2.Extreme foolishness or irrationality.
The Tour Divide is arguably the hardest cycling event in the world, certainly it is the most difficult mountain bike race and because of its remoteness and insistance on being self reliant, it has to be considered much more difficult than the other Tour (de France)...
2700 miles of jeep track, gravel roads, singletrack, paved road and wherever else the course sends you from Banff AB to Antelope Wells, Mexico. Insane.
But it can also be argued that my mental stability is fragile at best so this just might be the perfect place to either crawl back to the normal world (BORING!!!) or fully embrace to plunge to a life of perfect bliss. You see, ignorance is not bliss. Insanity is. Crazy people have the most fun.
Where am I going with this, you wonder? Simple. I am stark, raving daft and have set my eyes on this race. Sometimes the best way to ensure you actually accomplish something is to make yourself accountable to other people. In that mindset I am stating that at this point I intend to begin training with the desire, hope, intent and fantasy of participating in the 2014 Tour Divide.
Why? Because many aspects of this race are very suitable to the kinds of skills and the personality I have. Competitors state that the hardest part is the solitude. Anyone who knows anything about me is aware that I crave solitude and alone time. Another needed skill is random, bizaare problem solving. My mind knows no box and my solutions to problems are often extremely creative and far outside of what conventional knowledge dictates but nevertheless they are effective and productive. A flat tire 20 miles from help? I put duct tape on my rim and rolled on the inside of my tire. No damage.
This doesn't mean I will actually be in the race. This means that I will do what I can to make sure I can be there and if everything works out training and time off from work wise then I will be there if at all possible.
This blog will reflect my training, my thoughts, my sure to come doubts and what I consider to be hurdles overcome or successes along the way. One of my fears is that after it's over I will be so sick of riding that I'll never ride again. It is more mileage than I've done this season. It is an entire season's worth of riding in about 3 weeks. Having said that, it is 2 1/2 years away... many things can happen in the meantime.
I have been devouring anything I can find on the Divide race... I've watched the documentary a dozen times, I bought a book a previous rider wrote about it, I buy any magazine that even hints of the race...It is the adventure of a lifetime, and besides; if you were certain you were to succeed, what would be the point of the adventure?
1.The state of being seriously mentally ill; madness.
2.Extreme foolishness or irrationality.
The Tour Divide is arguably the hardest cycling event in the world, certainly it is the most difficult mountain bike race and because of its remoteness and insistance on being self reliant, it has to be considered much more difficult than the other Tour (de France)...
2700 miles of jeep track, gravel roads, singletrack, paved road and wherever else the course sends you from Banff AB to Antelope Wells, Mexico. Insane.
But it can also be argued that my mental stability is fragile at best so this just might be the perfect place to either crawl back to the normal world (BORING!!!) or fully embrace to plunge to a life of perfect bliss. You see, ignorance is not bliss. Insanity is. Crazy people have the most fun.
Where am I going with this, you wonder? Simple. I am stark, raving daft and have set my eyes on this race. Sometimes the best way to ensure you actually accomplish something is to make yourself accountable to other people. In that mindset I am stating that at this point I intend to begin training with the desire, hope, intent and fantasy of participating in the 2014 Tour Divide.
Why? Because many aspects of this race are very suitable to the kinds of skills and the personality I have. Competitors state that the hardest part is the solitude. Anyone who knows anything about me is aware that I crave solitude and alone time. Another needed skill is random, bizaare problem solving. My mind knows no box and my solutions to problems are often extremely creative and far outside of what conventional knowledge dictates but nevertheless they are effective and productive. A flat tire 20 miles from help? I put duct tape on my rim and rolled on the inside of my tire. No damage.
This doesn't mean I will actually be in the race. This means that I will do what I can to make sure I can be there and if everything works out training and time off from work wise then I will be there if at all possible.
This blog will reflect my training, my thoughts, my sure to come doubts and what I consider to be hurdles overcome or successes along the way. One of my fears is that after it's over I will be so sick of riding that I'll never ride again. It is more mileage than I've done this season. It is an entire season's worth of riding in about 3 weeks. Having said that, it is 2 1/2 years away... many things can happen in the meantime.
I have been devouring anything I can find on the Divide race... I've watched the documentary a dozen times, I bought a book a previous rider wrote about it, I buy any magazine that even hints of the race...It is the adventure of a lifetime, and besides; if you were certain you were to succeed, what would be the point of the adventure?
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