BikEcology - Balance
The following article is from the current issue of Mountain Biking Magazine…
Balance, this is my favorite word, it is just so all encompassing. For me, I love to test the limits of it on my bike, and I strive to have it in my everyday life. Today’s culture seems to do everything it can to throw you off balance. Many people just sit back and let life throw them around, ignoring or failing to acknowledge the intrinsic messages and lessons those bumps are meant to provide; riders fall off the beam over and over never examining the reasons why. Balance is a skill you develop, you have to practice and be patient. You have to acknowledge failed attempts, figure out honestly what went wrong, and then try an alternative approach.
To succeed in riding a challenging balance line, I first must be balanced internally; my subjective world of mind needs to be calm and clear. Visualization is a very important step (more on that another time); once I am mentally ready, I can then proceed to balance in the objective, external world. It is always a top down approach, mind then matter. The ego can be motivated by external pressure, but the likelihood of a crash goes way up. That is why Kodak courage often ends in injury. Motivation is often temporary (except the resulting injuries from it), while true inspiration is lasting.
This ramble brings me to a somewhat bold quote from Ken Wilber, one of my favorite authors:
“Anything less than an integral or comprehensive approach to environmental issues is doomed to failure.”
Now since this quote was taken out of context, it needs some qualifying as to what an “integral approach” actually means. I highly recommend his introductory book “The Integral Vision”. To keep things simple for now, just think of it as a balanced approach between the external and internal world, much like what I described above. I found another quote that explains the first one very nicely:
“What would happen if all of a sudden everyone stopped trying to save the world and started improving themselves? Well, you already know the answer.” Peter Ragnar.
This quote really struck a chord with me.
It is clear to us that urgent action needs to be taken for human survival (Gaia will be fine); many people are reacting to this now obvious message. When we frantically react, even if the cause is noble, we may judge others and try to put our righteous ideals on them. This is what I have often done with new bits of ‘green’ knowledge. What this approach lacks is a solid internal foundation, the base of wisdom that only your heart can provide. It is a foundation that allows you to spontaneously make positive choices toward a greener lifestyle, even when you’re by yourself and no one is watching. A bit of internal reflection before sudden action is vital.
At certain points I have thought that technology is evil, all this progress and rapid development is draining our resources and killing our planet, but I think the problem is more in the mindset of the people using the technology. It has the capacity to divide the world cultures in an frightening way, or the potential to bring all humans together as one harmonious family working together on the pressing issues of our time. The quote above from Peter Ragnar starts to make good sense in this context; and the hope is that the blind romance with the flatland material world will lose its grip to the depth that a balanced, integral approach to life can bring.
Now this series of articles may a bit philosophical for some, but it can all relate back to riding, so lets end this ramble on a riding note.
I recently worked on a special edit of my segment from Kranked 6 titled ‘Trial and Error’, and it’s touring with the Banff Mountain Film Festival right now. Here is what I say in the piece: “The location of this trail is some of the last remaining mid elevation old growth forest on the west coast…spending so much time there made me realize and really feel deeply that it just seems so wrong to take it all down. There is an analogy between my riding and what they’re doing. To me, it seems that a clear-cut is exactly like a crash. They’ve done it time and time again and perhaps haven’t learned from their mistakes. It’s my hope that some of these practices can be reworked to preserve some of these magical zones …so we all can go out and enjoy them whether it is for riding, hiking, or just hanging out in the middle of nowhere enjoying nature.”
Whether you’re on the trail or not, try to compliment your external life with a bit of introspection; it’s not just about hitting that gnarly jump, it’s also about being outside and appreciating natures gifts. As my friend Robin Coope often says, “it’s a question of balance.”
Tags: ken wilber, kodak courage, peter ragnar, Ryan Leech, trials and error, visualization