Beliefs And Riding

[Jaybird180]

Below is a series of posts that led to this new thread on Beliefs and riding. How do your beliefs religious and/or secular affect your riding a motorcycle? Do they interfere with or fuel that activity?

 

This is a topic that we'd like a modicum of CIVIL discourse on. And although the Admins have blessed this thread (literally and figuratively), they'll be watching - so let's be on our best behavior...m'kay?

 

 

Having started Catholic Racing Group on Facebook, which is dedicated to competing in a safe, ethical, attitude as espoused by good Pope Francis in his writing and guidelines for athletes in all walks of life....with an emphasis on working for the good of the world, your particular sport, and fellow man, i.e., avoiding the trappings of commercialism and "meeism' (my words in paraphrase)...I am very interested in racers with Catholic faith and background. If you look into your ancestral heritage. Many, many riders have such a right to know more about their faith, and why its worth pursuing as a primary goal in life, rather than ANY OTHER person, place, or thing, but I digress.

My guess is that Rossi, Marquez, et al are all of Catholic background, and most of them show it in their high degree of fine competition, and respect for one anther. Like other sports, my guess is that they also give to charity, and their adoring fans. Rossi has shown a type of humility that is admirable, and his calm, even demeanor are also evident. He seems to show a lot of patients with the press, fans, and officials, although NO ONE is without fault at times, as he has sometimes become bitter and hostile, and overly competitive; As noted by another fan above, being an older racer, he deserves a lot of credit for his perseverance, and. like his doctor noted in one of the Faster series movies, he can handle pain better than most.

 

Maquez is a great rider and a person of high character, his enthusiasm for the sport, in part due to his natural ability, is contagious, likable, and makes him one of my favorites. I like Lorenzo too although he seems more mature and focused on winning where is Marquez, like Rossi, seems to be in it for the sheer joy of the experience of racing and sharing his talent with the fans. As we know, Spain and Italy are highly Catholic in faith and culture, and these things make for great sport, as it is a gift to the world. The immigration and meticulous attention to detail are evidence of the Divine.

 

Crutchlow is a dogged competitor and I would like to see him win more because of his persistence and for the good of his fellow Englishmen who root for him assiduously.

 

If there is anyone who shares a belief in Catholicism and good, safe, compettion, which again, if you look back into your ancestral history, is most people, I invite you to share your knowledge of how your faith has impacted your riding...past, present, and future. Daily attendance at Mass has made my life much more beautiful and fruitful than I ever thought possible, and what I learn and experience there has made me a more responsible rider and competitor.

 

If you feel and believe this is a bunch of whooey, full of myths, and that religion is the root of many evils, I'm not really interested in creating controversy, but I will take some time to read those comments as well.

 

Merry Christas to everyone. Keith, thank you for helping me to see that using pain medicine, especially, abuse of it, can be a very, very bad thing for an aspiring racer. Roadracing world also documented the fact that some racers, with a lot of potential, unfortunately succumbed to drug abuse and probably alcholism, and squandered away great oppotunties, and natural gifts that they were given.

 

May the peace and love of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, and live in your hearts throughout the Christmas season, through the New Year, and over the course of your lives.

 

This is an unedited comment so please bear with me because of any typos, grammatical, and contextual errors.

 

In great sincerity,

 

Nicholas Rakovic

 

 

 

 

 

Hotfoot- I understand what you're saying but I think the approach and rationale that Shakabeemer imparted actually could potentially be as relevant as any other discussion of technology of racing. Afterall, it was Keith's study, belief, practice and application that led him to found CSS.

 

I think Shaka found something of common that allows him to identify with the riders, focus on what makes them the best at what they do and try and duplicate. I say: BRAVO ZULU! even though I'm from a different faith as well.

 

Maybe a topic for another thread (?), but does belief impact riding? I know for me it has. For example: Several years ago I experienced an acute loss of concern for my mortality which allowed me to increase my risk tolerance to levels previously unapproachable- and it elevated my riding; I was "in the zone". Admittedly, the impetus wasn't Divine, but the experience and afterglow was, as well as the Mercy and Grace (no accidents or tickets) in my once in a lifetime mad street ride.

 

Starting another thread is a good idea, let's do that. I am going to duplicate Shakabeemer's post and yours in a new thread and we'll see what sort of discussion ensues! It certainly could be an interesting topic.

 

I look forward to it. I'm especially looking forward to someone finally revealing what is meant when people say, that "it's all in your head". I'm thinking this is a substitute for "belief in oneself" or "self-confidence".

 

 

[Cobie Fair]

I don't spend much time on other forums any more, but it's nice to see how this topic has moved along--nice bit of tolerance and communication. That was something that I hadn't seen on some other forums before, sheeesh!

[Jaybird180]

So, why Is it often said that riding is 75% mental?

[shakabeemer]

My short take on this question is that "perfection of one's thinking can lead to great outcomes". An example of this is "I will stay on the bike, safely, during this race/event, be smooth, and in the lead at the end", in lieu of "oh expletive, I'm out of control and going to crash".

[Aliki]

Oh this is a very cool topic!

 

I follow my instincts closely and also believe that sometimes the universe is telling you things. If its a God or a spirit or just the the "universe" it doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is that I cope better under tension knowing that there is greater force out there with some sort of intent. For example, if I get a strong feeling that I should not be riding, I likely won't go out that session, or at least I won't push it hard. I've had many instances where my instincts were right (Ie mechanical failure during a race).

Also if something does happen like my bike going for a slide or the engine blowing, I usually feel that it was meant to happen for a reason. This lowers my stress levels, allows me to accept the situation as it is and make steps to move forward without all that wasted energy on blaming myself, others, etc.

I also feel more confident at times, knowing that I've got some sort of guardian angels watching over me.

I think religion helps us with tuning in a little closer to our bodies, to our instincts. It takes a lot of the stress of life off of our hands and puts it in the hands of a higher power. It is a powerful coping mechanism. It is humbling and liberating to know there is some greater stuff out there that we don't understand and that we don't have to try to take full control over everything.

 

To top it off, I think whatever someone believes about themselves and their capabilities...is true.

[Jaybird180]

Aliki just reminded me of a time when I was supposed to goto a girlfriends house. I never made it. I nearly got swiped by a drunk driver that I "sensed" behind me and to my left, passing me. I watched the car fishtail a few feet in front and pinball off the guardrails. I decided to go back home after that experience. Ever hear: God takes care of babies and fools?...I haven't been a baby in a long time.

 

My pre-ride prayer "...that I make good decisions and those around me make good decisions (and the rest is left up to The All Knowing)" has worked up to this point.

 

I'm now reading "Proficient Motorcycling" so that I can do better at keeping up my end of the bargain (good decisions).

[Aliki]

Oh I like it! The "riders prayer". We should write a cool one a post it up.

[Jaybird180]

Oh I like it! The "riders prayer". We should write a cool one a post it up.

 

There's an aviation version for Student Pilots: "...and if I have an equipment failure, Dear Lord, please let it be the Hobbs meter" :-)

 

 

 

Hobbs Meter- A device that counts the amount of time the aircraft is in operation; billing is proportional to the Hobbs meter.

[shakabeemer]

My apologies for not responding to the great posts, but the email account by which I'm notified went south, so I thought no one had any thoughts about the topic.  I'll post more soon.  Thanks for helping me work on this!