Surviving the Curve by Living the Moment

One of the main concepts of the Human Potential Movement is the philosophy of living in the moment. I was reminded of that when watching the movie Peaceful Warrior based upon Dan Millman’s book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior. To make the “in the moment” point, Socrates (played by Nick Nolte) tosses Millman, (played by Scott Mechlowicz) off of a bridge and into a creek at U.C. Berkeley. For the brief moment that Millman is falling, his brain is free of “trash,” and he is only able to utter “arghhhhhhh.” The point is that there is only now. The past is the product of a faulty memory and the future has not occurred. If your mind is cluttered with images of memory and future fantasy, you can not perceive nor absorb all that is occurring in the “now,” which is the only thing that really exists.

Yesterday I took a motorcycle ride with six friends escaping the sweltering heat of inland Ventura County for the coolness of the Pacific Ocean. We traversed over some of the favored Southern California motorcycle routes, which incorporates mountain roads ascending and descending with a large number of tight twists and turns suitable to challenge motorcycle riding skills. The group that I rode with had good, highly experienced riders and the leaders are accomplished motorcycle racers. Hence, they set a mean pace that would be unsafe for lesser riders. It behooves each rider to pick his pace and not to worry about being left behind because the group will be waiting for you at the next change of roads.

I set myself in the middle of the group and pushed the bike far further than I would have had I been solo riding. I was truly “in the moment,” and the bike and I became one fluid motion of acceleration and deceleration with a meshing of balance, gears, throttle and brakes. Everything about the bike and the road was absorbed and processed: the g-forces; the lean; the subtle shifts of body position; the whine of the gears; the roar of the engine; and the bite of the tires. Stay in the moment, not too close to the bike in front of you and not too far back; Learning about the road from him. Push the envelope without exceeding your riding skills or violating the laws of physics and the co-efficient of friction. It was neither time nor place to be anywhere else other than living the moment on the motorcycle and in the curve. It was a collection of moments some would call the essence of freedom.

Links in this blog:
Human Potential Movement-Wikipedia