Trivial Pursuit

There’s a little game that most of us play. I like to call it Trivial Pursuit, though I’m not talking about the board game. I’m talking about the game we play out on the city streets, where we pass and are passed by automobiles. They’re seldom aware that we’re even in pursuit, and we’re seldom conscious of how trivial our efforts are. After all, much like winning the board game, there’s no real prize. Even if you “win” all you’re likely to get is a little self-gratification. You probably won’t even get the satisfaction of seeing frustration on the motorist’s face.

So why continue to play the game? Why not just keep to the right, stay back behind traffic and choose the bike paths over direct routes through the city streets? By and large it’s pride. And while pride is one of the seven deadly sins, in many ways it helps keep our spirit alive. The notion that we do things our way—independently and on two wheels—while the rest of the world takes the easy, fossil-fueled route that society dictates.

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