Stunning autumn hues aside, motorcycling in Pacific Northwest is a lot about winding roads. It’s about navigating those curves at an optimal trajectory and speed, creating those lively moments when your foot pegs brush the tarmac. It’s about discovering that thin line, the line which separates recklessness from precarious optimism, that belief of everything beyond your control going just right! Discovering that trajectory requires a clear view, and an understanding of the full turn ahead. That along with instincts and skills tends to shape the plan on how to approach the turn, how to maneuver, at what speed etc. 

High level plan aside, how you actually cover every inch on this trajectory also matters, because this determines viable paths to cover the remaining part. In fact, at every point on that curve, along with basic physics, our own limitations and constraints of our machines determine possible paths. Essentially, it’s quite like working towards a long-term vision, while shaping the specifics of the path as we go along. Keeping the long-term line requires constant adaptation to what the road actually presents, not what you anticipated. In fact, this simple principle actually applies to even the most mundane activities in life. 

To quote the Canadian death metal band Beyond Creation — “Every decision we take. Every step we make. Every word we use. And every rule we choose.” – In short, even in our everyday life, with every single step we are progressively shaping specifics of our own trajectory, and at the same time influencing the lives of others. So, if you had a fortunate or an unfortunate accident, it might not be that immediately preceding step. It could be any action leading up to the accident, which actually set in motion that accident prone trajectory.  

The actual question is what are those steps which maximized the probability of that incident. It could be that disturbing conversation you had with the neighbor or that reckless driver on the freeway, or both. It could also be that this accident was just inevitable. With exhaustive variables at each step, identifying and modelling that action or sequence of actions is non-trivial. It sort of requires omniscience and infinite computing power. But a functioning society requires individual to take responsibility, with the fair assumption that our free will defines the path. In short, we shape our good and bad “accidents”, by acting or not acting to compensate for external pressures. 

To go back to the analogy of motorcycling PNW winding roads — there are always unforeseen factors affecting the specifics of its execution. Twigs on the road, strategically developed potholes or a friendly neighborhood deer cross the road — all these and more impact a motorcyclist’s vision of navigating curves with finesses. Accepting the realities of physics, skill and existence of unforeseen variables helps. But, consciously developed knowledge, skill, reflexes, and ‘experience-based’ judgement to overcome those unforeseen is the eventual goal in motorcycling and in life.