Thrill and Responsible

It is always interesting to me how once I see something, I seem to see it everywhere. In this case, I see guys riding motorcycles without helmets. It seems to me that riding on a motorcycle without a helmet is a glorious thing. This is true, not necessarily because I could feel the wind rushing through my hair, though that would be fun, but more importantly because there’s just something wild and rebellious about riding this way. Riding a motorcycle at all is sort of wild, especially if you’re riding a Harley. I don’t know why it is, but it seems to be true. I’ve thought this since I was a little boy. And therefore, I know it’s true.

It seems to me, however, that there is something about this kind of activity that should change when a man takes a bride. It seems like there’s something about being free (to die) when you’re a single man that is limited by becoming responsible to take care of someone else. How can you care for your wife and kids if you’re lying in traction after your motorcycle tries to run through a tree on the side of the road?

I know what you’re going to say. You can die doing anything. You can have a stroke or a heart attack walking up the side of one those U of I hills while playing golf. You can blow out a knee playing tennis (I know a fellow who blew out both knees at the same time playing tennis). You can die doing or not doing anything. Why are you talking about riding a motorcycle?

Two things. I’m talking about riding motorcycles because all this popped into my head when I recently heard about two of my friends who were riding motorcycles (and loving it) and I read this on another friend’s blog:

“Most certainly,” said Reepicheep, “his Majesty cannot.”

“No, indeed,” said Drinian.

“Can’t?” said Caspian sharply, looking for a moment not unlike his uncle Miraz.

“Begging your Majesty’s pardon,” said Rynelf from the deck below, “but if one of us did the same it would be called deserting.”

“You presume too much on your long service, Rynelf,” said Caspian.

“No, Sire! He’s perfectly right,” said Drinian.

“By the Mane of Aslan,” said Caspian, “I had thought you were all my subjects here, not my schoolmasters.”

“I’m not,” said Edmund, “and I say you can not do this.”

“Can’t again,” said Caspian. “What do you mean?”

“If it please your Majesty, we mean shall not,” said Reepicheep with a very low bow. “You are the King of Narnia. You break faith with all your subjects, and especially Trumpkin, if you do not return. You shall not please yourself with adventures as if you were a private person. And if your Majesty will not hear reason it will be the truest loyalty of every man on board to follow me in disarming and binding you till you come to your senses.”

“Quite right,” said Edmund.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I’m not saying that a man is in sin for riding his motorcycle after taking a wife. I’m just saying that there are things that are more dangerous than others that are more possible, even probable, that might leave her and the kids destitute if something were to go sideways. And there are things that are more likely than others to go sideways, just because of the nature of the activity. Parasailing, hang-gliding, white water rafting, and skydiving, are some other activities that spring to mind. I’m guessing that lots more people die doing these things than die golfing or playing tennis.

All this to say that whether and how to change a lifestyle after marriage is a wisdom call. But it is something that should be considered and considered seriously. We may not abuse our authority or shirk our duties to do something fun when to do so would be to abdicate our other responsibilities.

It’s a wisdom call because the line between doing something fun and doing something too dangerous is different for everyone and thinner for some than others. There are some activities where the difference between fun and too dangerous is really fine. I know a fellow who quit rock climbing because he realized that his expertise and experience had put him in the position where fun and deadly had crossed. To climb and have fun was also where his life was most in danger. He had to quit altogether. Being safe just wasn’t fun anymore. And it wasn’t because he was afraid, but because he had other responsibilities that he couldn’t fulfil if he were to die.

I wonder too if this is one of those boy/man things. Boys are into fun. Men take responsibility. I’ll have to think about that some more.

Just something to think about.

Image by Couleur from Pixabay