Why We Ride by Mark Barnes PhD & Phd

Author:Mark Barnes, PhD & Phd [Barnes, Mark & Phd]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CompanionHouse Books
Published: 2017-07-20T04:00:00+00:00

While aesthetics are always subjective, we must give credit to thoughtfully crafted bits. These aftermarket mufflers fit their locations better than the stock parts and perfectly echo shapes elsewhere on the bike.

Again, the opposite is also true. When we come across something that has been thrown together carelessly, we’re dealing with evidence that we cannot rely on people to do a good job. What if a time comes when we really need them to do so? It can be more than a vaguely subconscious alarm about a potential problem. It becomes painfully, infuriatingly vivid and real when something actually fails and leaves us injured or stranded—or even just inconvenienced and uncomfortable. Then it’s no longer a matter of “what if?”—we may even find ourselves cursing the anonymously irresponsible person whose lack of care and attention we feel quite acutely in that moment.

Just as poor workmanship highlights the untrustworthiness of others, lousy materials trip internal alarms, too. For example, when we notice that someone cut costs by using the cheap stuff, we’ll likely have misgivings about the item in question. But, at a less conscious level, such misgivings may also stimulate worries about whether there’s “enough” of what we need out there in the world and whether it will be available to us when we need it.

If people we depend upon (in this case, manufacturers) don’t have the “good stuff,” they can’t give it to us, and thus we’re at risk of (or actually) suffering deprivation. Or, if they could have given it to us but chose not to, we’re forced to acknowledge that we live in a world of competing self-interests and that those we rely upon may choose to maximize their profits at our expense. We can all say we know this full well, but knowing it and having to really feel it are two different things.

So, when we own something made of high-quality materials that was designed and fabricated with care and competence, we feel as if we are being well cared for in a land of plenty. We feel good about the people we rely upon, and we feel good about ourselves as the recipients of their concern.

This is what happens in more direct interactions, isn’t it? When others demonstrate their love for us, our sense of self-worth gets a boost. And, when others treat us with indifference or withhold what we need, we get the message that we’re unworthy of their care. We may expect better and thus rail against the neglect. But that’s likely, at least in part, a reaction to an initial (perhaps brief and unnoticed) sense of injured self-esteem. Our raging demands may be our effort to recover from such wounds and to restore our faith in others as we hope they’ll “make good” in response to our protests; it repairs more than the faulty object if they do.

Of course, when we own high-quality items, we feel better about ourselves as we enjoy good service from them. We consider ourselves to have chosen

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