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| Not as bad as it looks mum! Neat though |
Pedalling through Adrian I noticed a sign for a church that read:
Two things are certain
Death and Taxes
ARE YOU PREPARED?
(Having now met a taxman, and dined at an all you can eat Pizza buffet I can answer yes to both, although that story comes later)
I chuckled at the sign and then a thought struck me. It was false. Nothing is certain, not even death. I can't make a claim like this without backing it up so...
Enter Hume's Induction
Hume argues that there is no empirical evidence to suggest that the Uniformity of Nature and thelaws of physics will continue to hold. We just assume that they will. Take his example of the swans.
All swans were (in the 17th century) assumed to be white.
If we write this premise as a logical puzzle we get:
a) All swans are white
b) Any bird that is not white will not be a swan
But this was before the discovery of Black swans. You see, we work with the information we have. Predictions don't necessarily hold true.
Lets do this for death:
a) no human has lived an infinite number of years
b) humans have a finite lifespan or to be human you must die
So you see, two problems. Either you must die, or you must say that death is not certain because there are humans alive today that have not died. Just like there are black swans.
Full of how clever I could be, it wasn't until a couple of miles later that I realised I had missed an underlying message. Death and taxes are two of societies hardships. Here was a church for its community, offering support to those in grief + finanical turmoil. Proactive and helpful- two things I value regardless of origin.
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| PEDAL! |
As I thought all this, clouds gathered behind me, and I felt a few raindrops. It felt stormy. Having read Josie Dew I knew that I may have to let air out of my tires. I put my head down and outran the weather.
I checked in to the Deluxe Inn for $35. Seemed pleasant enough and once showered I headed across town on foot.
On the way to the $5.49 pizza buffet I crossed the road. In the distance a car honked. By the time I was comfortably on the sidewalk, it was still at least 20 yards away and slowing. The whole garage forecourt pointed at me and gossiped. In England Jaywalking (not that I was here) doesn't exist. We judge a safe distance as whether the approaching vehicle will have time to avoid you if you trip whilst running to the pavement. This little incident really brought this aspect of America into focus for me.
So I make the most of the buffet, and drink Pibb's (I thought American Dad made that up!), and also root beer, which kinda tasted like the smell of the onitment I used on my leg earlier.
Having spoken briefly with the owner, and grabbed a salad to assuage guilt over my gluttony, a table of people hailed me and invited me to sit with them. They were Donnie, Katie, Susan and Caroline.
I told them of my journey and how I had cleaned the motel shower head with coke. Coke is good for that sort of thing. Paddlers drink flat oke before going on a river. Not much will survive a tummy full of coke, whatever you end up swallowing.
Anyhow, these guys were so friendly we chatted away for some time.
It's not the cycling that gets you meeting people, although it's a means, but taking time to greet folk is important. They asked if America had treated me well, and Georgia certainly has thus far. Every friendly wave from passing motorists and considerate trucks helped on the hills i've toiled up. Either way, Donnie, Katie, Susan and Caroline seemed determined to make up as if the rest of America had been lagging behind in the hospitality stakes.
They asked me (as others have) of the bravery it takes to do something like this. I freely admit that the first two days were terrifying parts, but I'm settling into it now. Katie and Susan have adopted me, at least for the next 24 hours, and are becoming American mothers!
I guess bravery is a perspective. If you are comfortable with something, you don't feel brave about it. For others looking in, it's a different perspective. The best way I ca explain is by showing you an example. I don't do karaoke, but Caroline here can sing in front of a crowd. That to me is bravery. Take a look...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtsNfnPoL-o
A great voice and a neat example, thank you Caroline.
I might just have met a future Country Queen or Blues Princess! Caroline; if you have a goal, and you plan and work hard for it you will get a shot. It may turn out in a different manner to the way you imagined it but as long as you enjoy what you do it's worthwhile!
Older people love to hand out advice! Joe Bennett once wrote something like:
'advice is like a refugee. Everyone wants to pass it on, but no one wants to take it'.
If you find yourself gazing into space on a break at work, or bored on a schoolbus, grab one of Joe's books and give it a go. The two I know of are 'Fun Run and other Oxymorons' and 'Bedside Lovers and other Goats'.
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| My dump- later to have tent erected and drying, and homemade washing line installed |
So I make the most of the buffet, and drink Pibb's (I thought American Dad made that up!), and also root beer, which kinda tasted like the smell of the onitment I used on my leg earlier.
Having spoken briefly with the owner, and grabbed a salad to assuage guilt over my gluttony, a table of people hailed me and invited me to sit with them. They were Donnie, Katie, Susan and Caroline.
I told them of my journey and how I had cleaned the motel shower head with coke. Coke is good for that sort of thing. Paddlers drink flat oke before going on a river. Not much will survive a tummy full of coke, whatever you end up swallowing.
Anyhow, these guys were so friendly we chatted away for some time.
It's not the cycling that gets you meeting people, although it's a means, but taking time to greet folk is important. They asked if America had treated me well, and Georgia certainly has thus far. Every friendly wave from passing motorists and considerate trucks helped on the hills i've toiled up. Either way, Donnie, Katie, Susan and Caroline seemed determined to make up as if the rest of America had been lagging behind in the hospitality stakes.
They asked me (as others have) of the bravery it takes to do something like this. I freely admit that the first two days were terrifying parts, but I'm settling into it now. Katie and Susan have adopted me, at least for the next 24 hours, and are becoming American mothers!
I guess bravery is a perspective. If you are comfortable with something, you don't feel brave about it. For others looking in, it's a different perspective. The best way I ca explain is by showing you an example. I don't do karaoke, but Caroline here can sing in front of a crowd. That to me is bravery. Take a look...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtsNfnPoL-o
A great voice and a neat example, thank you Caroline.
I might just have met a future Country Queen or Blues Princess! Caroline; if you have a goal, and you plan and work hard for it you will get a shot. It may turn out in a different manner to the way you imagined it but as long as you enjoy what you do it's worthwhile!
Older people love to hand out advice! Joe Bennett once wrote something like:
'advice is like a refugee. Everyone wants to pass it on, but no one wants to take it'.
If you find yourself gazing into space on a break at work, or bored on a schoolbus, grab one of Joe's books and give it a go. The two I know of are 'Fun Run and other Oxymorons' and 'Bedside Lovers and other Goats'.
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