The road

It's hard to describe the myriad of feelings that envelop me during a good bike ride on the country roads near my home. The healthful benefits of pedaling the rolling hills, the soft wind on my face and the sun that splashes over me provide a feeling of peace, tranquility of thought and offer a wonderful escape from the stresses of everyday life. My senses come alive, and it is during these times that I am most spiritual. It is a shame that many of us have become so locked in our insular world that we neglect the most important things. We go from the air conditioned comfort of our SUV's to perform the desk jockey work in our ergonomically designed chairs in the air conditioned comfort of our offices underneath the hideous flourescent lights. We come home to cut the grass of our quarter acre lot on a riding mower because that's so much more comfortable than actually walking. Then we retreat inside to our lazy chair where the lobotomy box (borrowing that term from one of my favorite writers - Fred Reed) can keep us company for the rest of the evening.
The moral, intellectual and spiritual vacuity that has overwhelmed so much of our world will serve as a platform for commentary on this blog. I'll also comment on life issues and sprinkle in healthy dose of sports as well. The title of the blog - '30 speeds of freedom' refers to one of my main loves - bike riding. My bike has 30 speeds, and when I'm on it, I feel free. I'm an ardent libertarian conservative and I believe bike riding is a metaphor for my political philosophy which is: freedom trumps everything else. That one word - freedom - resonates within all of us - and is THE bridge that can overcome the left/right political divide. When we get past the superficial labels we should see that freedom is our bond. Let it ring.