At a recent meeting of the local BMW riders group I belong to I had a chance to talk with two of our newest members that had just taken delivery of their bikes the week prior to the meeting. They seemed to be very nice folks and were very enthusiastic about entering into the world of riding motorcycles.
The reason I mention this is something that happened during the meeting that made me stop and reconsider how we view people and our tendency to put people into convenient little niches based solely on (first) appearances. Case in point, when I first saw this particular middle-aged couple sitting in front of me during the meeting and judging by the way they were dressed (as if just coming from church, which, as it turned out they were) I simply assumed they were someone’s parents that had been invited to come to see what the club their child belonged to was all about. The reason they stood out so was not so much their age, as the mean age of riders is now close to 50, but rather their attire. Since most of the attendees had arrived by motorcycle and it being early spring they were dressed as one would expect at a meeting of a motorcycle club. Yet here was this very average looking, nicely dressed couple in a throng of leather and Gortex clad individuals, so I simply placed them in the “non-rider” category. So naturally when they stood up and introduced themselves as new members and RIDERS once the meeting had started, it kind of took me by surprise having already made what was now an obviously erroneous assumption as to who they were! Later that day I reflected on this event and how I had so easily slipped into the trap of making a judgment call based on nothing other than manner of dress. This got me to pondering this whole aspect of the human psyche, how we make assumptions based on first impressions and just how wrong they sometimes turn out to be. While I’ve always thought of myself as a very liberal and open-minded person and someone who takes pride in that very open-mindedness, having improperly categorized them as “someone’s parents” made me stop and reconsider my own open-mindedness for a moment. Something we all need to do from time least we become too self-assured and forget that we are all prone to the most basic human foibles. A little self evaluation is always good for the soul and later on the ride back from the meeting it stuck me this might make a good topic for this months article and so I present a synopsis of the thoughts that ran through my mind as I headed home that day. While not intending to sound like a lecture, the lesson I leaned, or should say relearned, is none the less very apropos for all us involved in motorcycling, regardless of what or how often we ride.
Anyone who claims that they don’t categorize people by first impressions is not only not being very honest with themselves, but is also in jeopardy of possibly no longer realizing they are doing it. In so doing one runs the risk of losing something of themselves and their own self-awareness in the process. It is very easy to feel “superior” by believing we have risen above some aspect of the human psyche when in fact it is simply a matter of not realizing we are still very actively doing that very thing we thought we had conquered. Keeping an open mind is core to all of us being able to continue pursuing the pleasure of the open road on two wheels. We, as bikers, are by far in the minority, nothing will ever change that and I for one enjoy the very uniqueness of that experience, something I would be willing to bet is at the core of every rider. We ride because we are different, not because we want to become different. A difference that is a beginning rather than an end. We feel a call that others who don’t ride will never know, it is ours alone and thus is something to be embraced. What is important to remember is that with that uniqueness comes a shared responsibility, that by necessity, crosses all lines of age, machine or any other outward aspect of our chosen lifestyle. For many of us it is a lifestyle that permeates every aspect of our being. As such, it becomes our responsibility to remember that the very thing that binds us together is something we should learn to not only embrace, but to use to our advantage to ensure that we, as a whole, can continue to enjoy the adventure of our two wheeled lifestyle. When schisms occur amongst us and it becomes biker against biker, we all lose, period. Even more importantly, when it becomes biker against the masses, it is even more essential that we present a united front, using logic and persuasion backed by facts, to present our case when attempts at creating unjust rules and regulations are fostered upon us if we wish to hold on the gains already made. Regulations based on bias or misrepresentation by those who would limit our mobility for their own gain or based simply on a personal dislike of the motorcycling community in general are a common enemy against which we need always to present a united front. Because of this we can ill afford to project an image of people who are quick to judge, easy to provoke or come across as somehow “superior” to those around them, either as a group, or as individuals within that group. Rather we have to make a special effort to project an image of tolerance, of balanced thought and acceptance if we ever wish to hope to find acceptance in return.
I’m sure all of us at some point in our formative years had been told, probably many times, how important first impressions are. Just as it did in childhood, the same holds true for us as adults and especially as motorcyclists and I would encourage each of us to take a moment now and then to review how we perceive others and how we are perceived by others in turn.
As I was reminded by the event described in the opening paragraphs we can all too easily fall into a false sense of self-assurance about some critical aspect of our outlook or sense of open-mindedness. We, as Riders, can ill afford taking a course that can lead us to a point where the road sign now says “This Road Closed to Motorcyclists”, for then we all lose a little more of our freedom to roam. We need to always be aware that every act that closes another section of road to any one of us and limits our choices to find that special place we all seek on the open road, is a blow to all motorcyclists and that indeed, is a loss none of us can afford.
