Lately, the World economic crisis made us all...well, made most of us think more on how we spend and manage our money or resources. That was one of the main reasons i got involved in DIY hobbies and activities, starting with some failed solar heating adventures, followed by garden decorations and some other useful thingies for my mobile devices. Few days ago i bought a bike, first one after more than 10 years, and now i pretty much enjoy cycling as a useful hobby.
At first i liked the bike, but i wasn't satisfied with what was written on it. It looked like this:
CyberRock!?!?! Whatever that means! I wanted to change something but i wasn't sure what. After some web search on 'how to decorate your bike' i didn't know what to do, because nothing looked like what i wanted. Then it hit me - i asked myself 'if i were to get a tattoo, what would it be?'. Answer was so simple, and now i got it on my philocycle:
Gnothi seauton, means 'Know thyself'. An ancient Greek imperative, written above the entrance to Delphi temple in Greece. An imperative every philosopher knows about and should stick to in every situation. On the other side of philocycle, it says:
Memento mori - Latin imperative, meaning 'remember that you will die', which can be interpreted in many ways, but i like to use it as constant reminder of what we really are.
Anyway, now that i have a philocycle, i am able to engage into philocycling, a method i am still developing. For start, philocycling could be done while cycling alone, in pair or in group. If alone, you would need to focus on silence, introspection and contemplation (meditation could also be applied here, but i didn't try it). If you would do it in pair or in a small group, your main focus should be on dialogue development and questioning each other.
Philocycling could be done in whatever time period suits you, whether it is an hour, two hours or more, with approximately equal periods of time dedicated to self and to the environment around you. For instance, you can do 15 minutes of cycling with 5 minutes of rest where cycling period could be used for self analysis, and rest periods for analysis of the environment, or vice versa. Places for rest periods should be chosen considering their geographic uniqueness. Self analysis can be focused on contemplation on questions like: who am i, what is the purpose of my existence, why i do what i do, how can i improve my life, work, relationships, etc. Environment analysis can be focused on thinking about the nature around you, at specific places: the sky (or the universe), cloud chapes, mountains, fields, rivers, lakes or the sea, villages or towns, etc. It would be better if the environment is variegated and interesting.
And there you have it. A hobby which is useful both for you body and your mind, keeping both of them occupied at the same time, making them work hard together, for your benefit. Please, if you deceide to try it on your own, or with own variations, let me know.
Later on, i will make sure to write a new post with more photos from my philocycling trip, with comments on self and environment analysis related to specific places.
Zoran Kojcic
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar