A Perfectly Reasoned World View

A bike. Looks harmless enough. That's because it doesn't have a rider on it. 

12 km 

1:01:14 / 5.11 pace

Evening, 22C, windy

Still windy this evening, but the difference on this run was that I ran with the wind for the first 6 km on the beach. The run home was on asphalt and into the wind but I managed to run faster than I had on the outward leg. 

This made me think as I ran along a cycle path, suffering the occasional verbal attack from cyclists who take issue with runners on their turf. As I screamed curses at them in English and Portuguese, depending on the degree of filth I wanted to use and how much I wanted them to consider my opinion of their opinion, something occurred to me.

People are dickheads about territory. Drivers are the worst, having no respect for themselves or anyone else on roads, but cyclists are not that far behind, here in Santos, at least. Runners, of course, are a noble band who occupy a higher plane. 

As I ran faster into the wind than I had run with it, I realized it was because I had been given a relatively easy start and, psychologically, running home is easier. The asphalt, instead of the sand, does the rest. Adrenalin from being ready to fight cyclists no doubt plays a part, too. 

Two things entered my head and were at the time immediately crystal clear, requiring no great meditation or analysis. Trying to summarize them here is another thing all together. I'll have a go. 

First, the world is a messed up place and there is no need for that. We are all African, if you really insist on nationality as a defining characteristic of a person, because that's where we sprang up. I have no actual knowledge of this and am not qualified to talk about it with any authority at all. Fortunately this is an internal conversation and I don't need to worry about sources and evidence. This being the beginning of the New Dark Age, in late 2017 - who'd have thought *that*? - even if this were not an internal conversation I could no doubt get away with just saying whatever came into my head. It hasn't done that bastard Trump any harm at all. 

So, we are all African but we are divided by these insane political systems that prevail and imprison us. There is surely a global, overarching power at work that we are not formally allowed to question or even know of, and under this there are local / national political organizations / governments / scams that keep us in line, paying taxes and bills and funneling wealth into the already wealthy's pockets. We then end up being called things like British, Brazilian, American, Mexican, Pakistani, Indian, Iraqi - and on and on. These are stupid labels that do no more than tag us as a unit of wealth-generation for the wealthy I referred to. It serves a purpose for tax, and sometimes for conscription into armies. 

We are constantly told how great it is to be calm and peaceful and unified under the flag. This keeps us subservient and stops obvious threats to the tax collection system, among other systems of control and officially sanctioned theft. 

Second, we are sold this frankly idiotic idea that sport is a great unifier. How anyone can think a system that is designed to condemn losers and elevate winners is a unifying force beggars belief. But we buy it, the same way we buy all that stuff about democracy and the rule of law and taxes. 

The conclusion is that we are in constant conflict. We are taught from the very beginning to be subservient and quiet, but we are also encouraged to engage - at least as spectators - in sports that serve only divisive ends. Football hooligans are the best illustration of how this can and sometimes does go wrong. You can't blame them for being confused. 

I can only imagine that the Roman model of "Bread and Circus" has never been properly challenged and those in power just have some kind of homespun sense that sport is good because it burns off energy that might otherwise be used to - who knows? - question why the hell we listen to politicians. Maybe this is changing - the bread is getting awfully stale and the clowns are running the circuses.

Competitive sport is just a dangerous waste of time, even for the competitors. Anyone who competes and wins knows how much depends on so many things that are outside their control. In large part success is about luck - genetically and socially and in so many other ways - and the best champions are the humblest because they know this. It follows that the worst winners are the most conceited. You can find your own examples of the latter, it's not like there's a lack of them. 

The conclusion is that global conflict is inevitable. It is no more than an extension of the competitive sports idea we have been sold so successfully. We all want the same thing - we want to be happy. Above all we want to be happier than everyone else. As that's a tremendously stupid idea, it results in tremendously stupid actions and reactions, starting and very nearly ending with consumerism and the capitalist dream. Look at my car, look at my house, look at my spouse and look at my wonderful life. Anything that happens that undermines our sense of our own success in the Lifelong Consumer Achievement Olympics must be challenged and brought down. Conflict is the only possible conclusion. 

I should learn to deal with cyclists better than I do. I'll work on it.