On Humanity

A few days ago, a very close friend of mine was pulled over on the side of the road during San Jose Bike Party, changing a flat tire.  He was minding his own business, wasn't obstructing traffic, and hadn't been riding recklessly - in fact, if there was a poster child for safe cycling, he would be it.  At one point a car drove by and he was hit in the face by what he thought was a substantially sized rock that had been kicked out by the car's tires.  He went to ER, and they scheduled him for an X-ray and possible reconstructive surgery.

It turns out, my friend - someone who I care deeply about - was shot.  He was hit in the orbital socket with a lead bullet from an air rifle, with the only motivation seemingly being that he was on a bike and the motorist was unhappy with cyclists.  Thankfully he's alive and in one piece, and didn't lose his eye, but the idea that someone would do such a thing to another human being is so strange and sad to me.  

Whether you're a cyclist or a motorist, and whether one or the other occasionally inconveniences you for whatever reason, we are all people.  Be it someone's son or someone's daughter, someone's husband or wife, someone's father or mother - the ten seconds you might be delayed is not worth the potential cost of someone's life.  

And if you truly feel that someone is inconveniencing you to the point where you should cause them physical harm, perhaps you should take a good, long look at your life.