The Tacho’d Endo
Sun.11.Mar.12
Taco v – a wheel bent over on itself, in the shape of a taco
Endo n – the maneuver of flying unexpectedly over the handlebars, thus being forcibly ejected from the bike; short for "end over end"
Greetings! – p.1
Spinning My Wheels – p.1
Cutler’s cyclizm – p.3
Ross’ Raiders for Heart – p.3
Ponderous Ponderings – p.3
A-V Club – p.4
Inside Joke – p.4
Parting Shot – p.4
Final Thoughts – p.4
Greetings!:
Well, I’m back. It’s been a long and different kind of year than I had anticipated. Much has happened since my last blog.
Around mid-summer, my mother-in-law ended up in the hospital. It was touch and go at one point and she was there until a week after Canadian Thanksgiving, in October, so of course things were a little topsy-turvy in our house hold as we took care of each other during each emotional step. During this time, I also tried to seek out a different career path at work in the late summer, which unfortunately did not pan out, and also unfortunately, my position was eventually phased out in a restructuring of the department I was working in just about a week ago. C’est la vis. I’m cool with it and looking forward to a new direction for my future and very interested for what it holds to me and my amazing family.
I wasn’t much in the mood for writing another blog during that time. I just didn’t have the extra energy for everything I wanted to do – something had to give. However, I did manage to finally finish the first draft of a story I am working on and now can devote time to that other passion … while looking for work of course – can’t wait for it to happen; I have to make it so.
Well, that’s it in a nutshell. Now, the wheels being spun below may be an interesting topic to resume my blog on, but I have been part of a discussion or two about this with my son and his Scout Troop at their last meeting.
Article time …
Spinning My Wheels:
In the news lately, there has been much debate about bullying and the abuse which children go through, the depths which some sink and the emotional scars some carry with them all the way into adulthood.
The most mentioned in the news lately is the poor child who committed suicide, in the Toronto area, because he just could not take the bullying and harassment he underwent daily.
Sadly, it seems, the more we hear about bullying in schools, the more we now hear about kids committing suicide because of the torment they were under. I’ve witnessed people getting bullied – even adults to other adults. It’s a shame that those who do the bullying lose themselves in the moment of fear and anxiety and pick on others whom they feel are weaker than they are simply because they appear different, speak different, act different, or whatever “excuses” a bully feels they need to assert themselves over someone just to increase their sense of false power in an attempt to show the world how strong they are. They are often just as weak and/or scared, wanting others to feel weaker than they.
The strongest people I’ve ever known in my life are the quiet and respectable ones – my father being one of them. Since I am talking about him, I will say how much I still very much love, respect and admire the man who passed away on Wed.25.Sep.85. Yup. I admit it in public for the world to see: I – loved – my – Dad … So there. :p And he knew it, so that’s what really counts.
There was never any harassing from him, no cursing me or ever making me feel bad about myself and never a raised hand. He always made me feel great and I wanted to be just like him – but that’s a story for another time.
Unfortunately, it is also quite often the really quiet ones who also get picked on. In our society’s quest for greatness, we quickly applaud those who raise their voices above the din. Instead of showing off their own strengths and encouraging others to greatness, they attempt to show their false strength by muscling over whom they consider weak or differnet, just to prop themselves up and be the “King of the Castle”, standing above all the “Dirty Rascals”.
Is it so important that we stand idly by to allow our children to impose their (or perhaps even our own perceived) sense of power by crushing the spirit, will and even life of another? It is a sad viscous cycle that can even follow them to adulthood.
We’ve all experienced it on some level at some point in our lives, whether to us or we unknowingly do so to another. From what I’ve learned, for some reason there is a fear in them. And that fear drives their pursuit of this false power.
If you see or know of someone being bullied, then by all means, step in and assist those being persecuted. I remember doing that as far back as grade three – one kid asked for help because he was being bullied on the way home every day by three older kids. I can’t remember his name, or how I knew him, but do remember, after a brief tussle, the lunch pail that slammed into the back of my head and the three bullies running off after I went down on one knee on the dirt path. After a brief chase, they never bothered that boy again.
The moral of the above story is, we can all make a difference in the lives of those being harassed and bullied. And if not confronted in childhood, the behavior can follow them into adulthood. Sometimes it only takes showing a united front to send the bully on their way (tussle or no tussle).
It is just as important to speak with and work with the one harassing to re-direct their energies into something more productive and make them more aware of their actions and maybe even find out what is really fuelling them and their mis-directed anger or anxiety. I’ve found that the bullies are scared for some reason or another and are lashing out to secure their position in a the pack, so to speak – or even the workplace when they get older, if their behaviour doesn’t change for the better.
Here is a link to a site about a movie being made showing the dangers of bullying and its effects on kids.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/08/showbiz/movies/bully-rating-controversy-ew/
Also, sadly there is another form of bullying – the cyber kind and there are many sites about it. Here’s one (skip the intro if you like) …
http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/
This internet version can be literally just as deadly and can work far faster on that one child imposed by the close circle of fear you and they are in. This reaches out, beyond that circle, to others in a matter of minutes and soon, when the target was only under the gaze of those few in the know, they are now under the scrutiny of everyone who has read it, whether it is believed or not – the words and images are out there. If you know of sites that are designed to prop up ones and belittle others, the report them and have them taken down – sites like these have prime real estate for bullies and their harassing ways.
We all have far more power in us than we ever really truly give ourselves credit for (myself included). Let’s just tap into that, even if only for a moment, to give a chance to both sides of the bullying conflict for each to get a glimpse at what it might be like to actually be healed of their internal wounds – before they become deep, throbbing scars.
There is plenty of healing needing to be done on both sides of any conflict and only by speaking with one another and seeing each other as who we are and accepting.
Only then, can the true healing begin.
CUTLERS’s Cyclizm:
Nothing much to report here, except that I am looking forward to getting out there to ride again real soon – spinning class twice a week is keeping my legs in shape.
Lake to Lake Classic and Pond to Pond – It seems that the finish of this race is no longer being held in Port Dalhousie (& I’m okay with that – not a fan of the tower project) and will instead be finishing in Charles Daly Park, only about five minutes or so down the road.
I’m also taking part in the Warrior Dash this Sat.19.Jul.12. I’ll be out there with some friends, so it should be a great time!
http://warriordash.com/register2012_ontario.php
Ross’ Raiders for Heart :
I won’t bother you for donations … yet.
But mark my words, the time is on the horizon.
Ponderous Ponderings:
“The first order of business – survival.” ~ Admiral James T. Kirk
A-V Club:
These are just some of the inspirational pieces of videos and/or music that make me wanna either hum along softly or crush the pedals when I’m out for a bike ride.
I went for bike ride the other day and this kept the feet spinning …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnuuYcqhzCE&ob=av2e
Great song to tick the pedals to … the video doesn’t do so much for me, but the tempo and beat of the song sure does. ;)
Inside Joke:
An old woman was walking her little dog along the river bank when she spotted a young man flailing in the river.
The young man started shouting "HELP! I can't swim!"
The old woman shouted back, "And I can't ride a bicycle, but you'll never hear me yelling about it in the street for everyone to hear!"
Parting Shot:
I suppose many of you have already heard about this …
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/invisible-children-and-its-kony-2012-campaign-in-the-spotlight/article2362416/
Apparently, this Kony individual carrying out atrocities. The kids in this video feel such despair about their situation that they do not care if their lives end and would rather allow it to end than to be under the power and control of this extreme bully.
Unfortunately, there are those who see this as a private matter and don’t want any outsiders interfering at all. They are afraid. Both sides are afraid.
And there are those who don’t think this is right to do …
http://lacigreen.tv/otherish/socialjustice/4019-why-i-dont-support-kony-2012
And this is the kind of response which I expected to be posted …
http://www.thegic.org/video/video/show?id=2358184%3AVideo%3A163562
Remember what I said about providing a unified front against any sort of tyrant and to stop them from harassing anybody else?
Well, what the producers of Kony 2012 were hoping for is happening - not only is the world aware, but now so too are those who are living it and can no longer hide their secret from the world. The issue has been pressed into everyone’s faces and now they're all waking up, as it were, and dealing with the problem - one rebuttal and counter rebuttal at a time. I was well aware of the implications and now those very same reasons are getting people talking and agreeing that it is a concern. But it is a concern for whom? It'll be a rocky next few steps, but steps in the right direction nonetheless. And those steps will eventually lead to a common ground where those who aren't from there (but who started the movement) and those who are and live in fear can walk together and solve it together – it will take time, though. It will take time to sort through the truth and the false-truths ... This is the awkward part of the relationship.
Fear of truth. Fear of change. Fear of anger. Fear of reprisal. Fear of empowerment. Fear of freedom.
It will be very interesting to see where this goes from here.
People are waking up.
Keep watching.
Final Thoughts:
Be kind.
Be respectful.
Be caring.
Be involved.
And most importantly – be happy.
Cheers,
Best Regards
and
Keep the Peace!
S. Ross Cutler.
Next time, you too could be a
Contributor’n’Sponsor’n’Advertiser,
OR you could create one of your own . . .
Have a nice day and enjoy your ride.
Keep the shiny side up
and the rubber side down!
RH+ Positive Productions
