Sometimes You Have To Lose It All
Editorial By: Chris Callen
Originally Published In The February 2015 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
In the world we live in today it’s easy to admire someone who wins. We have made it to a place where winning the lottery or signing a big contract gives people cause to marvel. I was always impressed with successful people and like most of society today gave accolades to them as well as secretly planning how I would spend my share of the Powerball Jackpot. Today, after these many years of struggling with a small business and coming through what has been a tough time in our country’s economy, I seem to have reevaluated my opinion on what success is. I know it’s an old adage but I now have a deeper sense of adoration for a person that makes it through hard times, more so than the average winner. Or as the saying goes, “It’s the valleys that you’re judged on” You see, when a man looses it all, gets his face pushed into the dirt and still finds a way to stand back up and kick the world in the teeth, well that’s my kind of man. The blood sweat and tears aspect of who we are in this world today too often gets overlooked for the winners. Why do we continue to idolize millionaire sports athletes who fail to teach us anything about strong moral character when the fine examples of hard working men and women are all around us? The steel worker that pulls I an extra 12 hour shift here and there to help the ends meet, the teachers who make due with salaries hardly in line with the function of molding the future, the farmer who risks it all every year on a crop that feeds a nation. Where are the praises for the type of people who have made this a great country?
think about this after what has been a damn hard year for so many. Friends and brothers who I know that have walked a tight rope in order to fight off the bank and stay in their homes. I’ve grown to admire many of them not for their few moments in the sunshine where they caught a break in their struggles but for the way they faced the daily rigors of fighting their way through. I guess in part it’s why I’ve always loved the motorbike culture. For the most part, especially with old bikes, you have very little to rely on but yourself. If you’re out on the road and break down, it’s up to you to fix the bike or find a ride to town for parts. This lifestyle forces you to fend for yourself and employs a great sense of responsibility. If you’re a thousand miles away from home you are instantly aware that you’re not just passing through. This is your life, in the moment and your safety, happiness, mechanical wellbeing and direction are all at your own fingertips and you alone control your own destiny. How many others walks of life can claim such a beautiful experience from their “Hobby?”
