Grace and Mercy: What Goes Around

Friday night I finally did the Slow-Ride in Lancaster. I have wanted to do it all Summer but one thing or another prevented me. Essentially, it is a herd of bicyclists riding together through town en masse, like a marauding horde, just genial. All ages and all types ride. It was fun and interesting. Not really much of a work-out but it is called "Slow-Ride" after all. We did some slow beer drinking afterwards.

I am sure some of the drivers of cars were irritated that we took up the city roads. Yet, we had probably 60-70 bikers so majority-rules. I think we have all encountered sole or small groups of bicyclists who act as if they DO own the road, little fascists on wheels. It wasn't that. We did own the road one and two blocks at a time. Admittingly, drivers of cars generally need to be more cautious around bicyclists and give them the required four-feet of space. Bicyclists also need to use some common sense and get over to the side, ride single-file, and just not ride dangerous roads--unless of course, they have a death-wish.

One of the remarkable things about the Slow-Ride was how friendly passerby, people sitting out on their porches, and drivers of cars were. Frankly, I wasn't expecting that and then reflected that I would have probably been less patient than most if I had been on the other side. I learned something again that it is about blessing others doing what they do. It has caused me to think of the "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy" as well as the Bible story where a servant deep in impossible debt is forgiven by the Master after pleading to be forgiven, and then he goes down and shakes a fellow servant down for a pittance.

These type of teachings really show that grace and mercy are two-way streets. We have no right to want it for ourselves if we won't extend it to others. And just because we extend it doesn't mean we will get it back. Instead, we do it as a Principle of the Kingdom. As the way it should be.

A couple of incidents happened which hammered the lesson home. During the ride, a band of young teen boys came upon the Slow-Ride and weaved dangerously through the group. There were little kids and old people riding in our group and their behavior was dangerous and rude. I blithely and uncharacteristically let it slide. One of the leaders of the Slow-Ride did confront one of the more egregious boys which then resulted in a "F*&K YOU" in return.

Because I work with kids, I typically don't let negative behavior happen without saying something. I guess I was considering that there wasn't a whole lot I could do in this interaction to teach these boys to be less reckless. It just was one of those scenarios where I had little power besides berating them if it came to that and there were more of them than me so that wouldn't turn out well. What then? Disenfranchised adolescent boys who lack empathy are endemic in certain parts of our society. Being a smart-alec and a bully has landed our current president in the Oval Office. He's actually worse than that but this is not about him.

The second instance was today as I walked to church downtown. About 50 motorcyclists launched their ride from next to Central Market and hit the streets loudly in an amped-up version of what we did, just rougher and ruder. Motorcyclists like flatulently-loud bikes  Maybe it is a security-measure in that it makes drivers aware that a motorcyclist is coming because one can hear them from blocks away. I don't think it is that, though. Motorcyclists just like it loud and want to announce what bad-asses they are for riding (that's my take on it).  But, it was cool and an impressive sight for sure.      

I tried to take it in stride and be at peace. In the end, they were loud on a peaceful Sunday morning yet my protestations would not make it better so I let it be. 99% of what makes us angry ain't worth it. Let it ride.