One of the things we can do to mitigate the stress of everything feeling like it’s spiraling out of control is to take on something that is under our control. To fix or build something, for instance. It is therapeutic in the sense that Robert Pirsig wrote about in his book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
I read that book a long time ago, long before the country (and everything else along with it) began to feel like it was coming apart. I have also been in tune with the salving effect of polishing my old Zed’s aluminum engine casings to a high luster; using my ear as well as the vacuum gauges to sync the four carbs just right. One gets to know one’s machine in this way, as well as oneself. In the quiet and the contemplation that comes along for the ride – even if you’re still in the garage.
On cold winter days – and during wintry times – one can imagine warmer and better times, sure to come. Someday. Maybe – in the worst of times – not in time for you or for me. But for others, whose time will come. I often think about the scholars sequestered in abbeys and such after the fall of what was arguably Western Civilization Mark I. They took care of the important things during a dark time and so took care of us, who came along long after they were gone. I imagine they felt at peace taking care of those old books and scrolls and things that had already by then become relics of a gone and increasingly distant time.
I feel similarly when I polish up the old Kawasaki. I polish it for me but also for someone else, yet to come. Someone I may never meet. Perhaps someone not yet born. Just as the long-dead scholars knew the books they took care of would be read by people they’d never meet, also not yet born. There is comfort in this continuity. It is not different than a father leaving a legacy for his child except it is in that we are leaving legacies for more than just our own posterity but for posterity generally.
We humans have that great edge over other creatures in that we can pass along that which would otherwise die with us. Our kind is not condemned to starting from zero at every birth – because everything was lost at death.
Ideas endure, if we take care to protect and preserve them. Especially during the dark times.
It is possible the Zed and my other artifacts will be destroyed by the destroyers; this happened to many of the books that were lost during the last time we (as a species) went through a dark time. But this does not prevent me from doing all I can to improve the odds that they will survive and – in time – provide the same kind of Zen they have provided me each and every time I take the dust cover off and even before I do anything more than behold what’s underneath.
I like to think what the next person will feel when they also behold. Especially if it is a person who was not around to see it the first time. Like a person who sees the pyramids for the first time. Or the Pantheon. Did people actually build such things?
Indeed, they did.
And it makes me feel better knowing they will know it, with each turn of the buffing wheel.
. . .
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It’s the spirit of SELF-RELIANCE (no pun on my surname, but who ELSE am I going to rely on, save my boys, who are carrying on the name?) that’s defined ‘Murica, at least up until now. We ain’t gonna see that outta a gaggle of “beta” soy-boys, raised by their (single) Mommas and taught to “call the ‘guy’ ” for anything that needs fixing, or just whip out the plastic to BUY, which expensive borrowed funds, the replacement.
There was a time when any small ‘burg or neighborhood had a local “fix it” shop, often run by some semi-retired, cranky old bastard that “magically” could repair just about ANYTHING, and he often sold used small appliances, and some large ones, trade-ins or simply items that the owners didn’t pay for or simply gave up on. It helped that said appliances were built often with stamped steel casings and put together with screws and bolts, so they COULD be taken apart. While certainly the proprietor had an ample supply of connectors, switches, solenoids, capacitors, and wiring, often his ability to pull off a cost-effective repair came down to his ingenuity.
Cars and Trucks used to be the same way, until the automakers, in their push to make them “comply” with Uncle Sam’s “fatwas” re: “S-a-f-t-e-e-e-e” and fuel economy, found that they were making their rides TOO good. So, if they couldn’t “sandbag” them to have the engine and/or transmission self-destruct after, say, 100K miles, due to the likelihood of too many premature failures, they at least made sure that even simple things like heater blower motors were so inaccessible that repairs would be hugely frustrating for the DIYers, and cost-prohibitive for those that took them either to the “stealership” or simply to a “trusted” independent mechanic. It’s been a rather simple paradigm for almost a century…car makers are in the business of SELLING cars, not making them so you can keep them going seemingly forever. At least the military, for all its well-documented wastefulness, makes an effort that even its most mundane of vehicles can be readily repaired by some dumbshit E-4s that have had a modicum of training.
Fixed a friend’s 12 year old Camry today. Battery had died and when it was jumped somehow the blower motor and fuse cooked. Had to do some creative shade tree mechanic stuff to get the block fuse out (as in used a dremel). Blower motor was easy to replace. 90 minutes later it’s blowing air like a champ. Very gratifying.
I agree with the general sentiment that fixing and maintaining things can be (and has at times been for me) a source of peace and relaxation and satisfaction.
But not always. It depends. If you’re trying to fix your daily driver and it’s a piece of shit and you have nothing else and stuff is rusted, stripped, cracked, or parts are too expensive or unavailable, and you are under time and/or weather constraints, it can be a source of stress and frustration. 30 years ago I took the entire dash out of a $400 Ford in subfreezing weather to replace the heater core. Don’t want to do that again if I can help it. Three years ago I replaced an electric power steering rack with a junkyard unit. Had to pull the halfshafts out, disconnect the tie rods, and drop the entire f–ing subframe while on jackstands in 38 degree weather. Got it done the day before it dropped to 20 degrees for a month. Proud that I did a $2000 job at a dealership for only $200, and I got another three + years out of the car, but damn. What a bitch.
BTW Pirsig spent time in a mental hospital, and his son got stabbed to death by a black outside of a Zen temple in San Francisco… sometimes life really does suck and then you die.
“ Proud that I did a $2000 job at a dealership for only $200, and I got another three + years out of the car, but damn. What a bitch. “
Oh yes. 2 years ago I did the struts on the daughters Acura MDX. Air impact wouldn’t remove the two big lower attach bolts. Breaker bar with the handle from the floor jack added for more leverage & finally they moved. Just the struts so reused the springs. Spring compressor what a nightmare got it done without losing any fingers. The rear shock lower mounts were a no go no matter what I tried, local shop cut them out. You Japanese car owners take note, they aren’t much on corrosion control good luck on what should be simple R&R part fixes once it’s over a couple years old.
Nothing beats heat for that kind of stuff. Several years ago I got a small combination torch that uses small bottles (same size as a camp stove) of MAPP gas and oxygen for $60 in lieu of an expensive acetylene shop torch with the cart with the 4-foot tall gas cylinders. Absolute lifesaver, some things you simply cannot do on a car without heating a rusted nut cherry red first.
I got one last ride last week, dosed with StaBil and a nip of Marvel oil then into town to top off with non alcohol gas. 30 minutes more riding to run it in plus warm up the oil, in the shed till Spring ‘25.
Seasons here in central WA change like flipping a switch. Sun and 58 that day then off and on rain and 42. Today is nice and sunny but really cold. Snow in the hills nearby, oh my!
Spring here can be great riding but need to wait for the road deicer to wash away then hope the county is early with the sand removal from all the intersections.
I kinda liked “101 Things To Do Till The Revolution” By Clare Wolfe
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a profound book I read back in college that had a tremendous effect on my consciousness as much as Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
The two things I came away with and practiced for the rest of my life: the importance of quality and maintenance. Buy quality machines or tools, do due diligence on your machines, get to know your bike intimately so that if it breaks down you don’t experience anger or emotional panic.
It was Pirsig’s book that got me to own and drive Geo Metro’s for many years – the Geo Metro was NOT a quality car like a Honda, but it got over 50 mpg, which gave me the freedom to drive anywhere during rising gas prices – which forced many people to limit their range. By becoming intimate with the Geo machine I was able to maintain them and keep them going.
The idea is that the machine is an extension of yourself. Vehicles change our ability to interact in this world, do things we could not do without them – like drive somewhere 50 miles away without a care in the world – when prior to the car we would have to walk, paddle a canoe, or ride a horse – and 50 miles was a great distance.
This is why 15 minute cities and EVs are a threat – they are intentional manipulations to limit our movements – something you have a god given right to do. Look at a bird, they fly anywhere the hell they want, right across borders, bypassing checkpoints and gas stations. The truth is we humans have less freedom than birds. A bird requires no license for freedom of movement. The law is our curse. We humans, not being a free and natural animal, are under the curse of regulations and laws by corporate assholes and scum like Komrade Kamala who love to order us around because they have power to do harm.
The free range biker represents those who still roam free, outside the law, not being enslaved by jobs and taxation, and represent our longing for freedom on a slave planet run by assholes. Bikers with lead pipes and chains bringing justice to a planet with none.
This is why being a law-abiding citizen is futile. The ever-changing laws are not meant to keep people from doing the wrong thing, but rather, from doing the RIGHT thing. Too bad I didn’t realize this until just a few years ago.
Better late than never brother. The law and its evil minions are something to watch for and avoid, like a rattlesnake but worse. A rattler will leave you alone if you stay out of its territory.
Garage therapy works almost every time. It is a time to concentrate on fixing something and when you are finished you can admire your work. Sometimes I put my ear buds in so that I don’t miss a phone call, and also to enjoy some music. Over the last year I have done massive repairs to both of my daily drivers, and now am enjoying the fruits of my labor. I’m over 70 and sometimes it takes awhile to recover from my therapy sessions, but I love the work. Beautiful Kawasaki, I rode one when they were new, and it was a beast. I have enjoyed many bikes, and glad you can still enjoy yours.
Great article channeling a hint of Peter Egan in there.
Also a hint of Richard Bach.
Yes it is sadly time to be putting away the summer toys and digging out the winter toys, or at least snow shovels and snow blowers. As for my bike as it’s stored in an unheated garage I just spray all the shiny bits with WD-40 and take a couple hours to clean it all off in spring.
The only question I’ve got is what’s the best way to deal with minor corrosion on the muffler? I’ve had people tell me really fine steel wool but others tell me it would hurt the chrome plating.
Very fine steel wool works….
Flitz or simichrome is what I have used.
Unheated areas, a breathable cover and at least a 60w lightbulb under the engine. Goal is to keep the bike just a bit warmer than the outside air to prevent condensation.
I use a 160w boat dehumidifier which is a heat coil inside a shallow metal box that just slips under the bike (2018 Road King).
A true battery float charger (brand name is Battery Tender but there are knock offs for less money. NO cheap trickle charger you’ll cook the battery.
A shed made of wood not metal, better breathing not a moisture trap.
‘It is therapeutic in the sense that Robert Pirsig wrote about in his book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.’ — eric
Pirsig’s book was published about the same time as Harry Browne’s How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World. Both had quite an influence on me.
And both probably could not be written today. It was just half a century ago. Yet the Department of Education and Department of Energy still lay several years ahead. Libertarianism was in its heyday, with Murray Rothbard as its leading light.
As artificial intelligence starts to suck so much power that tech companies are buying mothballed nuclear plants, it’s becoming clear that AI is not intended just to answer questions, write essays, and summarize Amazon reviews. More likely it’s a granular-level Panopticon, able to police and suppress Thoughtcrime in real time as it’s built out.
No need for ‘firemen’ burning books as in Fahrenheit 451, when the digital Feed has taken over. Heretical posts going ‘poof’ on Facebook and X and YouTube — as in the pandemic, when Dr Martensen had to say ‘dwsnbn’ (drug which shall not be named) instead of ivermectin to escape the listening censors — are a preview. AI can bring this oppressive level of policing to EVERY digital post.
Anti Censorship Vocabulary
If their words are forbidden, well so be it, we’ll make our own words, and we don’t need their words anymore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB_Cgkqi2KE
“As artificial intelligence starts to suck so much power that tech companies are buying mothballed nuclear plants, it’s becoming clear that AI is not intended just to answer questions, write essays, and summarize Amazon reviews. More likely it’s a granular-level Panopticon, able to police and suppress Thoughtcrime in real time as it’s built out.”
The moment Big Tech began peddling artificial intelligence about 10 years ago, I KNEW that our time was up.