[*BCM*] Scattered Thoughts on Massbike and volunteering to make it better

[turtle]

Boston Critical Mass <list at bostoncriticalmass.org> wrote:
> 
> Well aware of the Boston Chapter, I went ot one of the
> first meetings, where I heard critical masser's
> berated by John Allen.  I also noted a distinct lack
> of younger and female persons.  

John Allen is a volunteer at MassBike just like pretty much everyone
else in the organization.  And he has his own opinions.  I'm sure you
do to.  As do all cyclists who are really out in the trenches all the
time.  

I agree that no one should be berated.  Ever.  For anything.  But that's
not the way the world, with us opinionated humans lounging around.  We
get annoyed at things.  We speak out about them.  Some people's
feelings may get hurt in the process.  It screws up potentially great
collaborative efforts.  Hopefully we live and learn.  But that kind of
compassionate thinking is not usually so popular in the US - where
competition is the rule, and collaboration and cooperation are seen as
being the wussy way to get things done.  So I'm not surprised when
cyclists get together and spend all their time arguing with eachother,
and get little to nothing accomplished.

Rather than focus on our differences, it might be better if we cyclists
could come together and talk about or similarities - our common
problems, goals, and dreams.  I think that might be a meeting that
would be productive.

-Turtle

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"One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we
seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal.  We must
pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means." - Martin Luther King Jr.