Is there anything more meaningful in life than eMTBing?

Do you feel that there’s purpose to your work? Does the thought of artificial intelligence fill you with dread? What do you hold dear in life?

Don’t worry, we won’t ask for your answer paper right now, but perhaps you recognise the feeling of constantly wanting to measure up as better – to be more productive, more efficient and more effective. The mere mention of these notions is a sign of the times. When we describe people that we look up to or people who have ‘succeeded’ in some sense, more often than not, we use terms that once applied exclusively to machines.

It’s a disarming thought. Even though we’re all a little suspicious of artificial intelligence, we strive to function like machinery inside our already structured lifestyles, don’t we? What’s left of us as humans when we’re all roped into an efficiency mania? What’s left of us when we don’t allow ourselves to listen to our bodies or emotions, nor accept mistakes or failure? After all, many of us try not to admit to mistakes and are guilty of imprisoning or suppressing feelings and emotions. Yet it’s universally acknowledged that by suppressing too much of yourself, you risk burn-out and losing sight of what really counts in life. You might succeed in the short-term, but it’s simply not sustainable.

Here’s where you could ask what the meaning of life is: Success, wealth, or fame? We live in a society where we’re conditioned to set goals: to become a millionaire; to be fitter or more attractive. Where do I see myself in ten years? What do I want to tick off this year?

We’ve got a knack when it comes to goal-setting, honed through years of practice in pinpointing a place in the future where we’ll be in a state or a condition that we deem better. Once a goal is set, we go after it, running ourselves into the ground with productivity and self-optimisation until we either end up at the goal exhausted and run-down, or stumble before we get there and give up.

So while life rushes by at breakneck speed and we work tirelessly towards that imagined future state, not everyone recognises the importance of now. It might sound like a self-help book ordered quickly on Amazon, but there’s truth in this. Right now, sat here as your eyes flicker over the lines, is the only thing that counts. Everything else is in the past and everything that lies ahead is unknown, no matter how much insurance cover you’ve got. How are you feeling right now? Raise your head from these lines and look around, how do you feel?

Have you ever been in the situation where you see a complete stranger on the street and one of you breaks into a smile for whatever reason, but it’s enough to lift your spirits, however fleetingly? Philosophers have long agreed that a smile can be counted as one of the greatest wonders of the world. They connect us to other individuals with a language that doesn’t need words. A smile puts you on track to a sense of flow, in which the world and all of its worries seem far away. Your bank balance and your next appointment become irrelevant. You cease to optimise yourself or produce economic gains, you are neither efficient nor effective, but you feel great. Isn’t that more important?

At some point in all of our lives, we have to decide who or what we want to listen to. Do we adapt ourselves to fit the mould of what other people say or dictate, or do we listen to our internal self? To our own internal compass of what makes us happy and what’s right? Looking at our grandparents or the older generations in general, it seems like they have learnt to listen better to themselves, keep calm and make their own way through life. The real question: how long will it take us to learn more composure and tranquillity?

It might not be immediately obvious what the bewildering magic of a smile has to do with eMTBing. After all, the concept of relying on a motor instead of your own power to get up a mountain seems at odds with humanity and that perpetual desire to be fitter and faster. But do those factors really matter? Those who have ridden ebikes know that few activities can rival eMTBing when it comes to the likelihood of breaking out in a grin. You feel like a superhero. Whatever your line of work – be it doctor, engineer, or artisan – you have tools that make your life easier. So why shouldn’t cyclists have ebikes? Aren’t they the ultimate tool against stress and a stress-free way to enter a state of flow? You’ll soar down mountainsides with the grace of an eagle, just with a far bigger grin. With each pedal stroke, you’ll feel freer, clearing your head, shaking off the burdens of life. Magic.

We all need space. We need time that’s allocated to simply not being allocated – space and time where we can just be. Going eMTBing creates that space and lets you shake off your other persona. You’re no longer just a manager or an employee worried about deadlines or redundancy, nor a spouse on the brink of divorce. You’re just you. And you finally get to grin without feeling guilty. There’s nothing purer than this moment, so is there anything more meaningful in life than this?^*

^*In the event that rationalists propose a more meaningful element of life, then we’d like to put the record straight and agree that eMTBing is at least the most meaningful of meaningless things in life. Having a dog is the same. You get neither eggs nor milk, and here in Europe we certainly don’t eat them, but pets bring another dimension to your life, adding tenderness to your life once work is over. That’s got to be meaningful, right?

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Words: Robin Schmitt Illustratition Julian Lemme

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