C-O-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y!!! When I first started lurking here (Nov '07) I was looking at buying my first hyper bike (didn't know that was how the bikes were referred to, until a reporter did a spread on a busa at a local bike show). Reading up on the bike here at the .oRg also introduced me to people who seemed to genuinely care for one another. After a little over five months I found my dream machine and, along with my decision to take the plunge, came the confidence I was making a good investment, compliments of all the threads and posts I'd read on the .oRg.
As time pased and I began to grow from the birth of this new life experience, I started to see a little deeper into the community. And just like any other relationship, when the honeymoon elation passed I began to feel the growing pains that come from seeing past the rose colored expectations of the innocent/naive/immature. Man, what a family!! And just like any relationship, sometimes it requires the effort to see past those rose colored expectations and walk towards promoting the best for the community in spite of how others my appear offensive/offended. "As much as it is within you, live at peace with all men..". I read this somewhere and I wrestle with determining what is worth cutting my nose off for and what is left better unsaid. (I hope none of this is the 'better left unsaid part'.)
I posted up a lot of silly, immature smart alec remarks at first...just trying to be funny and fit in, be accepted, whatever. Then I got a chance to go to a MnG. When you get to be up close and personal (without violating air space) with others you may only know superficially, perspectives change. You see past alot of assumptions into the lives of others who may be struggling with some of the same things. And I realized, "Hey, there is a unity here that comes from a common association of interest." And after continually dealing with rejection after rejection I saw and felt a strength that began to feed the hunger of my heart to live, to want to live.
Something took hold, began to sprout roots and I found myself wanting to defend this family in the face of the naysayers, not in a way as to draw sword to sword. But in some way to try and help keep the attention focused on the strength of community, that is, caring for others more than myself.
This may be a little deeper than what others may go, or even want to go (sometimes myself included). But in this day and age, I think we need to consider more what we can do to promote this strength of life that we all need and will survive on/with, and move away from the mole hills we make into mountains that, sometimes unknowingly, move us away from the strength of life, community, we so desperately need and want.
I hope all who have the strength to live as family will continue to give to those of us who don't. And all the others will see the importance of promoting and encouraging that life that they themselves may very well be content with without judging those of us who are the needy, the offended, the sarcastic, the beligerent, the wounded.
As I work towards recovery from my off, I pray the strength of spirit to all who continue to be the family of Hayabusa dot oRg!! God bless you each and ever one!
I ride to slow for you. 
