Passion vs. Obsession

A funny thing: 

If someone tried selling you a car that boasted an 80% crash fatality rate, a 28 fold increase in the likelihood you'll die per mile traveled, and a four hundred percent lift in the number of deaths per registered vehicle over other cars on the road, would you sue him buy it?

Probably not. It wouldn't be rational. So how on Earth are there more than 7 million of these cars registered in the U.S. right now? How are they even legally sold? Because we aren't talking about cars now, are we- with their fancy "crumple zones", elitist "air bags", and their snotty little "you can't tip me over by pushing with your hand" attitudes.

It begs the question: what kind of return outweighs that kind of risk?

To those of you who've never ridden a motorcycle; it's nigh impossible to explain. And to those who have; forgive me, I know I can't do this justice. But that doesn't stop me from trying:

Picture the most exciting car you've ever driven. Remember your eyes following the body lines, the feeling you got sitting in it, turning it on and beginning to drive. Maybe you were able to hold that excitement for a week, or a month, or even a little longer. But sooner or later the butterflies escape and you realize that you're in a car, probably very similar to every other car you've ever driven. Now I'm not for a moment suggesting that cars can't be appreciated, cherished, or even loved. But like the steady girlfriend, or husband of 20 years, predictability and dependability somehow take precedence over raw carnal desire. The bike on the other hand, never loses its sex appeal. And that makes all the difference in the world. From the novice rider (especially the novice rider) to the weathered veteran, from a trip to the corner store, to the farthest corners of the globe, if you throw a leg over the saddle and your heart isn't fluttering, you're already dead. My condolences.

These butterflies consistently overpower rationality. But, is motorcycling a passion, or an obsession? Passion connotes lust and desire. Check. And Obsession means the domination of thought and feeling. Check. So it's fair to say then, that I'm passionately obsessed with motorcycling.