19 March 2014

a perspective on passion

remember when i saw that guy riding his horse down the street outside my house? here... the post is... it's RIGHT HERE.

remember that? yeah well, after i saw that guy and googled and found out what was up with him, i signed up to get emails from the long riders guild. just this week, i received an email from the long riders guild. let's see what they have to say.

"Dear Long Riders, Explorers, Scholars and Friends of the Guild,"

the only category that i come close to is "friend of the guild" but the sad truth is i'm more of a stalker than a true friend. in fact, sometimes i'm less than a stalker... i do trash most of the emails without reading them. #friendoftheguilt

"After thirteen years of constant service, the Long Riders’ Guild website has been..."

oh, great. the first time i read an email in like three years, and they've gone out of business, closed down the website, project over. all those folks out there riding all those horses will just have to go home now. terrific.

"...described as one of the pioneers of the equestrian internet age."

oh.

(who knew there was an equestrian internet age - amirite??)

"Housed and protected within this humble-looking site is the world’s largest source of equestrian travel wisdom, where thousands of pages document the history of mankind’s mounted travels."

i smell a book deal!

"Months of work have resulted in the website having undergone intensive internal improvement. Out of date material has been retired. Vital new sections have been created to further explain the principles and practices of the world’s equestrian explorers."

oh.

"Because it is visited by readers from all parts of the world, many of whom do not use English as their primary language, the format remains easy to navigate and quick to use."

interesting how they've equated speaking english with being able to navigate complex websites.

(okay, shut up. i know they're talking about language-independent navigation. settle down.)

"Meanwhile, there has been a corresponding explosion of equestrian travel news from all parts of the globe. Nearly 50 new Members have joined the Guild from various countries."

'nearly' 50. bahaha! an EXPLOSION of NEARLY 50! woo! that's just funny. i mean, good on 'em for recruiting and whatnot, but c'mon. it's funny.

"The Long Riders’ Guild has mentored or assisted more than 150 Equestrian Expeditions. Exciting new expeditions are about to set off, including the first ride across the length of Japan by the veteran New Zealand Long Rider Ian Robinson. Plus, many remarkable journeys have recently been completed, including German Long Rider Gunter Wamser who completed his epic 20,000 mile ride from Patagonia to Alaska."

wait. what? 20,000 miles? that's, like, YEARS of riding. that is seriously impressive.

"During the twenty years since the Guild was formulated Long Riders have successfully journeyed across every continent except Antarctica. A new feature on the website explains which equestrian explorers have been entrusted to Carry the Long Rider’s Flag."

well, now i am wanting to be entrusted. i only have one smallish hurdle: i am terrified of horses and could in no circumstance be alone with one for even a few minutes. they'll probably overlook that, though, don't you think?

"As always, this vital information is provided as a free public service."

okay, imma just say if you consider (nearly) 50 members to be an explosion, maybe you can't be hiding your services behind a paywall and whatnot.

at this point, the note starts to take on what i imagine would be characteristics of a long ride. namely: tedium. let's pick out some high points.

THE LONG RIDERS HAVE BROAD INTERESTES: "activities of the Long Riders’ Guild, including exploration, ethics, spirituality, historical research, literature and social justice."

LOOK - THERE IS A BOOK DEAL: "never-before-seen extracts from the forthcoming Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration."

MAYBE LEAD WITH THIS IF YOU'RE CALLING (NEARLY) 50 AN EXPLOSION: "The Guild began with five Members from three countries."

THIS USE OF 'MOST' MEANS 'ALL' HAVE NOT: "Most of the Missing in Action Long Riders have been found."

MORE BOOKS: "Two new editions of Tschiffely's Ride have been authorized and published in the United States and Great Britain."

AND NO-DOUBT-THRILLING 'POPULAR' MUSICAL NUMBERS: "After being inspired by Historical Long Rider Aimé Tschiffely, renowned Canadian artist Corb Lund has written and released a popular song entitled The Only Long Rider I Know."



.....yes, i am poking fun, but in the end, i find it strange and fascinating that these people have a whole society with history, celebrities, books, music, a website and newsletter, and so on and so forth. they care about what they are doing - or, more than that. they're PASSIONATE about it. they are passionate about the structure, activities, morals, and history of what has got to be a very small group who are demonstrably participating in a highly marginalized activity. you don't get passion like that every day, and i'd venture to say the guild would not be as passion-infused without the work of the two people who send the newsletter: Basha and CuChullaine O'Reilly.


it's weird to me how this whole long-riding world is going on like a parallel universe to the world i live in. i mean, it's heartwarming to know that people are out there doing something they are passionate about, but at the same time, it's suffocating to think how many people there are in the world, passionately doing things that only a they are aware of.

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