Motorbikes

This fall, when gasoline prices were exorbitant, I decided to join the crowd of fuel-savvy travellers and invest in a motorbike. I had never really been that interested in motorbikes before. Rather, I always felt the risks outweighed the benefits. However, after living in Thailand for two years, my views on the whole matter began to change. It seems that almost everyone in Thailand drives a motorbike; it is by far the most convenient way to travel within a city. As a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I always either rode in taxis (in Bangkok) or rode a bike. At first I was an avid proponent of the bicycle as a means of transportation. After all, it is even more economical than a motorbike, and it can help sustain good health due to the requirement of physical output. However, after my first Thai hot season (March-May) I began to seriously consider the benefits of driving a motorbike.

I was still wary of them when I returned, however. It wasn’t until after I went back a few months later did I begin to understand why I felt that way. One beautiful Bangkok morning I got out early to try to find a place that my family and I could do laundry. As I was walking along the road outside our hotel, I noticed a motorcycle taxi waiting to be hired. Up until that point, I had never so much as sat on a motorcycle. However, I decided to give it a spin, and asked the driver to take me to a laundry place. He spat out a few ideas, I hopped on the back, and we drove off. It was an exhilarating experience. As we were driving between random washing machines on the side of the road and dry cleaners, we drove against oncoming traffic on a busy road (at least twice), passed stopped traffic by driving on the sidewalk, swerved between cars at lights, and cut off a few vehicles that were considerably larger than we were. The realization about why motorbikes were considered so dangerous began to dawn on me. Luckily the driver knew what he was doing, and before the day was over he’d probably pull even riskier moves. However, it does not surprise me why motorcycle accidents occur so frequently in Thailand, or anywhere.

After returning from that trip I began to consider the possibility of driving a motorbike myself. I was still rather hesitant, but eventually went for it. I must admit, I am very glad I did. Driving around town has a whole new flare about it. One of the most common things I hear other motorbike drivers mention is their desire to avoid complacency. When one driving a motorcycle or a scooter becomes comfortable on the road, accidents are far more common. As I’ve thought about that fact in conjunction with my experience on a motorbike in Thailand, I’ve begun to realise why that is. The motorcycle taxi driver in Thailand was more than comfortable in his career. He took risks that I would never have taken, and drove in places that weren’t meant for motorized vehicles. Yet because he’s become comfortable, he didn’t have any problem with it. When that happens, accident frequency goes up.

The government has provided a system of roads going nearly anywhere in the country. It has also provided us with a system of laws, not to gravel the populace, but to protect them. Though often times we feel a certain degree of comfort that makes us feel we can take things into our own hands, in essence we are sacrificing our safety and the safety of those around us. Our Father in Heaven likewise has provided a system by which we are able to have safety. The safety we have from Him is spiritual as well as physical, true and real peace being the most common manifestation of that safety. He has also provided us the way by which we are able to know the law. In the gospel of John, chapter 14, verse 6, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of the Father, urges us that He is “the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by [Him].” This well-known verse is simply profound. By Christ and by Christ alone are we able to gain exaltation. Rather than this being an instance of shutting out all those who don’t follow Christ, this is rather an invitation to come unto Him and partake of the blessing He wants all to have. By following and trusting Him, we can gain true happiness.

At the same time, however, this admonition to follow Christ is a warning. By no other way can we have these blessings. This means that we are unable to gain these blessings based on our own philosophies or our own paths. Like the motorcycle taxi driver in Bangkok, one may feel complacent with following Christ and begin to make his own route. He may begin to take risks that he would have previously avoided. In essence, he follows Christ generally, but his heart is not there. And, like many motor-bikers, accidents happen. That is why Christ invited, urged, pleaded with us to become a disciple of Him, to seek to become like Him. He is the way, the truth, and the life. I have felt His power in my life, and I know that it is real. The promise of serenity–of significantly decreased risk factors–through Him is to all, on conditions of simply relying on Him.