Try This Thought Experiment

My favourite cyclist never won the Tour de France, nor for that matter any other cycling competition, at least that I am aware of. He did happen to win a Nobel price by regularly practicing what he called “Thought Experiments”. In his honour, and as you can see he loved cycling, here is a ‘thought experiment’ for you to try. Let’s see what kind of result it will bring.

Take a few deep breaths in your favourite chair or a couch (or even in front of your computer) and imagine yourself a long, long time ago when you were just a little kid, perhaps even a teenager. It may have been just a regular day, though more probably it was your birthday, Xmas day or Chanukah and you were getting a present. The present came in a big box brought to you by your dad, or mom or maybe your grandpa or grandma. By now you were getting really excited and could not wait to see your new present. You knew that this was going to be the best day of your life. Remember?

As you unwrapped the box you could see that it was a bike. Your heart was pumping faster and all you wanted to do is take a hold of the handle bars and start riding. I am sure you have no problem recalling this day, no matter how long ago it was. I am also sure that day brings you a lot of warm feeling and joy. So stay focused.

Now bring to mind images that you may have experienced while travelling in Africa. If you have never been to Africa think of the images that Africa brings to mind. Young women looking prematurely old, carrying huge loads on their back. Little barefooted girls who can’t go to school because the school is way, way too faraway. Poor old farmers who have worked day after day on their little piece of land.  The Lord has been on their side and there have been good rains and good sunshine and they have a had a very good year. But now they have a very tough problem. How are they going to bring the produce to market? To make enough money to pay for sons and daughters to go to school? To buy a goat?

Now think of the day you were a kid, careless and happy. Think for a moment that right now you too can make someone else so happy, as happy as you were on the day you got your bike. You too today can be a ‘Santa Claus’ and he or she will never forget that day, just the way you have not forgotten ‘The Day’. All you need to go is go to the computer and donate to our #200for200 campaign.

You do not have to do anything else, certainly not cycle 200 km like I did (though it was great fun)! Nothing, just make a donation.

And so ends the thought experiment. The result maybe not as be world shattering as Einstein Special Theory of Relativity but, believe it or not, for the one individual who will receive a bike you have donated, it will be more life shattering than the theory of relativity.