On Perceivable Freedom

In my recent video, I tried to capture the freedom of small motorcycles by comparing them to the image of birds soaring through the sky—"Small bikes are our wings."

But do birds really feel free in the sky?

I get the sense that when something is too free, it actually becomes difficult to feel that freedom.

Flying through an empty sky might actually be surprisingly dull.

Unfortunately, I’ve never had the experience of flying freely through the air, but I have driven a motorboat across open water. On the water, there are no traffic lights or signs.

So, if you ask me whether it feels truly exhilarating to drive freely, my answer is... not really. No matter how fast I go, whether I turn right or left, I have absolute freedom. And yet...

It almost feels no different from just sitting still. Does that make sense?

To take an extreme example: imagine floating alone in the vastness of outer space. No matter which direction you turn, accelerate, or decelerate, it’s all meaningless, right? It’s absolute freedom, and yet... it’s not exciting at all! (^o^)

In other words, without something to compare against—some sort of reference point—speed, acceleration (including lateral movement), and deceleration have no real meaning.

So then, in contrast, when do we feel the greatest sense of freedom?

After thinking about it, I realized that freedom is most felt when there are certain constraints or obstacles—when others can’t easily overcome those limits or find it difficult to do so, yet you, somehow, effortlessly surpass those boundaries and move exactly how you want.

For example, on a motorcycle:

On a winding road with tight corners, while others have to slow down and cautiously navigate, you carve through smoothly at an ideal speed.

When faced with a steep, wall-like incline, you can simply jump and clear it effortlessly.

When rough terrain or large rocks block the path, you ride over them with ease.

Thinking about it this way, I originally associated freedom with flying, but perhaps I had it backwards. Maybe it's actually small motorcycles on the ground that give humans the greatest taste of true freedom—more than any other vehicle.

More than boats, more than cars, more than bicycles... more than airplanes! (^o^)

How about this as a definition?

"A motorcycle = the ultimate machine that lets you feel free."

What do you think? (^^;;;;)