It’s Bike Happy Hour eve and we can’t wait to see all your beautiful faces tomorrow (Wednesday, 8/9) from 3-6:00 pm on the Gorges Beer Co patio. The weather should be perfect — and my mom and aunt will be joining us, so that’ll be weird!
In the past few days I’ve come across two things that have reminded me of why this event exists: an essay in The Atlantic by former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and a billboard I saw in southeast Portland.
As you might have seen in the Monday Roundup, Clinton’s piece is titled, “The Weaponization of Loneliness.” In it, she lays out the negative impacts of “social disconnection.” Here’s an excerpt:
“According to the surgeon general, when people are disconnected from friends, family, and communities, their lifetime risk of heart disease, dementia, depression, and stroke skyrockets. Shockingly, prolonged loneliness is as bad, or worse, for our health as being obese or smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Researchers also say that loneliness can generate anger, resentment, and even paranoia. It diminishes civic engagement and social cohesion, and increases political polarization and animosity. Unless we address this crisis, Murthy warned, ‘we will continue to splinter and divide until we can no longer stand as a community or a country.'”
So while you might think Bike Happy Hour is just a great excuse to have fun, it’s also about making our city and its people healthier. Bringing people from diverse backgrounds together has always been my favorite thing about BikePortland. When people meet and talk in a welcoming and fertile environment, magical things happen to their health and happiness.
I’m also a big believer in listening to and actually hearing what other people say — especially people who are different from me. Even if I’m not persuaded to share their beliefs, I eagerly add them to my pool of perspectives. I think that’s why I especially love meeting new people at Happy Hour.
That’s also why my eyes were drawn to something I saw during the Murder, She Rode ride on Saturday. As we biked eastbound on the Hawthorne viaduct I looked up and saw the billboard in the photo above. It said, “The other person might be right. Listening. Pass it on.”
I believe that very strongly. It’s why I welcome people with opposing (often even anti-bicycling) views to comment here and it’s why I like to chat with people who disagree with me or have a different point-of-view. I see a lot of echo chamber preservation going on in Portland, where anything that doesn’t toe the party line is feared and thrown-away, right away. I prefer to welcome the “other person” in and at least hear them out. Sometimes they’re right. Sometimes they’re not. You never know until you listen.
So come to Bike Happy Hour tomorrow! We’ll be there, listening and fighting loneliness.
Bike Happy Hour
– Everyone Welcome, Every Wednesday, All Year Long
– 3:00 – 6:00 pm (or so)
– $2 off all drinks at Gorges Beer Co., Ankeny Tap & Table, Crema Coffee
– All-ages and Family Friendly
– Questions or Concerns: Jonathan Maus, 503-706-8804, @bikeportland on Social Media