Attitude

Big word that. Evokes all sorts of associations, usually bad. What is it? Why does it? As per the dictionary:
NOUN:
A position of the body or manner of carrying oneself: stood in a graceful attitude.
A state of mind or a feeling; disposition: had a positive attitude about work.
An arrogant or hostile state of mind or disposition.
The orientation of an aircraft's axes relative to a reference line or plane, such as the horizon.
The orientation of a spacecraft relative to its direction of motion.
A position similar to an arabesque in which a ballet dancer stands on one leg with the other raised either in front or in back and bent at the knee.

OK, so it's about position, and perspective, i think. It's worth noting that even the dictionary has a negative perspective on attitude, arrogant or hostile. But that's neither good not bad attitude, it seems slightly skewed.

Reading "Intrepid commuter" the issue of a biker who crashed came up, and again rider attitude comes up. Every so often, when talking about motorbike riding, the "right" attitude is suggested. What is this?

I have always been perceived as having an attitude problem. My thoughts have been well i have an attitude, no problem. These accusations were always made by people who felt i did not pay them enough respect. Now this fact jumps at me, somehow attitude and respect are related. I did not give respect, hence "bad" attitude. Those things to which i give "good" attitude, are also oddly enough things i respect.

Cold steel
Hard road
The sea
The wind
Lightning

Get my point? Now some people try and get themselves onto that list .... strange. No i won't respect them. They're not worth it.

Now when it comes to good rider / driver attitude, i suspect that respect has a very large part to play. Respect is acknowledging that something is greater than yourself, or, humility. When one climbs into the drivers seat, one needs to know that you are only a small person on a BIG, BAD highway. Failure to do so is deadly. But so many people die every day on the roads, surely this is a factor?

I approach biking and driving the same way, with a truckload of caution. I tell myself very simply, you can get hurt. Assume it, believe it. But then you see some monkey riding past at a crazy speed, wearing NO protective gear, and appearing in total control. He believes he IS in control, and there is the breakdown. He's not.

Acknowledging that you are NOT in control, is a fairly big step. Knowing that you cannot control all the factors involved, be it the road, other drivers, or even mechanics of your vehicle, is a good ATTITUDE to begin with. If you start your vehicle, and blindly accept that:

The mechanics are as perfect as the day it left the factory
The roads are in raceway condition
Every other road user is awake and diligent
Every other road user is going to follow the rules
etc

You will crash. Attitude is about giving yourself the correct perspective. Understanding that you are great enough to maintain your bike, but small enough to have overlooked something. Accepting that you're a really good rider, but small enough to not deal with every single situation you encounter.

Attitude and respect are linked, but very misunderstood. The right attitude inolves having respect, and caution for, things that could hurt you. There are many of those. Reconciling respect for the road, but no respect for other motorists abilities is a bit of a contradiction, a balance that must be kept at all times. It's also flexible, and needs constant adjustment. I guess the bottom line is, understand your place, and on the millions and millions of miles of roadway, it's not a very big place at all.