stack/hopr

[From: Cloud 100]

This time I pushed it even harder.

The expressway was clear ahead of me. The vehicle in front of me at least half a kilometer away. The terrain near flat. I knew this was the moment. My car was doing a little above 115kmph. I cleared my mind and depressed the accelerator to max depth.

It’s a city car. Santro Xing. It’s not made for the highways and the high speeds. It’s a simple car made to navigate city traffic efficiently and to make parking a breeze. It’s body is to accommodate people of all weights and heights. And as such it’s not very aerodynamic.

120 – 130 – 135. The needle hovered around 140 for a while and finally crossed it. I kept the accelerator fully pressed; the car won’t go any faster. That was my vehicle’s top speed. Being a city car and a bit old, it began to shake up a bit. The steering wheel was vibrating and it took some strength to keep it under control. I was on the fast lane, leaving vehicle after vehicle behind. I was taken over by sheer exhilaration. Of course, I knew I had entered the danger zone and I was completely focused on the road ahead of me and the car traveling ahead of me. The distance between us was decreasing rapidly. But, I was driven by speed; I did not want to drop below 140. I wanted this drift to last eternity.

The brake lights of the car in front of me glowed up. With a heavy heart I applied the brakes. There’s nothing more painful than watching the needle backtrack the dial of the speedometer.

You push the accelerator. Shift hard and fast. click-1-click-2-click-3-click-4-click-5. You are on the fast lane. Your eyes scan the road far and beyond. The needle blows past 100. The life begins. You mind: absolutely focused. Your breath: slow and steady. Eyes: staring straight cold. Everything clears off your thought process and you know only one thing: speed.

There’s something extraordinary about physical speed. And there’s even something better about your machine zooming past 100. I don’t exactly know what it is, but it feels good. May be it’s raw focus kicking out of instinct to survive, because a minor error would take you very very near to death. Or it’s the adrenaline rushing through your body, preparing your body for high energy action. Or it’s just the man in control of the machine.

I have always felt more alive when I cross 100. It’s stays with you for a while. It’s addictive, it’s seductive and sometimes just plain vindictive. If I have to go by the definition of nirvana(Wikipedia: “the state of being free from suffering, and the cycle of rebirth; as well as mental fetters, mental confusion”), I feel it above 100.

In those moments above 100, I feel out of this world; I’m free from the bondage to reality. All the emotion, happiness or anger; frustration or joy fades away. All the judgment only hovers around the speed. It’s liberating.

Mathematically, with every 10km that I add to my speed above 100 is approximately doubling the probability of a lethal mistake. That doesn’t stop me from adding to the speed. It just makes my focus narrower as the needle pushes more clockwise. The distractions just fall off the mind and it focuses straight ahead. This is my machine and speed assisted yoga.

At such a land speed, I’m always reminded of the following words from “the people that we love”:

speed kills coming down the mountain
speed kills coming down the street
speed kills with presence of mind and
speed kills if you know what I mean

Speed kills. That’s true. So, remember the lines above all the time you’re above 100. Because, when they call a car Porsche 911 widowmaker, they mean it.