Steem4nigeria Accelerator Contest Week 104: Debate: Riding a bicycle or driving a car

Acquiring new skills is never a bad thing in life. There are also small, yet very helpful, skills, as well as large ones that can make or break our lives. Two such things are riding a bicycle and driving a car. The bicycle is what many people begin with when they are children and then they go on to driving a car when they are older. Both skills require movement, balance and control, however, they are not identical. To me, the process of discovering these two things was not the same, and both experiences had a lesson to them.

Yes, I ride a bicycle, I know how to drive a car. I am happy to say that they both have contributed to my development. The biggest confidence-giver I had as a child was the bicycle. It made me feel like I had done something big by myself and not necessarily relying on adults. On the contrary, learning how to drive the car came later in life and it was not just about fun but about being independent and responsible in the real sense.

Riding a bicycle and knowing how to drive a car has produced two different feelings. Bicycle brought me happiness and freedom as a child, and a car brought me maturity and the possibility to move without relying on other people. These two abilities are not exceptional, yet they are some of the life lessons I will always remember.

I could recall the first day when I touched a bicycle. I was a little kid and I would see my friends in the neighbourhood riding up and down the street so enthusiastically. And how they rode with speed and balance on two wheels seemed to me magic. I liked them and I would have liked to be them.

When I had the opportunity to finally go and try it, it was not as easy as it seemed. The initial one resulted in me collapsing nearly at once. I was discouraged and my knees were bruised. However, I did not give up and tried and tried. The life lesson as you fall each time: balance and control. I was assisted by my elder brother as well. His hand was on the back of the bicycle when I attempted to pedal. Initially, I believed that he was hugging me but one day I noticed that he had released me and I was balancing myself without even realizing it. That moment was magical. The sensation of being able to move around freely was one of the happiest childhood memories.

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Later on in life I started learning how to drive a car when I was old enough. It was unlike the bicycle in that one had to be formally trained to drive a car. I enrolled in driving school. My teacher was quite tolerant and strict at the same time. He trained me on the fundamentals: how to turn on the engine, how to use the gear, how to press the clutch, the accelerator, and the brake at the appropriate time. In the beginning, it was all a jumble. On some occasions I would forget to press the clutch and the car would come to a sudden stop. In other instances I rotated the steering wheel too acutely.

This was not easily done, but with practice I got better. The more I practiced the less I felt nervous. The first day when I was able to drive on one of the main roads without the instructor touching the controls I will never forget. That day I was proud and independent. In contrast to the bicycle which brought me happiness as a child, driving a car made me feel like now I was an adult and I was starting to face some responsibilities.

I think that it is not that difficult to ride a bike than to drive a car. I believe this to be so because of a number of reasons.

First, a bicycle is not complicated in design. It has two wheels, pedals and handlebars. You simply balance and then peddle to ride. When you have those two things you can ride freely. A car is not as simple as that though. It also has an engine, gears, brakes, clutches, and lots of controls to learn to operate simultaneously. To learn how to organize all these controls and at the same time observe the rules of the road increases the complexity of driving.

Second, it is less dangerous to ride a bicycle. You can also get minor bruises or scratches when you fall off the bike. These recover very fast and they are in the learning process. However, errors when operating a motor car are extremely risky. Even a little slip can result in an accident that can injure the driver and other individuals. Due to this fact, driving involves more care, discipline and responsibility than riding a bicycle.

Third, in the majority of cases, people learn how to ride a bicycle when they are children. Children tend to be less afraid and are more risk-takers. This makes learning faster. They are able to stand up and fall many times again. However, the process of learning to drive occurs most commonly at adulthood. At this point, the fear of making errors is more intense and it makes the process more stressful and slower. Adults may be overly concerned about accidents or police regulations, and this may make them less confident.

Lastly, bicycles are more convenient to practice. You can ride a bicycle outside your home, in a little street or in a yard. However, with a car, you will usually require good roads, a driving school, or an instructor. This makes learning how to drive more formal and at times more costly.

All these reasons make me believe that it is easier to ride a bicycle than to drive a car.

Riding a bike and driving a motor vehicle are both valuable skills that add value to life in their own way. The bike is typically the introduction, it teaches the children balance, courage and determination. Operating a car is later and comes with lessons of maturity, independence, and responsibility. Personally, I found it easier to ride a bicycle since it was less complicated, not so dangerous, and more fun.

Coming up to a car was more serious, complicated, and demanded more attention.
Finally, the two experiences made me what I am. The bike brought me happiness as a kid and the vehicle brought me a feeling of security as an adult. The two of them are enough to remind me that life is a learning process- which begins with small achievements that lead to greater ones.

I invite @eveetim , @xkool24 and @mikitaly @sahmie and @bossj23 and @benton3 to drop a very constructive comments on this post and also to participate in this contest.