Three economic and personal insights about bicycles

Two weeks ago, I participated in a cycling event organized by the Petah Tikva municipality. During the 30 kilometers of riding, I thought of some insights that I think you'll find interesting to hear. Below in the video.

There is great magic even in the obvious, and it would be a shame to miss it.

As an adult, it took me much longer to get to the Tel Aviv Museum or the Israel Museum in Jerusalem than it took me to get to the British Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris. I've noticed that things that are close to us, easy to access, we often think of in terms of "we have all the time in the world to do it, so why now?" (Perhaps some more Netflix instead). So yes, a short ride from my home, there's an impressive view of a stream, rich natural vegetation, animals, and open green space.

I suspect the picture in the header of this article is exactly what you would imagine if I told you "Petah Tikva" but it's really here. Nevertheless, because this stream is sort of "too easy" we don't visit it often, and that's a shame. You don't always need to look for the exceptionally special. In the end, what's important in my opinion, to a large extent, is the family togetherness itself.

Please note the distinction between the essential and the secondary.

There were about 2,000 riders of all ages, sectors, and genders participating in the ride. Towards the end, I saw a father and his son, who looked about 10 years old. The father had a sports watch that showed the exact distance, heart rate, etc. He said to his son, 'We only have eight kilometers left. If we finish this in under two hours, you're a champion.".

My heart sank as I heard that. I have no doubt the father said it with good intentions. I have no doubt he wants to be with his son as much as possible, but this sentence pricked my heart twice:

1. Obviously, if the child manages to ride 30 kilometers, they are a champion, regardless of whether it takes them two hours or two and a half. But if it takes them two hours and ten minutes, what message will they take away from this ride? Will this message increase their desire to go on another ride with their father, or not?
2. Suppose the father and son arrive at a beautiful place on the way. Will they stop to look at the view? Will the son dare to ask, for example, to dip his feet in the stream? Will the son take advantage of being alone with his father to, for instance, bring up a topic that's bothering him at school?

In reality, our tendency to take a stopwatch for results (in this case, in the form of a sports watch) to every activity is something that can come at a heavy price. It might be good to push forward to a certain extent, but does taking a stopwatch to such an activity and then defining success or failure of the activity according to some set time of 120 minutes as champion and 130 minutes as runner-up develop anything?

My message here is simple – focus on the main thing and the secondary thing. The main thing is a son who gets up at five in the morning to go cycling with his father, and they both enjoy it and will likely want to do it again. The main thing is that they can talk to each other and enjoy the simple things in life. The secondary thing is how long it takes them to complete the route.

All of this is also true for how we often judge our personal endeavors. Such an external results-clock is often meaningless, except for the meaning we've imbued it with, and because of it, we determine success/failure for our actions without truly thoughtfully considering the question of whether we succeeded or what the ultimate goal of the activity we undertook even was.

Leave the wasteland desolate

Regarding apartment prices, there's constant talk about releasing land and development. I think wild areas should also be preserved. There's a very big difference between a "developed" Yarkon River, like Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv, versus the wild Yarkon near Petah Tikva.

We definitely need to build a lot more apartments. Building apartments is key The only that can cause for the fall in housing prices. However, it is much wiser to densify existing cities by demolishing old houses and building taller ones.

People who live in rundown row house neighborhoods generally also feel worse, take less care of their living environment, and according to various studies, this will affect their mood and likely, in a sort of chicken-and-egg situation, also their performance in various areas. Following questions I've already heard in the past about urban renewal, infrastructure, etc., I assume that in the future I will dedicate a broader article to this.

My new playlist on YouTube channel – Economy in a Minute – every video under a minute with one economic headline and my interpretation of that headline. Come on in! Click here

Join the "Growing Together Economically" community – https://bit.ly/3a0E4P4​ And you can influence future content, see things before everyone else, and be part of a progressive economic discourse.

Free chapters from the book Efficient Mortgage – http://bit.ly/2MnhWEC​