Jedidiah Jenkins quit his job and decided to bike from Oregon to the southern tip of South America. His best friend, filmmaker Kenny Laubbacher, came along for the ride. This short film follows Jenkins as he shares what he’s learned from his journey so far. “When you’re a kid, everything is astonishing. Everything is new, and so your brain is awake and turned on … Once your brain establishes a routine, it stops … the alertness goes away,” he says. By choosing adventure Jenkins is able to reactivate his brain and turn his “hundred years on this planet into a thousand.
Read more about Jedidiah Jenkins’ adventure: http://magazine.good.is/articles/why-biking-7-000-miles-to-patagonia-is-essential-for-creative-living
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Life Lessons From a 7-Thousand-Mile Bike Ride | Short Film Showcase
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[Music] I’ve met a lot of older people grandparents teachers who give me the spiel of my life went by so fast just yesterday I was 19 or 25 and and now I don’t know where all that time went I just blinked and I was 80 and I think about that and I’m like what a what a strange way to be alive back in California I had this fear of building this routine in my 30s and suddenly the decade is gone and so I promised myself I would do something radically different and I’m gonna do something that scares the crap out of me and see if that changes my brain chemistry [Music] I’ve been living on my bicycle for a year now bikes from Oregon down America down Mexico Central America and into South America and people ask me why do you live on a bike why did you quit your job why are you doing this my answer is this the routine is the enemy it makes it fly by when you’re a kid everything is astonishing everything is new and so your brain is awake and turned on so every passing second your brain is learning something new learning how the world works and so the muscle of your brain is activated and as you get older and your brain has figured out the patterns of the way the world works this is how you make money this is how you graduate school this is how you get a mortgage this is how you have kids I’ve got that on lockdown I know my car and I’m gonna go to work every day and I’m gonna check out all these things and once your brain establishes a routine it stops the alertness goes away the fascination with the way the world works I think that’s what travel in general does it wakes up your brain I’ll go into a new country the Panama to Colombia these countries I’m like scared because and I’ll find it beautiful and shocking every Hill I cross over is insanely awesome my brain is fascinated I didn’t know my brain can be so turning I want to be aware of every day I’m alive and I want to make it to 85 and be exhausted because I have been alive and awake every single day and that I think that’s the duty of being an adult is when you’re a kid everything’s new so you don’t have to work for it you’re just astonishment once you’re an adult that’s a choice you choose adventure for your own but it’s not about the bike it’s about getting out of your routine to look like anything [Music] that’s what I’m doing here that’s why I’m doing this bike because I don’t want my days to control me I don’t I don’t want my life the calendar to be my boss I want to control my day I want to choose the adventures that I go on and I want to choose of a mind and a soul that’s wide awake because in a sense it turns your hundred years on this planet into a thousand and so I mean that’s why I’m doing this bike trip you
40 Comments
This doesn't explain anything about the ride.
What a pretentious video. If everyone did this, there would be no bicycles, no cameras to film on, etc. Beyond that, he feels so "enlightened" to travel to places where the populace could never dream of doing the same. Entitled and smug, pretentious and shameful.
If you learn "life lessons" from bicycling, I believe you're from Portland. 👇
Rich people decision. Makes sense but not possible for most of the population
Can anyone tell me the objective of this video??🙂
This video is underrated. I quote this video all the time and keep the thought of breaking routine in the front of my mind all the time. Challenge yourself always. Experience new things. Don't watch your life go by. Soak up every moment with loved ones. Don't just look, take time to remember.
Wonderful.
"routine is enemy of the time!" awesome!
the bike calms slows down the pace of life
kamran on bike 56 thousands plus on bike
who else is watching this in 2023?
Its all about breaking the routine and discovering the unknown and I love that!
Congrats
Awesome philosophy. I am committed in may of the ways you say but I try to do small different things within that as often as possible. Travel is one way to keep the brain (and the spirit) alive but there are others too of course. Thank you for sharing some great perspectives.
Good for you
I begin my first Bikepacking tour on November 12 from Kerala to Gujarat. So excited that I decided 🌿
How do you survive without income?
I just have to say people think differently and some people enjoy a routine, they should try new things occasionally which you can still do within a routine. And some people like you hate routine and it's healthy for them to avoid being in one but may find they need a basic one like a good sleep schedule and eating habits. Obviously I wouldn't recommend everyone make that a lifestyle, but everyone should try traveling and try new things.
I watch this video about once ever 6 months
Dog, the photo no hands w the camera like that is asking to fall on it xD
Just got back from a 10,000 km ride myself
Anybody form the Netherlands?
That is a very important message. Totally agree. I've been on a few mutliple day bicycle tours and still remember every single day. Some landscapes were photographed by my brain and are still with me. Why? Because I was very awake, excited and thrilled. We need to avoid routine and do something adventurous from time to time. This summer I'm doing a 16-day tour in Norway cycling the fjords. Wish me good weather! Best wishes!
And he’s one of Adele’s best friends 🥺🫶🏻
I love the way he thinks there's any routine left in your life when you have kids, or that travel is the only way to re-adjust your outlook. I do love that aspect of travel, and yes routine does kill your brain, but that's something you have to watch for no matter what you do. Watching my daughter as a baby marvelling at the laminar flow of water being poured out of a jug, and how much joy she got out of such a simple experience, that times 10k is a life with children. It's not for everyone, but we derive meaning in our lives not by pleasuring ourselves but by devotion to a purpose.
***** hippies. Cringe video.
I want to make a lot of money to know it is not worth it
Revisiting this gem video after many years ❤
This is absolutely beautiful and peaceful. Being 21, I have no plans for what I want to do after college except bike across the U.S. with my dad. This is inspiring!
Each to their own. Hard to have a family with no routine, though having a family is not for everyone. Hard to develop proficiency in anything without a routine, though again, perhaps that is not for everyone either. For me, with a level of routine in life, I have a family, a house etc., and have seen a lot of the world and sometimes feel like life has gone in a blink, other times not so. I guess it's more of an individual thing and probably very much dependent on your mindset. I will say, that other than a bit of YT, I do not waste hours on electronic devices – the main thief of time, much preferring to be physically doing something, usually on a trail somewhere! Cheers from Sydney – Dave
2024 Who is watching this year?
how do people afford to eat. i know you can fish and stuff but how are these people taking the time to bike everywhere? its gotta be expensive.
Watched this video when I was 19 years old and here I’m watching again at 27.
Life is just passing by
This video inspires me ❤
Wow. It must be nice to be able to afford an experience like this.
Easy to say. Hard to do.,Don’t forget to mention the cost. All of don’t have money for that.
"The routine is the enemy of time."
Am seeing this # 13/05/2025 .
Am at my reading room, pondicherry, india.
Hope i will comeback again 😅😅.
Routine is enemy..
I dont want be controlled by anything.
I wanna do adventure…
while i agree 100%, how do you finance such a trip…?
I can never have this kind of freedom
2025…where and what has changed in your life since..??