[MD] extricating MOQ from SOM

[Jaclyn Engele]

Dear MOQers,
I wanted to say that I have had an enjoyable first week with you all. I
have been a great admirer of Mr. Pirsigs work for quite some time.
Reading ZMM mostly by a fluke 15 years ago changed my life, I had been
coming at quality from the mystic side before that, trying to Connect it
with mathematics,Thought I was onto something unique, Bob had already
been through it from the other side, it was like trying to draw a map of
your county then Someone slaps down an ADC road atlas in front of
you..it excited the hell outta me..I have worked on engines with my dad
as a boy And knew "gumption traps" first hand, I also own a motorcycle
and related to Pirsigs paralell story line, I have also lost As Pirsig
did when he lost Chris...I have read Lila but, ZMM will allways hold a
special place with me. I am married And have two daughters, I'm a former
freelance illustrator currently making a living in civil engineering. I
have read David Hume, Descarte and most religious literary works. I am
in the process of reading Joseph Campbell's "symbols and Myth".
Before finding the MOQ, electro shock therapy was beginning to sound
pretty good.
Turn ons: long walks on the beach
Turn offs: people who frown.

Skoal, thanks for being here
-Ron

I'm interested to know what you think of Joseph Campbell.  I've admired his work after seeing him on PBS with Bill Moyers a few years ago.  I have his book, 'Myths to Live By' right here on my desk but I haven't found the time to read it yet.  I've kind of put his work on a pedestal similar to that done by Pirsig, just that Joseph tackled the mystical side of things.  

He gave me the idea (whether he intended or not) that religion is a human attempt at understanding.  I add that science is just a different way of understanding.  I think of the two as connected.  I believe the conflict between the two can be resolved if one regards religion as myth(in addition to all the political and historical stuff mixed in), and the message of mythology is in the form of a metaphor.  The objective theist(seems like an oxymoron) would scoff at this because to call 'god' a metaphor is to remove any value from that entity.  Through the MoQ we can realize that beautiful metaphors certainly do have value and perhaps more relevance today than ever.

Jim Engele