[MD] MOQ and the Future: An Inquiry into Usefulness

[Andre Broersen]

Mark:
Gee Andre, I can't tell if you believe that the method of MOQ has a future
in creating human harmony or not.  Your post seems to have been side tracked
by the psycho-emotional.  Glad you got that out, though.  I guess we do
still have a long way to go.

Andre,
Yea Mark, Platt has a way of getting those patterns stirred up in me.
Truthfully, I am not too proud though letting myself go like that but this
is supposedly a philosophical discussion forum and not a political one.
Platt knows this but keeps on trumpetting the old conservative crap
sometimes. Not even Pirsig is impressed.

Anyway Mark, back on track again. I am sure the MoQ has a future in creating
human harmony and improving the world. Didn't Pirsig himself say that this
should be a role/function of a metaphysics? (in Lila if I remember
correctly).
I believe the MoQ does set a way to improve relations and bring peoples
closer towards a shared understanding. In this way Pirsig's work may be seen
as a way of building on Northrop's suggestions made in his 'The Meeting of
East and West'.
This at the macro-level.

I also firmly believe in the head,heart and hands approach as espoused
in (ZMM). The concepts of little self and big Self. Finding and following
your dharma.

Gav has made suggestions regarding education, Anthony has made suggestions
(and cited examples) regarding participatory practices at the economic/work
level. These would also give more substance to the notion of democracy
which, for many people is probably only felt and exercised once every four
years. It gives it a chance to drag this intellectual PoV out of the
political arena and apply it to the broader situations within which people
are linked.

The thing is to keep plugging away though...talking to
family/friends/colleagues and slowly but surely expanding your field of
influence.

I think it was Krishnamurti who said that the reason why there is conflict
and violence in the world is because there is conflict and violence in our
hearts. I think he is right about this.
The MoQ has given us a coherent set of morals with which to experience and
appraise situations. This is some achievement already. It's up to us to
re-evaluate our own values (which have been based on and determined by, to a
large extent, SOM assumptions).

This requires a big reorientation on an organic, social and intellectual
level. Therefore, as you say, there is still a long way to go.

For what it is worth.
Andre