[MD] Intellect Worship

[KAYE PALM-LEIS]

Steve,


> Sometimes I get the impression that the MOQ is about becoming more
> intellectual. Intellect, as the highest static level, is too revered.
> The top position in the static hieracrchy is seen as so important that
> some feel the need to make the intellectual level the "individual
> level" so that individuals can share in the reverence afforded to
> intellect and what makes others think that the MOQ itself will only
> itself be revered if it is put above even the revered intellect.

Mati: For myself, being "intellectual" is a reflective process of the
understanding the world around us.  For the most part intellectual and
philosophizing use the same process of thinking and reflecting.  What
we reflect about tends to range from the meaning of life to all the
details related and interrelated to life.  Our limits of our
understanding and the "individual level" tends to be a fallout of SOM.
This "reverence" for intellect, from my perspective tends to be the
level of intellect using the social level for its own purpose for
better or for worse.  Again from my perspective MOQ is valued when it
delivers us from the limiting bonds of SOM.


> I have news for some of you: Phaedrus is not a hero. Phaedrus is
> Pirsig's embodiment of intellectual values as Rigel is for social
> values, Lila is for biological values, and perhaps the boat is for
> inorganic values. However, none of these characters represent the
> ideal of what we should aspire to be. Instead I think the MOQ is about
> integrating the biological, social, intellectual, and dynamic aspects
> of ourselves rather than being dominated by intellectual patterns.

Mati: I would rewrite this to say, "Instead I think the MOQ is about
integrating a better/clearer understanding of the biological, social,
intellectual, and dynamic aspects of ourselves rather than being
dominated by intellects (SOM) patterns.



> Consider Pirsig's description of Phasedrus in ZAMM:
>
> "Some things can be said about Phædrus as an individual:
Snip....
> Consider also the frequent comments in Lila about how Phaedrus has
> difficulty relating to other people and wishes he were more like
> Dusenberry such as when Phaedrus decided on the rediculaous idea of
> studying Lila like a scientist to see what makes her tick. "She
> probably wouldn't tell him anything.  Just like the Indians and the
> "objective" anthros. Dusenberry should be here.  He could get it out
> of her.  All I'm good for is theory, Phædrus thought."
>
> Phaedrus is not the Zen Master of the story, he is Mr Spock. He is an
> aspect of Pirsig's personality and not, I assume, what Pirsig aspires
> to be. Nor should we. Nor should we be so caught up in the top dog
> status of intellect. This mistake has contributed to making who were
> once the MOQs two top priests into heretics.

Mati: I am not sure that I agree with this perspective.  Pirsig and
Phaedrus relationship is certainly intertwined and only he truly has
the capacity to understand it.  What many of us do understand and to
some degree relate to is reflective process.  And more so there tends
to be a social alienation for those people who seem to be
"Intellectual" and in there own world of deep reflective process.
Lila saw it in Phaedrus, Sutherland's saw it in Pirsig. What Lila and
the Sutherland's and so much of the greater population represent, is a
group that does not tend to swim in the deep waters of deep
reflection, an introversion so to speak.  This is not to say they
don't reflect on life's meaning it is to say they don't swim very
deep.  The issue of social alienation is a relatively simple one to
understand, if you dedicate your thoughts to intellect then you are
not as reflective of the social values around you, and consequently
and developmentally you become less competent in the social values
that dictates the relationships around you.  I experienced that in
high school and had few friends and those I did have were socially
identified as"geeks" or at the lower end of the social order.  In
college professors tended to gravitate to me in class because I seemed
to more advanced in reflecting on what they taught and what it meant,
I swam in their waters :-).  Socially in College I was just as
challenged as in high school and I clearly recognized my social
deficit and decided to try to learn new skills.  Fast forward 20 years
and I am doing a lot better socially and reflected and learned enough
socially to do pretty well, but I also know my limitations. The fact
is Dusenberry had both skills and Pirsig had only intellect skills to
guide him.

As a final thought, before MOQ this reflective process ended with the
Subjective and Objective reality.  Pirsig/Phaedrus in ZMM ends with
situation, and in Lila he delivers us from that problem to an
understanding of the world with MOQ.  Socially the world does not, as
a social pattern, recognize intellect and the intellectuals that deal
with it. It senses intellects patterns as alien and different from its
pattern and tends to reject it. The good news is that our mother loved
us anyway.

Ok one more thought it is interesting that perhaps Pirsig's greatest
social and intellectual skill might have been in writing both ZMM and
Lila. By doing so has been able to allow all of us to better
understand. For that reason we have the wisdon to celebrate.

Mati