[MD] Pirsig/James connection

[skutvik at online.no]

Dave 
(I ignore your un-subscription ;-)

14 Sep. you wrote to Marsha

> Don't apologize. Actually upon a good night's sleep and a little
> reflection I really need to thank you. You were right, there are many
> high quality things that I could and should be doing that I
> interrupted to jump back into this. 

Marsha can be difficult with her strange mixture of emotion and reason 
... aren't you married and know when to quit?   
 
> There was concern early on in Lila Squad that the site would turn into
> a fan club or cult of celebrity. But I bet even RMP couldn't have
> foreseen that books laced with philosophy would developed a cult-like
> following. Or that by railing against the "Church of Reason" while
> pointing to one of the most mystical and esoteric of the Eastern
> religions, Zen, would lead to a whole bunch of people who see the
> "Church of Unreason" as a viable religious alternative.

Weighty words. There were times when I wondered if the MOQ is 
"good". Postulating that everything is value means that nothing is value 
(the fish and ocean metaphor) I agree with you that some see it as a 
Church of Unreason, but making its 4th. level = Reason itself prevents 
any Q-slide back to the social stage. Reason - AKA SOM - must be 
the highest static value level where we normally have our focus. Only if 
needed the DQ/SQ calvary is invoked.       

> This site has always had a pattern of a few "priest or monks" with
> longer experience validating the newcomer's hope that there really was
> something more to RMP's work than a good read. It did that for me, and
> I assume many others. Pirsig pointed to two paths. Philosophy and Zen.
> Neither paths are simple or easy. Both together can be life consuming.
> It's no secret that I chose the philosophy path. A much easier path is
> to take the WORD of Pirsig on faith and proceed on. The Bible, Koran,
> and Pali Canon have all had good runs, why not ZMM?

Even weightier. I DO think the MOQ turns circles around Zen and that 
Pirsig's want/need to be a mystic made him create the QUALITY/MOQ 
monstrosity.   

> PS: Bo, Congratulations on your elevation to Pope of The High Church
> of Bob. Keep the flock rounded up, saying their "Hail Lila's" their
> "Our Bob who art in heaven's...."and observant to the ZMM Canon.
> Bye-Bye.

;-)  .. If I have a mission (no position) it's saving the MOQ from Zen, 
Pirsig's must be the strangest case in the history of philosophy, 
creating a system that he afterwards declares as just an arbitrary way 
of seeing reality and that all ways are equally good because they are 
ways of seeing Reality that now is Quality. This creates a meta-SOM 
above the MOQ.     

Bodvar