[MD] Rhetoric

[Dan Glover]

Dolphin, all,

On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 5:03 PM, ngriffis <ngriffis at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> It is ironic that this chat room is based on the philosophy of quality, as
> defined by Persig.

Ironic in what way?

>
>         Please, take a step away and let us talk about how someone, who
> believes in MOQ, applies these same principles to their lives. I once asked
> this board how they used the principals in their daily challenge to live
> their life qualitatively. You guys were off and running onto something else,
> but now I think it a good time to ask the question again. How do the
> participants of this board use what they learned from Persig to make their
> lives better?

I try not to suck at what I'm doing. Now I realize that's setting the
bar rather low but then again the older I get the more difficulty I
have jumping. So there's that. Too, trying not to suck tends to keep
my focus in the moment which I think you'll agree is important.

>
>         I have my faults. Everyone does. We are humans, but Persig pointed
> out a guide to a better way. I think that is why all of us are here talking
> about Zen and Art of MM, and Lila. He brought the idea of Quality to our
> attention. But, Quality and Persig's message is useless if we do not utilize
> the principles introduced.
>
>         Here is another question for the circle. Where in ZMM does it speak
> to how to apply and seek Quality in one's life? What does it say about
> solving some of the basic and perennial human problems that we get caught in
> over and over again?

I was just reading over some sections of ZMM last night during the
course of doing a bit of research to further a project I'm currently
involved with. I got sidetracked and wound up reading quite a bit more
than I intended but that always happens. Anyhow, I tend to look to
Lila as more of a template for not so much solving problems but better
elucidating them, shedding a bit of light onto the more onerous
chapters of life which might otherwise continue lurking in
sub-basements and creepy crawlspaces.

Part of that has to do with death. Not mine so much since I figure
once I'm off to the boneyard I'll have no more worries at least not in
this life. No. I mean more like the death of loved ones. We the living
have to mutter on pretty much like the alcoholics do taking things one
day at a time listening to the lunatics saying how they the departed
are in a better place and how we the grieved just need to get over it,
stiff upper lip and all that. Talk about it, they say. But you know
what? I don't want to talk about it. I'm thinking social anxiety
drives people to comfort others even though unless they too've been
through it there's no possible way they can even begin to comprehend
what it means to lose someone so close to you that... well...

"How does it end?"

"In failure—death of the child. The ghost wins."

Now so far as basic and perennial human problems, I'm sort of guessing
that one ranks right up there near the top but there's nobody teaching
any classes on surviving that sort of blow. And if they are they're
all full of bullshit. Do this. Don't do that. Funny. Someone asked me
the other day how long it's been and I answered wrong. It isn't as if
I don't think about it every single day but sometimes lately I notice
a minute or two might go by and so yeah I'm guessing maybe that's when
I made the error. During one of those momentary lapses. Right away I
realized my mistake but then I thought well maybe it's best to just
leave things lay like they are. What possible difference does it make?

Take care,

Dan

http://www.danglover.com