Hi Sara and all Pirsigeans.<br>Holland seems to
be Pirsig's most fertile ground beside Scandinavia,
wonder why. It looks like a pioneer country in many
respects - the last being the euthanasia approval which I
think is a wise step, but one that our bigoted pundits
condemn out of hand: it will lead to mass murder, it
sounds. Sensitive stuff though. <br><br>Re. your
omplaints about judging things properly I don't know if the
MOQ can provide a patent tool for particular
problems, many become disappointed by such a statement, the
Quality idea sounds like such a measuring rod - but IMO:
The thing that counts is to find the MEANING to what
happens. I mean, one may suffer all kinds of
disappointments, but they are tragedies only to the point they are
regarded pointless, once one sees a meaning, everything
can be endured - even gladly. <br><br>It may sound as
if I(want to make it sound)was such a profound
thinker when young, but in a general way I was haunted by
the absurdity of what RMP calls the subject/object
metaphysics (at that time I knew of no SOM of course, but
thought it was the way reality had been created). I can't
elaborate here, but the "mind/matter"-dualism robs ALL
existence of meaning. Then I had this my quality-like
insight that at first seemed like a revelation, but
slowly scared me when meeting blank stares (I don't
blame anyone) and for years I went around with the
dread of being insane. That's why the meeting with
Pirsig was such an enormous relief; finally one other
person with ideas like my own only much clearly
expressed. In another form admittedly, but
recognizable.<br><br>And finally here is the point of my "meaning"
agument. To me ZMM - and later the fullfledged MOQ of LILA
- changed absurdity into meaning. How/why? That's
the difficult part to convey, but I will go on trying
<br><br>It's easy to sound like a guru in writing, many are
disappointed upon meeting this shy and awkward person in
real-time settings, but one of the reliefs of the MOQ is
that the intellectual (writing) me is every bit as
real as the biological and social me. Your
depreciatory description of yourself may be just the opposite;
you are possibly regarded the most outgoing and
sociable person around. Anyway the activities you tell
about sound positive and constructive
(meaningful)enough for me, particularly the restoration of the
wooden schooner and sailing with it.<br>You will be all
right Sara ...You can sort of tell these things. <br>Bo