Lost In Its Own Fragmentation Modern Culture Has Become Spiritually Confused

Ottawa Pub
Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance Discussion


"All that philosophy stuff was the Zen book's sub plot," Jim
responded. "All through the book the narrator was trying to figure out
what drove Phaedrus. He remembered that Phaedrus was into Classic
Greek literature, particularly Plato's dialogues, but he didn't
remember why. Plato's dialogues--dialectical question and answer
retorts--dealt with subjects like `character,' `excellence,' and
`virtue.' The narrator continually tried to figure out why Phaedrus
was so obsessed with issues that related to quality. The narrator also
harbored some of that obsession. He was very nit-picky about his
motorcycle upkeep and repair. Actually, that obsession was a pretty
good trade off. Bike upkeep may be demanding, but it won't drive you
insane."

"Don't forget about "goodness," "love," and "beauty," Riley said from
across the table. "Phaedrus, like Plato and Socrates before him, was trying to get
a handle on the real meaning of those terms. He was, after all,
looking for some kind of formula for improving people and society."

"Yeah, that's the way I read it, too." I said, "I thought all that
talk about quality was an attempt to understand how reason was related
to mysticism, and how objective truth was related to feelings and values."

"Aw, come on guys," replied Jim, "Are you saying that the book was
more about idle speculation and less about paying attention to detail?
What, you've never owned a motorcycle before? Say it ain't so!"

"Jim's right," said Riley, "motorcycle maintenance was the narrator's
main concern, but so too was the deplorable state of values. Lost in
its own fragmentation, modern culture has become spiritually confused."