Hi John B:
Here's something which may help in your thinking about pursuing
quality along an educational path. In Chap. 15 of LILA, Pirsig talks
about Lila's reaction to possible sexual mates saying, "If he excites her
sense of quality . . ."
After reading that line I began to think about what we humans have a
"sense of" to one degree or another (depending on the individual) and
compiled the following list:
Bodily (biological) senses: being alive, balance, control, sex, self,
weight, fear, well being, etc. Social senses: being good, achievement,
duty, honesty, justice, fair play, loyalty, responsibility, compassion,
unity, etc. Intellectual senses: fitness, harmony, humor, old, new,
dynamic, static, perfection, purpose, significance, something missing,
truth, gratitude, inevitability, etc. Intuitive senses: awe, beauty,
betterness, expectation, present moment, readiness, the divine, reality,
rightness, satisfaction, separateness, mystery, etc.
The list can be added to almost endlessly as well as arguments about
my categorizations. But I sense (pun intended) that if educating to a
sense of quality is possible it will follow lines of least resistence by
building on senses that are inherent in most of us, that is, those in the
bodily and intuitive categories as opposed to the social and intellectual
senses which are mostly learned. You may have already considered
this. In any case, I thought I would mention it for whatever it may be
worth.
Regards,
Platt
> Reading your last post, Platt, I couldn't resist copying the last paragraph
> I had written in an extended essay that I have been working on for some
> time. It is as follows.
>
> "Is the lure of quality purely circumstantial, dependant upon the
> happenstance of each person's life, or does "intelligent innovation" also
> play a part? Can quality be sought out, or is it merely encountered? And if,
> as I argue, the beautiful, the good, the true and the meaningful are
> discovered through an educational process, rather than instinctively arrived
> at, to what extent can I actively pursue quality through intelligent choice
> of an educational path?"
>
> That is the quest I am currently involved in.
>
> Regards,
>
> John B
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