ROGER WELCOMES GRANT AND JEFF
AND OTHER INCOMING MEMBERS
Welcome!
Jeff asks:
<<<<
can you initiate me
a bit and tell me some of the unspoken "rubrics" of the discussion? On what
levels of understanding/applying Pirsig's notes are the members generally?
Is a sense of humor allowed or is it seen as an intellectual vice, or
somewhere in between?
>>>>
Well ,Horse gave you the official answer, but let me (Roger) add some
personal observations......
1) If at all possible, take an hour or two some time to scroll the archives
listed in the forum. Get to know some of the threads, the personalities, the
tempo and the acronyms. It will seem overwhelming at first, but to put it in
perspective, many of the individual posts took longer than a couple of hours
to write. By scrolling, you will also get a feel for the depth of knowledge
on the topics, though you may not find any "rubrics".
2) Don't take things too seriously. Life is fun and so is the MOQ Discuss.
The sister forum -- "the LS" -- is in my opinion a bit stuffier and more
rigid. There are definitely more rules over there. In general, the folks in
both forums are pretty affectionate and courteous, but there are a couple of
folks with mean streaks when provoked or during full moons and such that you
may (or may not) want to watch out for (again, they usually will only flame
in this unmoderated forum).
3) Be dynamic and free. Some members wake up each morning determined to
break beyond the patterns that they were yesterday. To a great extent, we
are our ideas, and the whole point of the MOQ is to break beyond these
patterns, therefore creating a new self.
4) Develop your own style and help the Squad to grow. There are several
different common styles. There are free-flowing stream of consciousness
writers and there are deliberate writers that choose every word with quality.
Alternatively, there are mystics and there are rationals. There are serious
writers and there are comics. And then there are the less patterned types
that alternate between (beyond?) all these styles.
Now, to address Grant's maiden post:
Grant wrote:
<<<<
Yes, I am attempting to disrupt the intellectualism which is all to
evident in this forum. To disrupt all of *OUR* 8-trak tape-loop thinking.
The
secret is to think in different terms, or better yet, follow Yoda's advice
and
"don't think, DO!". We all have to learn how to silence the "internal
dialogue". It works against us. And yes, I confess, I spoke French. :-)
That is what Persig attempted to do by engaging in the motorcycle trip,
driven by instinct [THE FORCE], that silent knowing. Get out there in the
real world (such as it is, I know, it's a bitch) and feel the wind, soak up
the
sunshine, try to form a connection with your kids, and discover your true
self.
>>>>
Great advice Grant. Though I would urge you to refrain from writing or
reading over the internet while riding a motorcycle. This is WAY TO DYNAMIC .
Seriously though, your post makes me think about applying DQ to all aspects
of our lives. It is relatively easy to experience life while driving a
motorcycle with the wind in the air, or while sky diving. I offer that this
is part of those activities' appeal. But getting in the flow while typing
over the internet, or while commuting to work in rush hour traffic, or while
involved in the debates of a corporate product design meeting is something
different all together.
This part of our lives.... the part where we take time to contemplate and
intellectualize....is a small part of the experience that we call our
"selves". But some of us find that it is an essential ingredient. You are
certainly right that the intellectualism is not the point or the goal.....
the goal is to progress beyond all patterns to pure experience. And done
right, it is no struggle at all.
Or so they say,
Rog
PS -- What are rubrics, and how come I haven't been given any? :-)
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