ZAMM

Today del.icio.us brought this delicious treat. Interview of Robert Pirsig, author of "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintainance" (ZAMM for short)! Bob's book is perhaps the most articulate & genuine documentation of quest for meaning in life, I have read. I cant claim to have understood it, but it has given me a superb tool to look at life, make sense of it, accept it and rejoice in it. I can hardly paraphrase experience of reading this book. But let me try.

Our actions are guided by either deliberate or subconscious goals. Goals are the ones which lead to a higher 'quality' (perceived value). Quality is simply what we like.

In other words, quality/value/passion can not be defined in terms of anything else. It is the very core of our preferences, and has to be accepted as is. It is too sacred to mold into conformity, or taken for granted. It is our dharma. We have to mold our thoughts around it, instead of fighting it. The book shows in a very hands-on way how to find your calling/dharma & act on it. It is not an easy read, but it drives home the point if you stick with it till finish :-) Having read ZAMM, I now much appreciate the importance of statement "I like to". It suddenly explains people, their vagaries, their brilliance, their passions and triumphs when they pursue those. It does not quite explain where in brain these desires (or 'Junoon' in Ankit's words) emerge from. But it puts a spotlight on primality of these desires in controlling our actions, and the fact that we know absolutely nothing about them, the need to keep away the prejudice while studying them and
skill to know a pure passion when you see one!