Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
I'd tried to read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (Zen) by Robert Persig in the past, but I don't think I was ready for the amount of philosophy over actual motorcycle maintenance :) I've embraced some mindfulness and meditation practices recently, and dipped my toes into Stoicism. And I have been thinking a lot recently about the interaction between craft and fulfillment. So I figured the time was right to give Zen another shot.
I also hope by writing my thoughts here, that I will both create motivation to continue reading and posting here.
I've only just started, so not a lot of thoughts of my own, but a few snippets that have stood out so far:
"It was a puzzling thing. The truth knocks on the door and you say, “Go away, I’m looking for the truth,” and so it goes away. Puzzling."
The thing we are seeking most may be right under our nose, stop looking so hard!
On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is over- whelming. That concrete whizzing by five inches below your foot is the real thing, the same stuff you walk on, it’s right there, so blurred you can’t focus on it, yet you can put your foot down and touch it anytime, and the whole thing, the whole experience, is never removed from immediate consciousness.
Treat life more like operating a motorcycle, as opposed to riding in a car. How often are we plodding through life, just watching the scenery go by, but anticipating the destination. Life is happening now. Be immediately conscious of all that is happening around you. Feel the ground below your feet.