The Quality Path
I am going to begin where I left off.
If Quality is an experience, or a process, then what does it look like? If we consider that it has to make you a better human being (as well as a better person and a better version of you) then it most certainly would embody hard work; struggle and success; becoming an expert at your occupational, vocational, emotional, intellectual, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills; avoiding materialistic distractions (the Buddhist concept of maya), humility, avoiding ego and value traps, a dislike of specialization in favor of a holistic approach to knowledge and curiosity, balancing cerebral and aesthetic pursuits, and the belief that Quality may look different for each person but the pathway remains the same. There are probably more elements to this path that I am omitting, but you get the point.
In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Pirsig was adamant about two ideas: 1) when you are examining the landscape (this notion of reality) you have to recognize that you are a part of it. Not just present in it, but shaping its nature. That imbues you (me, us, everyone) with a tremendous amount of responsibility. 2) Classical reasoning (think academia, categorical expertise, logic over intuition) has established a virtual stranglehold on Western culture. Because of this, we tend to value data, advanced degrees, credentials, earning power). When we put these two ideas together, we see that every time a person, or a group, or a whole system raises up classical thinking and diminishes emotive/intuitive thinking (arts, music, poetry), part of the Quality pathway is eroded. Pirsig would tell us, and I agree, that to be the best human beings (and by extension the best version of ourselves) we need to experience both types of thinking. And not just experience them, but seek them out, develop both into our lives.
That’s a hard struggle. It’s hard because our society is almost decidedly against it. We begin indoctrinating our teenagers to a life of specialization early. We ask them what they will major in in college while the general education requirements are reduced or given credit through test scores. We weigh a degree from the University of Chicago against a degree from Western Illinois University. Our students compare GPA’s with each other, and class rank, and titles like National Honor Society. When budget cuts in school districts threaten programs, it is usually art and music and emotional support services that are in the crosshairs first. Chorus and band and theater are increasingly seen as electives for the more fortunate who have room in their schedules. Reading for academia is more important than reading for pleasure. Creative writing classes are relegated to one elective for upperclassmen. STEM offerings are receiving the most attention now. Need I go on?
And when the academic system is skewed in this way, it is a powerful institutional force (Pirsig called it the Church of Reason). Parents buy into it for status and college and career readiness. Communities count on it for property values. States count on it for national rankings. Students count on it for scholarships. Countries count on it as part of the global education race and vie for the best and brightest minds. While we excel on one area, the emotional side (Pirsig called it Romantic thinking) becomes an uneven element among us. Some seek it out. Some avoid it. Some engage with it when it is convenient.
For the path to lead us through the Quality elements I mentioned above, we have to embrace all parts of what makes humanity amazing—the intellectual and emotional. If we stray too far to one side or the other, we may find we lose our way. Though some might not perceive any kind of loss (remember, they are perfectly “happy”) the landscape is different. Part of it is left to wither.
