#Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance full#
Those who live a life of quality strive for arête in all they do and realize their full potential in the process. Sportspeople sometimes refer to the experience of engaged effortless perfection as ‘flow’ or ‘being in the zone.’ For others creating art or music, experiencing the improved well-being of others through service or climbing a new technical route on a mountain might be the stimulus.
Examples might include solving a mathematical problem, overcoming technical or business challenges, making a team work well together or diagnosing and treating illness. Individuals can most easily find quality in areas of their passions and talents. Roughly translated, arête is the act of living up to one’s full potential through engagement, virtue, and wisdom. Pirsig uses the term ‘quality’ to describe an experience that he likens to the original meaning of the ancient Greek concept of arête. The feeling of being a subject separate from an object disappears when we are profoundly absorbed in what we are doing. What lessons does this hold for schools?Īccording to Pirsig being engaged is a necessary condition for excellence. One of the Cambridge learner attributes is ‘engaged.’ Robert Pirsig’s book ‘Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintenance’ has a lot to say about high quality engagement, indeed the main idea he presents is that this is the secret to a fulfilled life.
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