Question

I was looking at Jordan Peterson's list of recommended books.

I noticed one that had a profound effect on me when I was maybe 17 or 18.

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"

Is there anyone else that has read it?

I stopped reading fiction maybe 15 years ago as there are just so many things I want to know and so little time. I appreciate Jordan's list but find it shockingly lacking in scientific works. You would think that it would at least include "On The Origin Of Species". For people like me that may be more inclined to be literal "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" helps to understand people who live more in the narrative world.

At the time I read it I had taken LSD on several occasions but found it an almost boring experience in which all that was happening was that my sensory experience had been scrambled forcing my mind to invent an alternative reality. I remember seeing cockroaches eating my legs but I never lost fact of the knowledge that it was just a hallucination. The spiritual or equivalent experience that people speak of having from drugs remains a mystery to me. My ordinary day to day fantasies and day dreams are more thrilling than anything I experienced from drugs. This book opened up for me a weak understanding of what other people experienced from drugs.

This story is relevant to the culture wars because I'm convinced that people are more biologically different than many appreciate. There is a bit of biological determinism in politics that has been explored in recent years but is under appreciated. Same with the sexes. Probably races as well. I'm an open personality type which means I should be liberal but I'm very conservative socially because I understand the dangers of being open. I understand that most of the visions or ideals you have are of little practical value. Your ability to live that way comes down to pain tolerance more than anything else. Which is probably another inherited trait. Probably related to a family tendency towards depression and learning to live with it. Pain connects you to reality.

Thoughts prompted by this video.

#JordanPeterson #conservative #politics #liberal #culture #video #world #book

wolfhnd 8

Answer 1

Zen was an absolute tour de force for me. Part memoir, part manifesto. One of the many themes that grabbed me: the search for quality, in our word and actions. And the supreme role of attention in obtaining quality. It remains a remarkable book.

Answer 2

Read it many moons ago. Probably should read it again in my more sober state, today.

Answer 3

Read it decades ago. Really brought home the idea of OBSERVATION. Most people walk through life with blinders on...

Answer 4

Read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maint in college. The piece that stuck with me was him dragging his son along for a trip and ASSUMING his son would see everything he did.
The lesson: Let your kids stand so they can participate in your ride.


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