Sageman 1
Kathryn Sageman
Johnston
English 1B
November 4, 2012
Word Count: 1837
Zen and the Art of Relationship Maintenance
The front and back covers of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry
into Values curiously suggest that the unrelated topics of motorcycles, the art of their
maintenance and Zen Buddhism will somehow be woven together into an “…examination of
how we live and how to live better” (1). The clear implication is that the way most people
live today is unsatisfactory, and that by analyzing and attempting to understand our worldly
interactions it is possible to live a more rewarding, fulfilled life.
This story chronicles a father’s 17-day motorcycle trip throughout the western United
States with his son and friends as he seeks, in part, to rediscover the self he lost during
treatment for a serious mental breakdown. Using the motorcycle, the journey, and the
environment as metaphors, the reader is taken on a parallel introspective trip as the author
attempts to resolve the split between his intellectual perspectives, his fragile psyche, and his
strained relationship with his young troubled son, Chris. Along the way, we are introduced to
a wide range of philosophical inquires that underscore, and elaborate, upon the topics at hand.
These, at times, are very abstract and difficult to follow, but shed light and add meaning to the
broader thematic elements of the book.
The circumstances and examples described focus primarily on material objects or
abstractions, and how we relate to them. But what about the narrator’s relationships detailed
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in the book? And does his general prescription for how to “live better” offer any guidance
about how the narrator himself might have experienced more meaningful relationships with
the people, places and things contained in this autobiographical work? I believe it is possible
to examine those relationships to see if his prescription for living better equally applies to his
relationships.
The author argues that many of the things wrong with modern life result from our
intellectually lazy masses shunning introspection, abstract thought, pursuit of higher meaning,
and the understanding of the nuts and bolts of modern technology. Instead, the collective “we”
appear to be more concerned with instant gratification and finding simple answers for
everything from the pursuing of an education to the changing of oil on a motorcycle. This
hurried, frantic approach to life becomes responsible for the distancing of ourselves from the
satisfaction of knowing we have applied ourselves to the task at hand carefully, and have done
it well. He argues this lack of enthusiastic engagement stifles creativity and stunts personal
enrichment. The result of this thinking is to place personal responsibility for our own well
being, on the shoulders of someone or something else.
Failing to take the necessary time to do something well, the narrator dismisses that
approach as “… a poisonous 20th century attitude. When you want to hurry something, that
means you no longer care about it and want to get on to other things” (P.28). Additionally he
argues no task, however menial, is unworthy of our best efforts since it is an extension of our
selves, and is therefore meaningful. Other problems Pirsig identifies as current social failures
are our antiquated forms of reason. As the narrator said, “Our current modes of rationality are
not moving society forward into a better world” (p. 114). He goes on to condemn the topheavy power of religious, governmental and political organizations “… for the control of the
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individuals in the service of these functions (p. 119). Personal failures are also ascribed to the
“selling-out” of individuals, as witnessed by Pirsig’s own route to disillusionment: he “gave
up…returned to his midwest… picked up a practical degree… married… worked…. fathered
two children, bought a farm…a horse…two cars and was starting to put on middle-aged
weight. His pursuit of what has been called the ghost of reason had been given up…. He had
given up” (p. 142). The narrator obviously doesn’t hold a high opinion of complacency.
Pirsig’s prescription for living well is noted in much detail in the book. He borrows
from his scientific, educational and philosophical background. He includes in his selfdiscovery the concepts of observation, analysis, hypothesizing, rational thinking, solitude,
contentment without desire, and “Quality,” described as “… the continuing stimulus, which
our environment puts upon us to create the world in which we live” (p. 255). He maintains
that these highbrow disciplines are available to everyone with the simple motivation to learn,
reflect, think, study, work, and to be “at peace” with oneself. As the narrator states, “Peace of
mind isn’t at all superficial… it is good maintenance. The ultimate test’s always your own
serenity” (p.164).
While Pirsig promotes his philosophy as the best way of living, he does not appear to
apply it to his own life, specifically his relationships. Furthermore, Pirsig’s philosophy is not
the best way for everyone to live today. While it is enlightening to take time to think about
important things, Pirsigs’ prescription for “living better” is not realistic for most people in
today’s society. Additionally, Pirsig ignores his own philosophy by becoming so lost in his
thoughts he not only neglects, but also, rushes the important relationships in his life.
One of the first conflicts that impacts the narrator’s relationships is the rejection of
technology by his traveling companions, John and Sylvia. Their aversion the simplest forms
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of “maintenance,” annoys the narrator who is stumped by John’s unwillingness to make even
minor adjustments to his motorcycle. Ironically, according to Pirsig, ZAMM “…was intended
to be an essay written for John, “a philosophy major” who “didn’t like motorcycle
maintenance” (2). Another example that points to poor communication between the friends is
when they socialize in the home of a former fellow colleague of the narrator, DeWeese.
Oddly, neither John nor Sylvia know of Pirsig’s past occupation as a college instructor at the
university in the town in which they are all staying. This points to concealment of the former
self the narrator is haunted by, and at odds with, the person he was before his work obsessions
resulted in his insanity and the court ordered, mind-altering therapy. In any event, throughout
the book the narrator’s “friendship” with this couple becomes questionable. “Even in the
presence of others, he was completely alone” (p. 84). However, the narrator does offer a weak
excuse for keeping his distance in this work for fear of objectifying them “I suppose if I were
a novelist rather than a Chautauqua orator I’d try to ‘develop the characters’ of John and
Sylvia and Chris…that would also reveal ‘inner meanings’… but for some reason I don’t feel
up to it…. That’s the way it should be with friends” (p.135). The narrator then goes on to
express his concern about the alienation among people due to the vast amount of knowledge
and information that we navigate around today. “It’s a problem of our time. The range of
human knowledge today and the distance between specializations has become so great that
anyone who seeks to wander…has to forego closeness with the people around him” (p. 136).
Finally, the most important relationship in the narrator’s life appears to be with his
son. It all appears so profoundly sad, despite a rushed conclusion of the story where a
magical communication breakthrough suddenly mends the entire complex, and for all
appearances, damaging history between father and son. Despite the enlightened state of
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narrator, it is hard to ignore his glossing over abandonment issues, deep-seated
misunderstandings, numerous hurtful exchanges between father and son during the journey.
The competitive nature of the narrator was especially surprising when dealing with his young
boy. During a strenuous hike, Chris “shouts to hear his echo and throws rocks down to see
where they fall. He’s starting to get almost cocky, so I step up the equilibrium to where I
breathe at a good swift rate…This sobers him somewhat (p. 225-6). The expectations of his
11 year-old son seem unreasonable. There was also a great deal of naïveté in the way the
narrator viewed Chris as a mirror. “In his face I sometimes see a look of worry, or at least
anxiety, and wonder why, and then discover that I’m angry. If I hadn’t seen his expression, I
might not have known it” (p.136). It also seems unfair how the father fails to validate the boys
simple victories, viewing them as “ego” traps, not even allowing Chris to bask in welldeserved glory when outracing him to a mountain summit. Pirsig devotes a single word
paragraph in response to being outrun: “Egotist” (p. 243). But one of the most painful
conversations occurs when Chris asks the touching childhood question, “What should I be
when I grow up?” To which for his father replies, “Honest ... It doesn’t matter what you do”
(p. 277). All this framed with the narrator’s being “too tired to think.” What a sad response
from a philosopher father to his young boy.
Other vague relationships are scattered throughout the journal. For example the
narrator’s nameless wife and his distant allusions to her as Chris’s “mother.” A few passing
references are also made about another son. It is interesting how the author could have
dissected his motorcycle in such painstaking detail and not given us a description about his
wife (at the time) or his other son. This may have been deliberate in order to protect their
privacy, or perhaps it was part of what Pirsig calls the “… old cultural habit of thinking of
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people primarily as something material…” (P. 428). The latter being something he argued
against. Some might also argue that the narrator intentionally failed to address positive
emotions in his relationships. It’s possible that this too was a manifestation of the fact that
relationships don’t share the same characteristics as material objects. They don’t have
instructions for how to make them work, they vary depending upon the people involved and
they defy a specific definition. In fact, they are very much like Pirsig’s definition of Quality.
Overall, this book describes a journey of discovery. And in that discovery is value. It
is impressive that someone has put so much thought, reflection and analysis into the way we
relate to the objects in our lives. It is equally impressive that the same amount of attention
seems to have escaped the author when it came to important relationships. While it is indeed
satisfying to have thoroughly mastered any task, in the end, these are just “things” in our life.
What provides equal, if not greater, “higher meaning” in our lives are the people in it and how
we relate to them; for most of us, anyway. Deriving value from those relationships indeed
requires stamina, engagement, understanding, patience, mutual admiration and respect. There
are no technical manuals to adhere to and no measurable processes to follow. They are,
however, the biggest “journeys” in our lives, and they seem to have provided the greatest
rewards to most of the “intellectually lazy masses.” All this talk of “the high country of the
mind” (p. 127) makes one wonder if that mind be devoid of quality relationships?
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Works Cited
Pirsig, Robert M. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. 1st ed.
New York: HarperPerennial, 2005. Print.
Pirsig, Robert M. "A Conversation with Pirsig." Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
An Inquiry into Values. New York: HarperPerennial, 2005. 5. Print.