a tea and book day

today i started Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for the 3rd time. i've never gotten very far because i always read it while travelling and am usually reading my travelling companion's book, which must be returned at the end of the trip. these circumstances are identical to my current situation, so i am on a tight schedule to return the book to it's owner before 12pm on monday when our ways part in glasgow.

the author is very insightful, was a bit before his time, and he and i have many common ideas. as i read i wonder how many of my ideas have grown from seeds his first 50 pages planted in my mind during my first two readings of them. this quote is certainly not one of my favorites, but it is very relevent to a conversation my husband had about islam, with pat carter at a bar in portland:

"You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it's going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it's always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt." -Robert M. Pirsig

why are they so angry?

however, mr. pirsig's book would be a little more entertaining had he not used the names "Phaedrus" and "Chautauqua" in every-other sentence. it gets a lil old. the philosophy and the motorcycle trip are sufficient material for a book. the personal re-discovery and mental-illness history are not necessary.

still, a must-read.