Palmtree Contemplations

       In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance , Phaedrus is plagued with doubts about his ability to teach. He works at a college in Montana and, one day at the office, is asked by one of his colleagues about his teaching the right way. That is to say, he is teaching the way the book teaches. As he puts it, he is teaching "rationally." "He felt there was something wrong with it...The wrongness was in the old ghost of his dreams-rationality itself. (p. 228)"       It becomes clear that Phaedrus does not believe in what he is teaching. This brings up an interesting question: should teachers believe in what they teach? Even more importantly, should this be the goal of education?      I think that teachers should teach what they believe. It's obvious that Phaedrus suffers because he cannot teach what he believes is important. He is trying to combine his beliefs with his profession. He wants to fulfill his calling. We are all looking for our calling, somethin

The real University, he said, has no specific location. It owns no property, pays no salaries, and receives no material dues. The real University is a state of mind.         This is a quote from Robert   M. Persig's book, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." The Narrator reveals to the reader how Phaedrus, a former teacher, feels about education. Throughout the book, the Narrator presents gives his and Phaedrus's thoughts on education, motorcycle maintenance, and zen. It's an intriguing book. Even more intriguing is how Phaedrus embodies the discerning aspect of wisdom.       In my previous blog, I discussed Caroline Basset's article on wisdom. She puts forth the idea that wisdom can be divided into different dimensions. Discerning is one of them. The chief characteristic of discerning is objectivity, meaning the ability to look at a situation from the outside. Someone who has this ability will ask questions like "What's really going on?&quo

          When I think of wisdom personified I usually imagine an older person sitting in a rocking chair dispensing advice and nuggets of truth. I don't think I have ever heard someone in my generation being called wise. The term isn't used to described very many college experiences, either. I can't think of a single college that listed "gaining wisdom" as one of the benefits of their program. It was always, "Come here and you will learn how to be a good scholar," or something like that.          And yet, wisdom is incredibly valuable. When he was given the choice of anything in the world, King Solomon asked for wisdom. According to Provers, wisdom is of the same value as silver, will keep us living in safety, and enable us to preserve knowledge. Wisdom is so valuable because it cannot be created by man. Rather, it is God who gives it to us.         Wisdom has many different aspects. In her article, "Emergent Wisdom: Living Life in Widening Circl