What is better, the journey or the
destination? This question is asked in many different occasions, such as when
someone is getting to know you. I first encountered this question in Disney
World on the ride “Spaceship Earth”. It is a simulation that shows your life in
the future and to get to know you, it asks the question. I had never really
thought about it. This thought came through my mind while reading the first two
chapters of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”. The narrator specifies
that he admires the journey to get somewhere, then the destination. He would
rather see the birds flying while on his motorcycle, and he does not really
know where he is going. I must say that personally I disagree. I believe the
journey to anything, literally and metaphorically, is important, but I would
rather enjoy the destination because it includes the journey. The narrator
describes two specific journeys in the two chapters. One was with his wife, in
which he showed the difference in opinion that he has with John when it comes
to motorcycle maintenance. John would rather a professional handle it, while
the narrator would rather do it himself. He also explains a journey he took to
Canada with Chris, his son, and how he mistook a serious problem with running
out of gas. Since that experience, he has learned more about motorcycle
maintenance. He also describes that making decisions quickly is not in one’s
best interest.
A blog dedicated to the in depth study of the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and its author Robert M. Pirsig, by the 2nd period AP Literature Class group.
Although I agree with the idea that both the journey and the destination are important, I would have to disagree with Shannon on choosing one over the other. The narrator believes the voyage is what makes the destination worth it, but both mindsets are necessary to truly appreciate any travel. I suppose to appreciate both, one must experience both. When I challenged myself to a 20 mile bike ride around Miami, I felt the same sensation that the narrator feels when he arrives to any destination after a long expedition, because I had crossed causeways and lengthy roads to reach a point of interest, something I felt could not be done. What mattered to me was the ride itself and what I had experienced from it, to the point that I developed a greater appreciation for the city. Sure, I had seen and driven through the streets countless times (Miami is, after all, my hometown), but I had never experienced cultural immersion the way I did when I biked through them without any protection by a metal body on four wheels. The fact that I had completed that journey almost made the destination meaningless, but with the exhaustion I felt, I had to have appreciated returning to the Metro Rail that I had stepped off of at the beginning of the journey. This does not mean that a destination cannot be fully appreciated without a monumental journey to go with it either. One appreciates what one is content with choosing, and for the narrator and myself, the journey enhances the destination. For others, it may be different. So long as there is appreciation, neither are pointless.
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