Meditation II (Zane Mandell)

… Romantic thought focuses on the more traditional mindset, one that is comfortable with that status quo and usually not accepting change and the new. This form of thought is something everyone attains at some point in their life but is one that tends to be limiting and create barriers that become seemingly unbreakable. Classical thought on the other hand focuses on the more intellectual and logical thought processes and is usually open to change and then new. Phaedrus can be characterized as the purely classical thinker in the novel, searching for Quality in every crevice of intellectuality. Furthermore the narrator of the novel breaks down Classical thought down into both the objective and subjective forms of deduction. This is important in understanding the relationship with Quality because these objective and subjective forms have that similar relationship described above and lie within this greater relationship.

The motorcycle then becomes the platform for the discussion of this duality throughout the novel. The narrator picks the motorcycle apart piece by piece describing the various intricacies that exist within and as a whole. This gets compared to the way John and Sylvia see the motorcycle, where they simply see how it is to the naked eye and don’t see its inner beauty and its true form. That true form is what the goal is for the narrator. That quality that exists; John, Sylvia, and the narrator all perceive the quality that exists but they are all unable to truly define it. It in fact is there, right in front of them, but they see it very differently, the Quality is used for each of them to see what they want to believe out of it. That is why Quality occurs between the Romantic and the Classical; it is open to infinite interpretation based on the one that perceives. It allows both types of thinkers to bridge the gap between the other; the Quality allows them to open their eyes and see that there is always another way to see it. Quality is the midpoint, it is there, but it isn’t definable because it is different for everyone, it is always changing, but Phaedrus could not just end here.

The “System” encompasses everything that one is able to perceive. Therefore it is simply a resultant of consciousness. “A real understanding of Quality captures the System, tames it and puts it to work for one’s own personal use, while leaving on completely free to fulfill his inner destiny.” (283) So one must be able to understand Quality without being able to define (because it is undefinable as has been addressed) and then they will truly be the master themselves and understand oneself. So Phaedrus was searching so hard for Quality for this very reason, he wanted to become this master; he wanted to be able to understand. But it is in fact impossible to understand and know all; this is why Phaedrus had to go through the transformation to the more relaxed narrator. But this haunts…