Bear's Blog

Recently Montana State University held a symposium on the groundbreaking book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert Pirsig. Scholars discussed the importance of this work, the author’s life story, even the route of the trip he took on the motorcycle journey which is the central metaphor in this philosophical work. Bozeman Montana, the “high country of the mind,” plays a critical part in the book, Pirsig’s life and the development of his philosophy called the “Metaphysics of Quality.”

While teaching writin...

I finally tracked her down in the Inupiat town of Kotzebue, a village of about 3,000 people, north of the Arctic Circle on the Alaska coast. In Kotzebue, everyone knows each other and most are related somehow, so, following other’s cues, I hopped in one of the few taxis (that traversed even fewer roads) and said, “Take me to Della’s house.” When I arrived the small house was full – people were watching TV, playing cards, cooking a meal. When I asked for Della they said she was visiting someone else, and invited me to stay...