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I dont think that ego based goals are ulitimatly destructive. I think that having an ego based goal can be extremely motivating if you are trying to overcome a physical challenge or are in a sports competition. I think that the narrarator thinks its destructive because when he's climbing the mountain he is doing it as a chance to reflect and think about all the things he thinks about on his motorcycle and the things he thinks about Phaedrus. Therefore rushing and trying to reach the top of the mountain first wouldnt be beneficial. However if you were having a rock climbing competition then having an ego based goal would be a good thing becuase it would help show others that you are the best and can reach the top of the mountain first.

In my personal life I dont have an ego goal when it comes to applying to college. I am open to almost any college from anywhere around the US thats has my major along with other opportunities incase I decide to change my major. When I apply to colleges I dont try to apply to the best and well known colleges so that people can think that I the smartest, I am more interested in my own personal gain than the oppinion of others. For my futures I have a more ego based goal than before because I want to be the most successful and make the most money. As a response to the narrator I would tell him that an ego based goal isnt completely destructive and can be a major motivating factor especially when your in a sports competetion and want to be the best you can be.

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I agree with the narrator when he states that ego-climbers are self destructive. They only want to do things that will make them look good. This stops them from doing things that they might otherwise love. For example, if an ego-climber is good at rock climbing, they will only do that. They won’t try out another sport like soccer because if they are bad at it, they will look bad. This stops ego-climbers from trying out new things that they could potentially be good at. However, I don’t think that setting goals and motivating yourself is a bad thing. It is good to set goals for the future, as long as they are not too binding. It’s good to have a general idea of what you want to do later in life for example, but you should be open to change. When people get their hearts too set on an idea, especially at a young age, that’s when you get into trouble. If as a child you had your heart set on going to Harvard and then didn’t get in, you could be devastated. It’s good to apply to Harvard and show interest, but you should have back up ideas and be open to change. Phaedrus did what he wanted to do without caring what other people would think. This got him into trouble because it challenged the ideas of ego-climbers goals and views.
I don’t think I have much of an ego goal about college. Of course, I want to go to college, but I’m not too set on one particular school. I am looking at many different schools and keeping my options open. I don’t think it matters too much about the big names of colleges as long as I find a place where I will get what I want out of college. I also don’t yet know what I want to do with my future. I would personally respond to the narrator that it is important to have personal goals for the short and long term, as long as they are flexible and you don’t get too heartbroken if they aren’t fully realized.

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The narrator's discrimination against ego leads us into new territory. I have a poster in my room that simply states "life is a journey, enjoy it." I think this statement best captures how I feel. If you lose yourself in your own ego trying to accomplish something, admirable though it may be, you lose sight of whats important. What is the point of looking back at what you accomplished if you can't say "I had fun doing that"? Well, maybe you're one of those people who will say they did have fun. This then goes along with Pirsig's point that an ego-climber will lie to protect their image. They will never admit it, but no one ever enjoys thinking and looking towards the future because it distracts from the present. I think the narrator believes it because of his relationship with Phaedrus. He notes hoe he attempts a pilgrimage, but doesn't make it to the mountain in time. Not because he lacked the physical strength but because he was doing it for the wrong reasons. Phaedrus was one of the largest ego-climbers in the novel. Even in college, he looks to change the system to fulfill how he thinks it should be run. Meanwhile, his students are learning or are they? Phaedrus fails to see because of his farsightedness.
Having said everything I had, I do have a goal of settling down after college. It is an unbelievably stressful process in choosing the size, location, mascot, student body, etc. I take everything seriously when it comes to college but I do my best to live in the present. I try to live one day at a time and have a very "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" mentality. However, for getting into college thats just not realistic. One has to consider grades and the whole application process which does require some analyzing in advance. So to the narrator I would say that the advice is sound, but is difficult to honor.

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The narrator in ZAMM argues against "ego goals" for many reasons. For one, he argues that because of an ego goal, one might miss "a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees". I take this to mean that ego goals make one close-minded. If one ultimately sets their goal as "getting into college", they will not look at any other possible option in their life. He argues that ego goals make you focused on the future, what's ahead on the trail, and not what you are walking on at that moment. At first glance at this idea, I disagreed with it. Goals are what keep me going. I do my work to get that "A" to get into college, to get a degree, etc. However, it was the idea of "missing a beautiful passage of sunlight" that turned me around. At what point does the goal chasing stop? I now agree with Pirsig, that it is important to not simply live in the future. To enjoy life, to truly get something out of it, we must learn to appreciate what is in front of us now, not what is going to be in front of us later. This is related to Phaedrus because Phaedrus consistently did what pleased him, and this got him into trouble in an ego-goal-centric world.

For me, I have attempted to base my high school course schedule around what interests me. In a number of cases, this has led me to AP/IB/Honors courses. In terms of choosing classes, I try to avoid simply picking something "because it looks good." However, I do fall into a pattern of doing work for a grade and nothing else when I am bored by something, like Math. To the narrator, I would say that I do not deliberately ignore the trail, but it does happen. But when I go to college, and I have even more freedom over my classes, I know I will take a long, hard, look at a class (as well as who teaches it) before I sign up. I don't want to miss that beautiful passage of sunlight.

Final Post

I sort of agree with the narrator when he says that ego-climbers are eventually destructive. They do things to try and prove something which doesn't allow them to actually enjoy what they are doing. But the author also says that "when you try to climb a mountain to prove how big you are, you almost never make it" (pg189) I don't think this part is necessarily true because some people just need goals to accomplish something and i their goal is to prove how big they are then why is that bad. He says that it leads to endless times where you have to prove yourself and nothing gets fulfilled. I'm not really sure if I think that part is true, but I do believe that some people need goals to get something done and that its not a bad thing to be a little bit of an ego-climber, as long as you try to enjoy your surroundings while climbing that mountain. Also the few times I have climbed mountains, I was definitely and ego-climber. I always pictured myself somewhere else and wanted to know how much longer and only climbed to prove that I could. But maybe that is why I hate climbing mountains and going hiking and stuff, because I am an ego-climber and the few experiences I had were fine but not incredible. I think the narrator believes all this because he believes that you should experience your surroundings and enjoy them as much as possible. For example in the beginning of the book when he talked about how he liked motorcycles better then cars because he was a part of the environment, not watching it through a glass window. The narrator definitely gets his strong opinions from Phaedrus. Phaedrus was always the one to say what he wanted even if nobody liked it (for example the whole quality argument) He did things his own way and passed on some of this spunk to the narrator.


I think the ego goal of going to college is annoying. Although it is now the social norm to do this, I really don't like the fact that everything we do has to look good for colleges and we cant get one C without freaking out cause we arent going to get into the college we want. We should be able to enjoy high school, like enjoying the climb of the mountain. But instead we are constantly stressed and just praying that the top of the mountain comes sooner. We dream and talk about other places because we just do not want to be in school. This is what society has done to us. Made us all ego-climbers when it comes to college. We should be able to enjoy the ride but instead we are scared that we aren't going to succeed in the future.

Final Post: ZAMM and "Ego-Climbing

At the end of Chapter 17 in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the narrator comments that ego goals are a kind of motivation that is "ultimately destructive" because "any effort that has self-glorification as its final endpoint is bound to end in disaster" (p. 189 pink). Even more, he later says that "when an ego-climber has an image of himself to protect he naturally lies to protect this image" (p. 197 pink).

For the first 1/2 of your response, answer the following: Do you agree or not, and why? Briefly explain why you think the narrator believes this. Is his strong opinion related to Phaedrus in any way?

For the second 1/2 of your response, answer the following: What about you and your ego goal of going to college and making a future for yourself? How would you personally respond to the narrator.

Developed responses to both sets of questions are required for full points!

RESPONSES DUE BY THE START OF CLASS ON TUESDAY, JUNE 8TH.