Reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is like panning for gold, which is to say that the drudgery is frustrating and time consuming, but the process can be incredibly rewarding as well. In chapter 26 of ZAMM, Robert Pirsig covers what he refers to as gumption traps. This is a concept worth examining in detail.

Motivation

While the author deliberately uses the old-fashioned word ‘gumption’, I’d pick a more relatable close equivalent: motivation. This English word derives from motive, which in turn comes from motif, a French derivative of the Latin motivus, which itself is a relative of movere: ‘to move’.

I prefer motivation to gumption precisely because of this relationship to movement. Pirsig describes situations where one is ‘stuck’, and the common traps to circumvent in order to get things moving again. If this isn’t an analogy of depression, I don’t know what is!

Value Rigidity

Most of the traps are described as being ‘value traps’. They relate to one’s inability to re-evaluate something because of a commitment to a previous value. This is the most important idea to understand here and some explanations are provided.

First of all, there is a quote from the Zen teacher Suzuki Roshi:

”In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”

Value rigidity is opposed by the notion of impermanence and detachment from set outcomes. A far more down-to-earth analogy is fishing, where the duration of the activity is indefinite and no outcome is not guaranteed.

The problematic aspect of value rigidity is best summarised by Pirsig’s example of the South Indian monkey trap. This is a simple construction of a hollowed-out coconut attached to a post. The coconut contains some rice, with an opening just large enough to let in a monkey’s paw, but too small for a monkey’s closed fist. If the monkey grabs a handful of rice, it would be unable to withdraw its hand without releasing the food. This trap is effective because the monkey is unable to re-evaluate the situation: rather than letting go of the rice and escape, the poor monkey gets stuck.

Pirsig lists a few very common value traps that we humans fall into, and while the list is not exhaustive, it offers a good starting point.

Value Traps

The first trap is based on ego, which manifests in the belief is that one is above making mistakes. The only method for avoiding getting trapped by one’s ego is to avoid modesty. Even false modesty apparently helps.

The second value trap is caused by the opposite of ego: anxiety. The methodology provided for getting over anxiety is a little elaborate but it’s all about preparation. First, there is the initial research of the subject and given task, which can be extensive if necessary. Second, there is the organisational aspect, where the author suggests a clean, controlled workspace and as many written notes as it takes.

The third value trap is very common as it’s simply boredom. When one is bored, the last thing they should be doing is the initial task they set out to accomplish, cautions Pirsig. “Stop!” he says, and advises to go watch a show, take a nap or drink a cup of coffee. Perhaps the lack of interest in the task is caused by other, more important concerns? If that’s the case, they take priority. Of course, some tasks are just inherently dull, in which case they can be made more appealing by rituals. Ritualising the truly unglamorous tasks can help alleviate their boredom.

Finally, the last value trap discussed is impatience. Sometimes things take longer than expected and it is irritating! The solution to that problem is to give yourself time to do the work. This is simple advice, but many deadlines are purely self-imposed and it’s easy to get an extension to finish a task. The other option is to reduce the scope of the work, which is also an acceptable solution.

False Dilemma

Pirsig closes the chapter by discussing truth traps, all of which are a variation of what’s generally referred to as a ‘false dilemma’. Few things are black-or-white, yes-or-no. The third option can be both or neither. In fact, the author argues, when you’re asking a binary question and the answer you’re getting is a third state, it suggests that your question was poorly formulated.

Flow

All of Pirsig’s traps are disruptive and destructive: they kick us out of the flow we may experience while being fully engrossed in an activity. This immersion is covered at great length by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience and the idea is central to our enjoyment of a complex task. Flow is something many of us have experienced: the state of heightened concentration and improved performance also coincides with a loss of temporal awareness. Flow is good: flow is unrestrained motion.

ZAMM relies heavily on the analogy of motorcycle maintenance–unsurprisingly, given it’s part of the book’s title–which is a methodical venture, requiring mental clarity and focus. The author presents it as a thoroughly scientific process of discovery and analysis. The traps he describes are lapses in judgement, the confusion between what something is and what something means.

Pirsig’s example, a stripped bolt, is not a negligible, near-worthless part of the motorcycle: it’s a serious problem as important as any other repair job. Our inability to recognise that gets us trapped! We are too committed to our initial perceived value of something, hesitating to recognise the significance of the problem and re-evaluate things accordingly. We are stalling or wobbling, rather than moving.