I believe this little anecdote has the potential to distinguish success from failure in the pursuit of excellence. The theme is depth over breadth. The learning principle is to plunge into the detailed mystery of the micro in order to understand what makes the macro tick. Our obstacle is that we live in an attention-deficit culture.
The anecdote, “Piersig’s brick”—get past writer’s block by picking one small detail and describing it in depth rather than focusing on the broad strokes of the piece in front of you. The lesson: change the assignment. Learning is about fluency not breadth.
