Zen

One of my favorite books is Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The protagonist rides a motorcycle that is a linear assembly of pistons, transmission engagements and fuel explosions occurring over and over at a rate timed to the thousandths. The process is "physics undeniable" and when one part malfunctions, the entire process breaks down. As the rider and machine glide through the countryside, happiness, beauty and abstract philosophy are found.