Thanks for replying. "As you see I have named two things that define who I am. This would make me differ from someone that studies my art and lets it define them." Okay, that helped me to understand your comments. It's so simple though, that I should have seen it. lol. Gives me more to think about. Thanks, Mark

Very good points Mark. Sorry i am just figuring out the Aiki Blogs comments section. To me religion and martial arts define who I am and have taught me to be who I am. From the way I walk, to the norms and values I have, to the way I view others, to the way I can walk away from someone taunting me because I have the pride, confidence, and respect for life. "If MAs define people, then I would think that people who study one MA would tend to have similar "definitions" to them. But, people at one dojo in one school of Aikido are so vastly varied that I don't think that's true." As you see I have named two things that define who I am. This would make me differ from someone that studies my art and lets it define them. For if they do not have religion I obviously will vary in some respect. To add to that, someone may let video games define them, school, family, etc. So many things that define who we are. I personally have named two things. I can also look to my past life experiences, the schools Ive attended, the lessons Ive learned from observation of others, etc etc. All things in life virtually define who we are, however with certain things that we take to heart like religion or martial arts, this becomes a forefront of how we act. I do enjoy theories though, and I suppose we could keep going back and forth. It's such a great topic and there are so many ways of looking at things. Thanks, Devon

You said: "I was offended. He said "Hobby". This isnt a hobby for me, its a way of life. Thats like calling my religion a hobby. Not to compare the two, but martial arts and religion define who I am." I wonder about that last part. Is it really MA and religion that define a person? Or is it more that a person already has a definition and it is expressed through their choices of MA and religion? If MAs define people, then I would think that people who study one MA would tend to have similar "definitions" to them. But, people at one dojo in one school of Aikido are so vastly varied that I don't think that's true. But, looking at it like people already have a set "defining" character, then using MA and religion would allow them to express that part to the world. But, I'm still trying to reach some conclusions. Thoughts or comments? It's probably like Aikido, a life long study. Thanks, Mark