9-11

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[Neil Mick]

I was thinking a lot today about our violent year and our changes, here and abroad. Violence has echoes and reverberations that carry on, long after the first shot is fired.

Today everyone seemed slower, a little sadder.

At the end of my Aikido class, I led the group in a silent meditation for the victims of violence, around the world.

9-11 reverberates around the world; its echoes heard from Afghanistan to Palestine. The list of victims grows daily.

:circle:

[Bruce Baker]

There is a numbness that goes with disaster, war, emergencys, and responding to events of action.

That is not to say the eventual sorrow will not be felt, and emotional trauma come out in the morning period that is supposed to clear the clouded mind. As Aikidoka, our responibility to having our actions speak for us when action is called for.

Take the time to morn and find peace with yourself, but when the numbness of action is needed, it should not be the slow reaction of sadness clouding the mind. The spirit of aikido should not be restricted by the weight of emotional baggage.

I do not say to forget those who are gone, but make your peace with the events and move on.

The 9/11/01 disaster woke up many people to the fact that we are not living in a glass house that is impervious to the outside world. So too, our practice of Aikido changes us, enables us to learn how to act and react to events in our lives.

There will be events in the future, as there have been in the past, hopefully the spirit of Aikido will enable us to be better than we are, and help us to meet events with effective ness.

[SeiserL]

If we do not learn from our history of mistakes we are doomed to repeat them.

To all those on both sides of any war who lost their lives, or who had to live with the memories of being there, or who have had to live with some one who was, to all my brothers in arms past, present, and future may we bring Aikido into our lives and face conflict with a nonviolent solution.

It was a day of rememberance. Making peace with our past often means we never let go, but we do move on.

Until again,

Lynn

[Deb Fisher]

There was a very interesting article in the NY Times today about using the media in a ritualistic way - comparing the 1 year anniversary coverage of Pearl Harbor to the 9-11 uber-coverage.

I am worried about the way our nation grieves, it feels really unhealthy to "never forget" the event, it feels like we are destined to repeat history if we keep living in the desparate and sensational moment of victimization. I am worried about how afraid we are, I am worried about what we are willing to do and believe because of that fear.

[Neil Mick]

Yes: the sensationalism drives this "war," as well as the selective media blackouts of issues around the world.

I worry a lot, too. Enough patting ourselves on the back, telling ourselves how brave we are. Enough, in fact, of war.