ian

Interesting post Mark. I read more about Taoism and Buddhism because of my introduction (at the age of 16) to aikido, although since even earlier I was interested in ethical philosophy. I didn't get into aikido because of the philosophical aspect (it was to play with jo's). However, even though philosophically I tend towards the zen/taoist thinking the physical concepts that are applied in aikido affect the way I look at other things on a more psychological/spiritual level. I also find that with surfing as well though. Sometimes its just useful to have aikido (or some other activity) as a metaphore for other aspects of your life.