MM

With respect to the author, I have to say that none of what I read seemed like aikido to me. You could replace "aikido" with "yoga" and "ki" with "prana" and the article would pretty much read the same, IMO. Which, to me, isn't a good thing.

But, I guess, for better or worse, the martial art, formerly known as Aikido, has been changed throughout the years to now be defined however anyone wishes -- Regardless of Ueshiba's martial prowess the budo world acknowledged, regardless of Ueshiba yelling at his students that you couldn't do soft until after you'd done hard for twenty years, regardless of the many other martial artists who tried to break him and failed, regardless of the many who followed him not because they understood his spiritual babble (find me some who did) but because of the power he made real.

There is a time for the spiritual, but not until it has been tempered in hot fires and beat upon by hard hammers. There can be no "sword that gives life" if the sword has not been forged. And then, that sword must stand against all those who would try to shatter it, physically, not just mentally/spiritually/whatever.

I've said it before. Ueshiba stood against many challengers from other arts. Shioda did. Tohei did. Tomiki did. If you aren't working towards that, then there is no Aikido. There is only Art being called aikido.

All very much IMO,
Mark