Bill Danosky

Thanks, Bob, for helping me articulate what I was thinking. I believe specifically, I was wrestling with "spatial orientation" and "kinesthetic" sense and how they might increase intelligence.

Maybe "inspire perceptive thought" or something like that would be safer to say than "make you smarter". But it wouldn't get as many people talking and I really am interested to see what opinions some of the big minds out there have.

Now, please stop me if I've obviously misunderstood, but Aikido seems loaded with opportunities for a linguistic workout just by learning all the Japanese terminologies. +1A?

I'm no mathematician, but there seems to be a lot of geometry in the applications, especially the footwork and stances. Logical principals- of leverage and other aspects of physics are evidenced in the various nage. +1B?

Kinesthetics and Spatial are stipulated to. Definitely +1C and +1D.

I'm also not a musician, but the zen saying goes, "It's the space between the bars that holds the tiger. The space between the notes that makes the music." Extending that metaphor, one could say (with some fear of contradiction) that timing is a musical exercise.

Also, in O-Sensei's book The Essence of Aikido, he explains in the very first mandala "Ame no Takemusu Aiki Waza" that Aikido's basis is about the arrangement of the Kotodama- the seed sounds of the universe in a "U-U-U-YU-MU" pattern. This is considered by some to be pretty far out stuff, and considered by some to be essential to "getting it". At least for some, that's +1E (Musical). Are there any Ki Society brothers or sisters who can weigh in on this?

I'd say the Interpersonal is definitely emphasized since dojo tradition establishes a fully nuanced, societal hierarchy. So does this forum! The relationship between shite (nage) and uke is also an obvious hedge to this point. +1F.

Intrapersonal is everyone's journey. In the final analysis, I believe it's the only measurement that really counts. I could get into a whopper of a discussion about Shinto/Buddhist meditational progression, but I'll save that for another thread...

In looking at the discussion being had here -and all over Aikiweb- I'm satisfied that something funny is going on here. Either Aikido makes you smarter, or people being smarter makes Aikido. But I still don't know if it's the chicken or the egg.

So, am I right on, or far out?