Thread: Gestalt
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Old 05-23-2003, 12:34 PM   #14
Ghost Fox
Dojo: Jikishinkan Dojo
Location: New York City (Brooklyn)
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 219
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Quote:
Opher Donchin (opherdonchin) wrote:
Isn't it amazing that no matter how interesting and thought out the original question is, we always end up having the same conversations on these forums?

Persnally, I think that gestalt may be too big a word to describe the use of ki in Aikido. I think maybe 'meme' would be closer to how I think of it. I do like the idea, though, that it binds together a variety of aspects of the experience and gives them a name.
I thought of the 'meme' concept and the funny thing is I find it too narrow. Although, for a while I was playing with the idea that the techniques in Aikido might are something like meme's. I thought that performing the techniques alone would lead to reprogramming of our baser nature, from one of confrontation to one of harmony. By reprogramming our nature in how we deal with life and death confrontation our 'higher' mental self becomes seeded with these ideals.

Although I think that the verbal reinforcement by the Sensei of the ideals of Aikido helps to futher implants these memes

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