Dear Michael,

But the original question was "How much does aikido cost?" I said I can't answer. There are similar questions that I can't answer, such as "How much does education cost?" "How much does family life cost?" "How much does living cost?" These questions may be good subjects for economics dissertations, complete with numerical models, but at another level they make as much sense as asking, "How much does the sunrise cost?" or "How much does the moon cost?" Some things just are; some "transactions" in life, like watching a sunset, are beyond the reach of economics.

Frank

If a martial artist feels he needs to sell various cool flashy stuff, even things like team clothing or after-school martial arts kindergarten, in order to care for his family, pay his rent or otherwise "keep the lights on" for training his advanced students, I don't see any problem. Even fine painters will paint portaits to pay the rent; fine musicians will play on corners to make some extra money (violin strings are not free).

Frank