View Single Post
Old 06-12-2012, 07:05 AM   #16
JJF
 
JJF's Avatar
Dojo: Vestfyn Aikikai Denmark
Location: Vissenbjerg
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 803
Denmark
Offline
Re: Why people don't like Aikikai?

So... Joe... should they 'keep it real' or should they conform to the wishes of the 'customers'?

It's a bit like parenting. I try to change and become better at being a dad as long as my children grow up and express different needs and wants, but I also have to stick to my core principles. I can't change my decisions based on what my kids want since they change opinions every other day, and since what they want might not take the big picture into account.

As I see it Aikikai is not a business but an organisation - which in my book is closer to a family. It will develop and change, but not always in a way that every member approves on, and often in a more moderate pace than some might want since the incentive for change must come from within.

Therefore we are not shareholders - we are members. If you don't like the club - you are free to leave it, or you can choose to go into a fruitful cooperation and try to influence it from within. The latter takes time and effort but as I see it that is an approach much closer to the uke/nage relationship that you mention.

JJ

- Jørgen Jakob Friis

Inspiration - Aspiration - Perspiration
  Reply With Quote