George S. Ledyard

Just as an aside...
No, I do not think that all opinions do deserve respect. The people who hold the opinions deserve respect. When someone throws out an opinion, it's just like posting something on the internet... once it's out there it's "open season".

People have all sorts of "opinions" and they certainly aren't of equal value. Opinions, as one can clearly see on the forums, can be unfounded, poorly articulated, unsustainable rationally, etc. Those opinions are not worthy of respect no matter how well intentioned the person having those opinions might be.

Out of respect for that person, one might attempt to be polite about how one might disabuse said person of his delusional ideas. Peter G is an exemplar of this approach. He is never rude or disrespectful of the person even when he is totally destroying some idiotic opinion.

It's just like our discussions of Aikido on a technical level. Everyone wants to think his or her effort is enough, wishes to be validated for whatever level of effort they can put forth. Everyone wants to feel like his opinion is worth something. But it's really just like ones Aikido... if you want to be "validated" for your Aikido, make your Aikido better. If you want your opinions to be worthy of respect, they need to be well thought out, well articulated, at least semi-rational and sustainable.

Strength in numbers doesn't really help either. Whereas having a number of other folks agree with ones unfounded suppositions may give one a sense of community, it doesn't make the opinion expressed any better. The "fifty million Elvis fans can't be wrong" approach is off base. Sure they can be wrong, just look at how we Americans are putting the Right back in power after eight years of getting hosed by the same folks.

On the forums, I expect to see civilized discourse. I realize that our entire culture has gradually been conditioned to look at everything from the standpoint of conflict, everything must be sensationalized and preferably involve screaming at one another... but thankfully, Jun attempts to keep a lid on that.

Too often these discussions devolve quite quickly into personal diatribe. Rather like the old Saturday Night Live "Jane you ignorant slut!" and "Dan you Fascist Pig!". I think that is pretty much wrong headed and it doesn't evince any real understanding of Budo or Aikido on the part of the folks on either side.

Anyway, in terms of the original supposition that Ki has something to do with "kindness", well, just look at this thread. Everyone one here on the forum has "Ki". If they didn't they would be dead. Not everyone on the forum is "kind", therefore, ipso facto, there is no essential connection between "ki" and "kindness". So, an unsustainable opinion, not terribly worthy of respect, but delivered by quite respectable people, who have every right to be respected. I think that one can see the opportunity for the personal practice of "non-attachment" in the Buddhist sense.