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Old 11-10-2012, 12:59 PM   #73
David Orange
Dojo: Aozora Dojo
Location: Birmingham, AL
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,511
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Re: The Fear of Power

Quote:
Tom Verhoeven wrote: View Post
But those words are part of your premise, which basically consists of circular reasoning.

Besides that I do not think that people are drawn to Aikido because of Ueshiba's power. Most people that start with Aikido have never seen demonstrations of O Sensei - it is usually the more experienced aikidoka that know a bit more about him or have seen him on film. Recent polls have shown that Ueshiba is not even among the most welknown Aikido teachers - people are more familiar with names as Tissier or Seagall. People have various reasons to practice Aikido - "seeking power over others" is not one that I have ever heard of. Throwing people and being thrown is just part of the art of Aikido. From this you cannot conclude that people are looking for power.

Tom
I'm not reasoning circularly. I'm looking at all the people I've known in aikido and all I've heard about. I can understand people not being drawn to power if they didn't get their impressions of aikido from Ueshiba, but if they got them from Tissier or Seagal??? Surely you're not saying they saw that and thought that aikido was any kind of peaceful art?

Years ago, I was training on a kata with one of my students and someone passing by shouted, "Stop trying to hurt that guy!"

I think most people, seeing aikido by Tissier or Seagal would, with no other experience, think that aikido is extremely violent. Surely, few untrained people could take Tissier's technique without injury.

So...if they see Tissier or Seagal as their first glimpse of aikido and decide, from that, to join...??? What is their motivation?

More than almost anyone I can think of, except perhaps Gozo Shioda, those two project a feeling of "power over others."

But if I'm wrong, what are people seeing there that motivates them to join aikido?

I am sure it is the allure of power, and it is only after they get involved that they are indoctrinated with the idea that they are not seeking power, which immediately begins corrupting their practice with conflicted motivations and more than a trace of hypocrisy.

What do you think I'm missing?

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

www.esotericorange.com
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