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Old 11-29-2009, 10:20 AM   #7
Buck
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 950
United_States
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Re: The Aikido Paradox

I must apologize. I guess, I should have put a disclaimer in my post saying that I am being assumptive that the reader is well versed on the background information on the topic am posting. And it is also due to me being lazy and not writing it all out in one big monster long post; and the purpose of the links in the post.

I realize not everyone sees a conflict in Aikido being a paradox concerning violence and non-violence. We than can take this paradox (being possible modeled by the Archer's paradox, which is already proven, written out and well explained) and apply it to the physical techniques of Aikido, as well as other applications within Aikido. Therefore, what we see as conflicts of thought, ideas and perceptions in Aikido (in training and stuff) to be impossibilities (being the action of the arrow) can be revealed as harmonious actions of possibilities and truths. Such revelations and their importance and stuff is an individual experience that has its own value in degree and depth to the individual.

Now to focus on the Aikido Paradox of being non-violent, yet preforming violence via technique. We understand that like the arrow's compressing and flexing forces work together to achieve flight of the arrow on a forward path and not (to take a golfing term) slicing off to the right or left. The arrow situation parallels the ideas of violence and non-violence forces working together to achieve the goal of not injuring or killing an opponent, but rather controlling the opponent's spirit (will and intent) to continue to be violent. Of course this would mean when being attacked the the spirit is to stop the violence being paramount to success of Aikido.

Therefore, this doesn't mean individual becomes completely passive when attacked. The attacked individual tempers their violence allowing it to compress and flex- having adjustable degree of spine. The purpose is to be like the oscillating arrow. Rather then being the opposite of having a solid mind set of having an determinant unwavering spirit. A mind set that is focused on one goal, and that is of attacking without the bothersome and fretted thoughts of consequence. That of which is seen in ancient Japanese warriors and warrior culture. This isn't to say there is no validity in such a mind set and should be discarded that it too can be part of the Aikido Paradox .

And that is the point of the Aikido Paradox moving/oscillating withing the range of polar opposites. Not discarding one thing for the other, but instead using each to achieve the desired goal. Often we do that, we discard things when things don't seem to logically fit. But, in this case we can see things that don't seemingly fit can and do. They do fit, because these forces can share and occupy the same space; the Aikido Paradox.

* Jason says it in his post pretty nicely

**Greg, let's not and say you did. It is Chong's genius comedic insight and intelligence is what makes that line work. That is why I think it is so witty. I see his witt and comedic genius paralleling Mark Twain in regard to this line - my sig line. It's funny, note the LOL at the end of it

Last edited by Buck : 11-29-2009 at 10:32 AM.
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