Quote:
Ken McGrew wrote:
We have a group of people who want to dominate conversations about Aikido on the international stage. When the evidence they present is questioned with logic and counter-evidence, they resort to repeated personal attacks, disparaging remarks, and now this. I have contacted Jun repeatedly about this. Because he hasn't responded, I will.
My case was take up by the Wisconsin Supreme Court... unheard of in recent decades for a case of this nature. The Supreme Court overruled the appeals court on the issue of the constitutional right to a jury trial. From now on, in that state, the right to a jury will always be constitutionally guaranteed and will never be less than 6 persons. We have seen the right to a jury trial eroded in this country in ways that were never intended. Do you know, for example, that the right has been taken away in many jurisdictions for non-criminal matters, reduced to a jury of only 6 in many and in our federal system, even in criminal matters? The very term jury since the dawn of law referred to 12 persons. This matters for obvious reasons. And yes, I admit there is a lot of Thomas Jefferson in me.
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Mr. McGrew -- reading the thread and the link I was just reminded of my own experience. I really have no comment on your particular traffic experience as I don't see it as relevant. Mine was more about how I was arguing all sorts of things but in the end what it was, was, what it was. I was speeding. He was right. My only point was that there can be a lot to argue about as to what/how/why/when but in the end things are what they are independently of our arguments. I can argue, I can not understand, but it will still be exactly what it is. My understanding or acceptance is not a requirement for it being the case. Your experience merely sparked a related memory of my own.
Aiki is a remarkably difficult concept to talk about on a forum like this. And it is very easy (dare I say impossible?) for people not to bring their own understandings to the forefront as a filter. FWIW I have met many people who had trained with Dobson off and on when he was in the US. I hear slightly different stories from each of them. But I had always heard that the book we've been discussing was a very odd detour given their understanding of the man. But that said... Je ne sais pas. It is not surprising that you don't believe what others are saying. You don't have to accept arguments from authority (like people who actually do it or people who actually knew Dobson closely).
In the end you're demanding to be convinced. And that's nigh impossible if someone won't accept anything other than what they already believe to be the case. That's why I suggested you simply talk to Saotome when he visits the US next month if you think there's an issue with a whole lot of senior people studying with Dan. If you feel so strongly that it is contradictory to his writings as you understand them you should probably go to the "source". It is his organization after all and I seriously doubt he appointed you as defender of his writings. He might want to know what's going on and would probably give you guidance for the future.
With respect to everything else, well, I was skeptical at first. But I saw glimmers of things in what they were doing in what I was beginning to wonder about in my own training. So I went. I have had to honor to train directly with a lot of really good people from inside aikido (including Saotome's group) as well as outside Aikido. And it has subtly changed my understanding of what Ueshiba Morihei was doing and saying. I certainly don't understand it all. I certainly don't have Chris Li's translation skills. I certainly don't have the direct experiences of someone like Ellis Amdur. But I made the effort to get on the mat with people I didn't necessarily understand or agree with. And I then let what I experienced directly guide my understanding. And I think I'm the better for it.
But honestly... I think this thread has run its course. You don't seem to be satisfied with anything other than what you already believe to be the case. So I suggest you go back to *your* final authority -- Saotome-sensei -- and ask him about all this when he comes next month. Then, if you are in fact correct I would think there will be a lot of censuring going on. I just hope if the answers aren't what you expect that you'll come back and share those as well.