Quote:
Dan Harden wrote:
Hi Graham
In many ways I have found your demeanor admirable. You do have failings sometimes, as we all do. I would suggest you consider some advice given to me by Jun, Marc and George; You, like me, and everyone else here are beholden to each of us in a way. We make the community and we invest time and our lives in training and talking to each other. We have built a community here from around the world. If we are here talking, then we are a part of that by choice. That comes at a price. And it is a good thing not a bad thing. Since you made yourself part of the community here, you have made some startling and declarative commentaries on Aikido, Ueshiba and certain truths. I was intrigue by some of your writing and thoughts. That they will draw attention and a desire to come feel/test it to see if your ideas are sound or not (Judging by the declarative and authoritative nature of some of your posts) should not come as a surprise to you. Virtually everyone here, myself included who has written in this manner has been pushed to demonstrate and they have met people from here and did exactly that.
Ellis paid a wonderful compliment to me by telling me "You need to get out there and let people feel this and teach it, and if you don't want to, then get your ass off the net and shut up. Be a part of the solution!" It was probably some of the best advice I ever received this late in life.
I would only suggest that you have chosen to be a part of a community, and that has certain obligations. One of which is support your writing when asked, with physical demonstrations occasionally. I was fortunate that I listened.
Peace in return
Dan
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Thank you Dan,
I see where your coming from and I see it is your sincere view.
I agree it is like a community, an internet community. A talking and sharing community for that's what one of these is. The community can thus only remain strong and bubbling if it has 1) Courteous, respectful communication. 2) Many diverse views.
Those are the two main important obligations, contributing to such.
The other things you mention to me are not obligations. As I see it if the first two are kept in then you cannot but have relationships forming and as a result people then going to meet each other. It is natural and not an obligation but depends solely on the first two.
This is not an organization, a command structure. It's a communication forum and informtion depository. The only shoulds are on how to conduct yourself.
I come to any one of your or anyones dojos then it's different, I follow the rules and shoulds and shouldn'ts and must dos etc according to instruction and rank. Apply that kind of thing to a forum and you destroy it and end up with a clique left and much public avoidance. That's my view.
I'm sure nearly everyone knows really that respectful communication
is the major factor far and above anything else for a forum.
I found early on to my surprise people were getting in touch with me by p/m with queries about spiritual things I said. Sincere enquiries, (just to clear up what I meant) and yet telling me similar things they do. I was bemused as to why they had to ask in ;secret'. Ridicule was the reason. It keeps people away, it's the main reason, negativity.
Now what Ellis told you I can see fits you perfectly, look where it's led you to. Great.
We are all different.
What I didn't expect was that my views and experiences and what I say would draw people to want to feel it and test it. I actually thought and believed it may draw people to discuss it, to ask about it leading to sharing of views. You may say that's naive and maybe so. I didn't envision me be wanted to go anywhere let alone being told I should.
Nonetheless I knew one thing. If I struck up any relationship with anyone and they happened to be interested and passing my way they would be welcome. It would be fun.
The
internet scene, me with you, broke all my rules of having someone come train with me or me wanting to train with them. I hold fast to those rules in life so why change them for 'cyber world'?
No, the scene was too farcicle and others appeared to look at it as some show waiting for the outcome. That's just not me.
Now to add to that I then met Mark. We had a few jokes about the internet world and of course very briefly actually you came up as a subject, or should I say our communications. I let him know I don't care who a person is if we don't get on or I don't think his behaviour is o.k there's no way I want to meet them. Now in response he told me that he found you very amenable and fun and that I had got you wrong, in a polite way. It was brief and it was short but his communication did reach through to me. Just thought I'd let you know that.
Anyway, that leads me to a reality. You point of physical demonstrations occasionally when asked.
Reality: I have been asked by some on this forum via P/M, only about five or six, if when they pass by they could train with me, meet up. I have always said yes.
Reality: One person has done. He is I take it of good standing in the organizational world of Aikido and just as an added bonus had also met you but once. So I would say the occasionally criteria has been met or started.
There are many things we did at that brief time, many things we showed each other, many things he asked me to show or demo, and many things I asked him to test based on things he must have heard me say on here.
Therefor there is one reality people can refer to. We did, or rather I did pick up the sword or bokken. Actually, you should have seen the look on his face. It was one of those moments. Him being an experienced Aikidoka, just that split second I could see he was confident with such and yet in his mind I picked up just the one thought of probably 'how many times have I been in this situation and had to show someone that's not how you do it' I felt that, you would have to ask him if that is correct or not, but it led me to immediately say how I just want him to test and feel based on what I had said and he had no doubt seen on here.
So actually as many things I had said about that we had time for het tested, plus adding his own tests or barriers and vice versa. These included such things as him attacking cutting and me using sen no sen and moving without him being able to follow me or 'get' me. Pleasantly enough he could do the same.
Bottom line I think we ended up happy with each other and impressed with each other. Now any negative person can find a way to put even that down with a yeah but and oh it's because. That's why I don't follow the 'you must' (prove) route because it's never ending. So I say no I musn't.
So there you are. They are my views and that's me. At least you know noew I didn't learn what I know from the back of a matchbox..ha,ha.
Peace.G.