I kind of knew someday I'd jump into this topic.
I waited so long I had to jump in with both feet and so many serious practicioners of all types surrounding this topic. Too bad there's no emoticon for kinda scared ....
I have a varied background which includes what you might call "solid" aikido, and the more "ki-oriented" you might say. I'm grateful to both.
I'm also familiar with both conversation styles, having been a gofer in the building trades
for many years after the family publishing business was sold...
I think my best recommendation for the future of aikido is to make clear to each entering (and continuing) student what the panorama is and have them think what suits their needs and capabilities at the time, but keep in mind what they might need to train later on...
I'll stop here for now, but I just wanted to pay respects to both sides in a very forceful and vehement way, although my writing style isn't as good as the rest of you!