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Old 11-20-2006, 11:29 AM   #15
James Davis
 
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Dojo: Ft. Myers School of Aikido
Location: Ft. Myers, FL.
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 716
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Re: A Personal Moment with O Sensei

Quote:
Neil Mick wrote:
In that moment, right after you have done the formal bow to the shomen and before you turn to bow to the class: do you ever feel a "connection" to O Sensei, while looking at his picture?
I do feel a connection, in that my outlook toward violence has changed through the course of my life.

My dad's a real tough character. He was never concerned about other people hurting him. He never minced words, and didn't care about hurting someone's feelings when he felt that they were in the wrong. Looking up to him, I used to think that I had to be tough in order to get through life. My smart mouth got me into a bit of trouble, and I occasionally fought to get out of it.

Through training, I've come to find my own path. Sometimes I wish that I had met my sensei when I was younger...

Quote:
Neil Mick wrote:
What is that connection like? Do you feel that it is "two-way?"
I feel that he was brave in creating his own way, and that I should be brave in continuing to train. The art he created helped to change my life for the better, and I feel that I owe it to his memory to try and teach it properly.

Quote:
Neil Mick wrote:
Is it the same every time, or does that "moment" change, and how?
Teaching and training get difficult sometimes. My thought process in regard to O'sensei changes from time to time.

Sometimes I think about his legendary prowess.

Sometimes I think about his patience.

Sometimes I think about his insistence that aikido be for everyone.

"The only difference between Congress and drunken sailors is that drunken sailors spend their own money." -Tom Feeney, representative from Florida
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