Quote:
Kevin Leavitt wrote:
I will be in London in about 4 weeks so I will make sure to pay attention.
No, I stated a fact. Many Americans have spent more time abroad than living in the states. Not a stereotype, a fact.
I could see your point of view that it is assumptive that u don't get out since your opinions are narrowly defined. It is my opinion, for instance that I believe you filter out information that does not meet your criteria of support your opinions. I wouldn't necessarily jump to the conclusion that u need to get out more, but I do believe based on my conversations that u have very strict parameters concerning Aikido.
So yeah I would see your point I suppose.
|
Thank you, well put. You are right, I do.
It's good to ask 'foreign' peoples their views on how they generally view you culturally. It's quite eye opening purely as an exercise. I used to manage a place of rented rooms for my brother in law and would ask the various inhabitants such questions about how they as Macedonians, or Polish or Indian or Slovakian etc. viewed the English generally, even from the point of view of how the way we speak sounds to them. It's all fascinating since being
in a culture you can be surprised on what you have never noticed from the 'outside'.
My parameters are strict and you may say 'fixed' if you like. They are and always will be as I pointed out in the thread three stages of Aikido.
I stick to Budo is love and thus a strict discipline to that end. I stick to Aikido is Harmony with Ki and thus the opponent is someone to take care of and 'heal' thus bring them to a harmonious state in themselves and all done in the application of Aikido. I stick to these parameters and when it isn't the case it isn't Aikido. No buts, no ifs.
This to me therefor makes Aikido the hardest and most advanced Martial Art in existence. The only one with no opponents. The only one with masakatsu and agatsu as the thing to realize as it's guiding light.
No tricks in order to dominate, no misguided enticement to being all powerful, no purpose to win, no competition.
By the way, not far from here there's a whole area of Americans near an old American air base. I suppose being a super power and militarily speaking then many may well spend lots of time in certain countries. In Europe and more importantly in England the various cultures are well apparent but overall it's still amusing to me, a nice game hanging on to cultural identity and thinking it means something.
Thus people get trapped and led to wars etc. Identities. The cause of much grief. But that's another story ha, ha.
Peace.G.