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Old 01-28-2012, 12:30 PM   #256
Marc Abrams
Dojo: Aikido Arts of Shin Budo Kai/ Bedford Hills, New York
Location: New York
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,302
United_States
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Re: "The goal is not to throw"

Imagine the response from the academic/science/research community to the following: A scientist says that he/she has made a remarkable discovery that can be reproducible consistently with the same results. This scientist puts forth wonderful sounding understandings from this depth of wisdom. The academic/scientific/research community says present your findings before us and allow us to replicate you studies so that we can verify the results. The scientist says that this is not necessary and that this has already been done. The scientist refuses to engage in the typical peer-review, study replication model that in universally employed in the sciences. When people refute the findings, conclusions and understanding of that scientist, the scientist simply retorts that they do not understand yet and that by following his/her guidance and words, someday the others will understand.

That kind of nonsense does occur. Not surprisingly, when those people who assume those positions have their "truths"' tested, their results are almost always not replicable. This might come as a surprise to some, but the martial arts community works according to similar principles. When people such as Graham put forth their "wisdom', "experience", and "abilities" and find every reason under the sun to avoid having those things demonstrated to an objective, informed audience, they simply do a disservice to themselves and to the art that they represent. If a person is not willing to allow for the verification of what they claim, then they simply look like deluded fools and charlatans. It is remarkable how much thread space such people take up. Much of the thread space simply involves some convoluted machination avoiding having to objectively demonstrate such "achievements." Our larger community should demand of ourselves and others, the level of empirical reality that helps to ensure that a martial art retains it's integrity. When people find ways to weasel out of having to walk the talk, the community at large should simply continue to provide simple responses that we are still waiting for you to walk your talk before we take anything said and alleged to be done seriously.

Just my 2 cents.

Marc Abrams
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