Thread: In a quandary
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Old 05-17-2011, 08:10 AM   #13
lbb
Location: Massachusetts
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,202
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Re: In a quandary

Quote:
Mario Tobias wrote: View Post
Thanks for your response. The reality is there are really bad people out there as what Michael said. I used to live in a 3rd world country, accustomed to those conditions and have had my share of scary encounters.
You can regard aikido as a tool to help you solve specific problems, or you can regard it as a way, a series of practices and attitudes that help guide how you live your life. Neither approach is the right one, although people have religious wars over it. The "tool" people view the "way" people as vague, impractical and deluded; the "way" people view the "tool" people as blinkered, narrow-minded and deluded. I think they're both missing the point. It can be both -- ideally, it is both. But aikido isn't the right tool for every situation, any more than a hammer is the right tool for every job. And aikido isn't the right way for every person at every point in their life.

So, if aikido is not the right tool for the job at hand, don't use it. And if aikido is not the right way for you at this time, don't follow it. There's nothing to agonize over.
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