View Single Post
Old 02-14-2011, 11:43 AM   #11
jonreading
 
jonreading's Avatar
Dojo: Aikido South
Location: Johnson City, TN
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,209
United_States
Offline
Re: Future of Aikido

I remember the first time I saw the broadway musical "Wicked." Instead of a moral that one should be good, we get this perspective shift to understand why someone is bad. Sometimes perspective shifts can cause confusion, or miss the point of the original perspective...

We should absolutely live in the moment. This is one of the virtues derived from bushi preparing oneself to die each day, the appreciation for what you have now. Ichi go ichi e. However, I understand these bushi where most aware of the future... Bathing prior to battle. Funeral expenses pre-paid. The calculation of impact their death will have... To have a life where you were "square" with your friends, enemies, family; this is something I admire. To live in the present, but also have a clear future, untangled and not messy.

That being said, I think your perspective is throwing me off - didn't think I'd be able to work "Wicked" back into this? . To me, a good teacher draws focus on training now, but gives care to how training now will impact future training. I appreciate those teachers who think forward so that my training is one of continuity and progress.

It is difficult for me to tell if you are referring to a specific instance where instruction was harmed because a demographic was not present in class. Or, were you referring to your implication of preference there were no YAMs in class?

I don't think a teacher should withhold proper instruction because of a "preferred" demographic. For example, is there some benefit students miss when young athletic men are absent from class? Based upon other arguments presented on Aikiweb, I would have to say, yes, each demographic on the mat brings with it some benefit. Is the lamentation against which you advocate for more YAMs on behalf of those missing benefits? Would you consider it a responsibility of sensei to seek any element which might improve your aikido but is currently lacking? Or, more generally, do you consider it a responsibility of sensei to plan for and provide to the dojo that which is lacking?

Last edited by jonreading : 02-14-2011 at 11:45 AM.
  Reply With Quote