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Re: Article: Clarity and Self-Delusion in One's Training by George S. Ledyard
Getting back to the matter at hand...
Ledyard Sensei,
I do have a question with regards to direction one takes in training. Personally, I'm 35 years old and have been at my training for almost 4 years now. My body has not been, is not and will most likely never be in "great" shaped. My knees are very poor and with a history of arthritis, I have no doubt in my mind that my knee work could never come close to Ikeda Shihan's level.
Am I setting a limit for myself? Yes
Do I aspire to be a master in aikido? No.
Does that make me a part-time and slacker student ???
To aspire to the level of master is all fine and good. Yes, we should have goals... come to class ready to train... work with a beginners mind and be willing to learn and accept another's teachings. But realistically, I don't ever see myself (personally) surpassing my current instructor. Should I ever match his current ability, I'll be very happy!
But does not striving to become more than that make me less of a student than one who strives to match Ikeda Sensei's ability?
This is not an attack on you or your article. I'm struggling to understand where my place in your world would be.
A student "going through the motions"...
or
A Student of Aikido
...or something else?
Just trying to figure out my place in the world.
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