Thread: Aikido Stories
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Old 08-31-2012, 02:57 PM   #12
Graham Farquhar
Dojo: Ki federation of GB
Location: Reading
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 38
United Kingdom
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Re: Aikido Stories

Quote:
Quentin Cooke wrote: View Post
Whoah, well I guess it's nice to know that my message was picked up, but this is not quite the response I was hoping for. So let me try and respond to the various points made. Firstly I agree that Aikiweb does a great job and it is a wonderful source of information. It is also a place where people have posted the kind of stories that I am seeking, but it seems to me that once told those tales pass into the mists of time and are lost. If I'm wrong here and they are held in meaningful way that everyone can access, then please do tell me. As it's been pointed out, I'm not a regular contributor or visitor, so I'm quite happy to be educated.

All this being said, I bet there are many people out there who have tales to tell and have never posted them here. Maybe they will now, or maybe they will help me in my search, either way the number of times that I have contributed comments seems totally irrelevant. One of the wonders of Aikiweb is that it reaches such a large part of the aikido community, and I feel no shame and absolutely no regrets in reaching out as I have. If people don't want to support this project then there is absolutely nothing I can do about it and if they think that I am proffering a begging bowl then there is nothing I can do about that either. However, I think most people will see this as a worthy project. Furthermore it will result in a wonderful book, that will be of of real interest to many, but not only that, in supporting this project, aikidoka will help support some wonderful projects with aikido at their heart, where many people who are a lot less fortunate than most of us, will benefit. If that's not good for aikido as a whole then I don't know what is. I'm not asking anyone to pay for the production of the book, that will be a cost I will subsidise. I'm not guaranteed to make a profit, so if it goes pear shaped then only I will lose out. If it goes brilliantly then I wont be the one to benefit, so I really dont see how this can offend anyone.

It also seems a little off the point to be picking me up on whether Frager sensei is a pioneer or founder. It's not really the point of my post, allbeit that I bow to Chris Li's encyclopedic knowledge of the history of aikido.

Let me just finish by saying that the stories that I have gathered so far, have been incredibly inspiring and none of them were posted here, so it proves my point that Aikiweb is not the repository for everything that happens in the aikido world. It is my belief that there are far more people who will support the idea of this book than not, so whilst I respect everyone's right to tell there stories in their own way and even to think that I am wrong to ask, at least have the courtesy to respect my motives and integrity!
Nice post!
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