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Daniel Linden (DGLinden) wrote:
Drew,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I do feel that when one trains to break arms, dislocate shoulders and fracture necks and backs - learn hundreds of ways to accomplish this - and actually practice doing it with live human beings, well, if it quacks like a duck...
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Daniel, I missed this response until today. Thanks for your comments.
I'm not sure how I feel about the statement above. I've always been taught that while we can break arms, and dislocate joints, it's a better idea not to as that leads to broken or dislocated connections.
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---snip---
Are we just jerking around with semantics?
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Most likely.
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Violence appears to me to be doing anything that harms another person, I just don't care about your intent - it doesn't matter. If one was truly of a perfect aiki mind one would emulate those perfect Indian masters who would rather die than hurt another being.
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Maybe it's a bit of both intention and harm. I believe there can be harm without violence (due to lack of intent), and violence without harm (because of intent). I disagree that a "perfect aiki mind" would be totally pacifist. I understand aiki to mean joining with energy (or intention). I don't think aiki implies non-action -- just the opposite in fact.
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I think I should stipulate here that I have no problem at all with violence. I hunt and fish and practice a martial art - I would be a hypocrite to deny it.
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And I would be a hypocrite if I didn't say that I recognize how aikido can be violent. I just believe that our highest aim is non-violence and peaceful resolution of a conflict with no harm to either party. I also believe that this can include physical technique.
Regards,
-Drew