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Old 11-10-2005, 07:03 PM   #15
jeff.
Dojo: aikido of morgantown
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 42
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Re: Aikido and being Vegetarian

hrm... well, i've been vegan for a little over 11 years, and was lacto-ova for two years before that. go me, eh? my point?: i'm attracted to aikido for many of the same reasons i became vegetarian and then vegan: a way of compassionately interacting with the world. sounds kinda silly and maybe cheesy to many ears, but i think its important. that is: one of the things i love about aikido is its philosophical and spiritual depth(s). but philosophy is only really useful, methinks, if it can be put into action in some sense. hence, my active studying of the martial art aikido, as well as its philosophy, and my being vegan as an active means to kill as little as possible with my diet while still being healthy.

does one need to be veg to study aikido? hell no. that would be beyond dumb. as ridiculous as saying that you have to be shinto or buddhist to study aikido. in fact, it would be more ridiculous, since those two belief systems actually influenced aikido (and while osensei appears to have been veg on and off... there were some off times, ya know?). however, i feel that a vital part of aikido must be learning how to engage with our world more actively, with deepening understanding. this, i think, must ultimately mean, in part, confronting how we interact not only with one another, but with other living creatures and the earth more generally. of course, none of this requires that we reach any of the same conclusions, merely that we take the time to consider how our actions effect everything around us. after that it seems to me imparative that we figure out how then, in our individual lives, to respond appropriately.

i think this goes for any and all discussion of "aikido and ... " [fill in the blank]. just because you or i might not get anything out of a discussion about aikido and floor wax, does not mean that it is not important to aikidoka who are janitors or something. let's not forget that an important concept in aikido is "musubi", weaving together. right? can i get an amen? heehee

anyway... doug, you might be interested in this: my father's best friend is vegan except for what he hunts and kills himself. which generally only amounts to a coupla deer a year (and he uses all of everything he kills too). i've always thought it was a very interesting approach, and thought you might enjoy it since its similar to how you seem to want to hang.

((on a completely side issue: nice quote in the sig, nick! i saw refused here in the states first when they were a victory recs vegan/sXe band, and then again when they toured around the shape of punk to come. the first time was not so good... but my god were they amazing the second time around! whee!! hmm... there's a fun topic "aikido and punk"!))

Last edited by jeff. : 11-10-2005 at 07:16 PM.
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