View Single Post
Old 03-02-2012, 08:47 AM   #85
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
England
Offline
Re: How to be non-competitive in a competitive world

Quote:
Kevin Leavitt wrote: View Post
there are many examples. Communism based on Marxism attempted to put some good theories together to eliminate competition, yet in the end people work to screw each other over. Yes, you could say it is because of the competitive mine of the individual and I would agree. So how do you change that?

Capitalism is based on communism coupled with democracy embraces the competitive mind and works with it. It actually works because it encourages a natural instinct in people to work together to win. Sure in theory it would be nice to get people to work together, but that requires a degree of altruism that simply does not exsist.

Competition or a competitive environment can create a situation in which it is advantageous for people to work together. We do it all the time in the Military in basic training and it specialized training in Special ops.

Personally, I believe, as Jon stated that Aikido is not so much about eliminating the competitive mind, but recognizing that it exsist and using a process for us to deal with the realities of human nature, not to try and change it globally. As I have stated earlier, Aikido is about self and embrace what is human.

You already know that greed and corruption are bad. We all know that. So how do you stop it? How to you create the conditions and space necessary to help others that are so lost see that there are alternatives?

Aikido iand budo s about solutions, not theory.

So let's agree that this competition is bad as defined as corruption, greed, and oppression. Can you agree that the human mind is, well human?

If so, then how do you work with it? How does Aikido work to change people from greed to cooperation and a more peaceful do existence? What is it in budo or Aikido that can lead to that? Why is it unique? What does it offer that everything else fails?

Let's stop arguing about the definition, agree that suffering is wrong, and talk a little more concrete on how budo alleviates it.

I think you guys are barking up the wrong tree. On the right street, but the cat is in another tree. Not the macro topic of competition or competive mind.
Hi Kevin.
Concrete on how budo alleviates it? Love to. Unfortunately I find debating with someone who believes in budo the way you do for example means that you would have to understand and accept the way and type of budo I believe in. When we understand each others budo then debate can ensue.

Unfortunately we both understand your type of budo yet it's not reciprocated. All I see is false understandings, just like in the post above, where a standard courageous view in the buddhist world or indeed any religious world or spiritual pursuit knows and calls the competitive mind crazy and stupid and worse than that even. Yet another not aware of these views understanding wise will then take that statement as some kind of judgemental something or other.

Statements like cat is in another tree show we are not 'on the same page'.

Here's the thing, the views I express and others of similar perspective, are concrete. They are not accepted by some as concrete thus not seen as real. Therein lies the problems in discussion.

That's all really.

Regards.G.
  Reply With Quote