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Old 08-10-2007, 10:13 AM   #3
tarik
 
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Dojo: Iwae Dojo
Location: Boulder Creek, CA
Join Date: Jun 2000
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Re: What makes Aikido aikido (to you)?

Quote:
Basia Halliop wrote: View Post
By looking at it?
And studying, sure.

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Again, you seem to be looking at it the opposite way than me.
I think orthogonal might be a better description than opposite. I don't think we're even trying to address the same issues.

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I'd rather look at the world and find things I want to do, places I want to train, etc, and then at some point it might be convenient to slap a label on some of them, maybe. But I like 'aikido' because it's a name commonly used for something I like doing, rather than liking the training because I've decided it's 'aikido'.

If someone came around one day and told me some respected organization or the ghost of Ueshiba or whatever had decreed that what I was doing 'wasn't Aikido', it was really 'Kerplunking', then do you really think that would fundamentally change anything? Well, I'd have to update my family that it's actually called 'Kerplunking'...
I actually don't disagree with any of this. I'm prepared to have what I study called "aikido" or "not aikido", it won't stop me from doing it, but what you're talking about has nothing direct to do with the questions. It just avoids them by saying that they're unimportant (to you).

What I'm asking is; what is that fundamental set of things that defines aikido for you?

Regards,

Last edited by tarik : 08-10-2007 at 10:15 AM.

Tarik Ghbeish
Jiyūshin-ryū AikiBudō - Iwae Dojo

MASAKATSU AGATSU -- "The true victory of self-mastery."
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