Re: What Aikido is Not (IMHO)
Great Article Lynn.
Monastic type cultures are very important in our society. IMO, we need more dojos/organizations that support and have uschi deshi.
Monks face the same issue. Many take criticism for remaining in the monastery, living a sheltered life.
Many leave the monastery and return to secular society to lead an "engaged" practice.
The fact is, we need both.
Robert Thurman makes some good arguments in many of his speeches for a return to a monastic culture and sees these types of practices as being a positive step toward our societal evolution.
I tend to agree. I think we could use more ushi deschi.
Can a U.D. be escaping reality and be a coward by hiding our and avoiding society? Yes most certainly!
However, I think mostly it serves a valuable role, and in many cases that individual has committed an act of bravery by sacrificing other things to serve in that capacity.
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