View Single Post
Old 12-23-2008, 06:25 AM   #524
Kevin Leavitt
 
Kevin Leavitt's Avatar
Dojo: Team Combat USA
Location: Olympia, Washington
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,376
United_States
Offline
Re: The continued Evolution of Aikido

Quote:
Clarence Couch wrote: View Post
Yeah, I'm not being distrustful, I'm just asking to try and state your point in a single sentence, if possible, as it's really tedious to wade thru a bunch of words to find a point hidden in there somewhere. Any point should be able to be said in a single sentence. If not, something's very wrong. Just asking, if not, oh well.
Btw, I'm seeing some folks being very cynical about any mention of change, yet they'll agree that Aikido is broke.

Besides, I believe Gen. Patton was wrong about that. However , I like what he said about, "Everybody thinks you have to die for your Country, Bu*&SH#$, I say live for your Country! Let the other poor bas&^%$ die for his!"
No you cannot do forum discussions in one sentence. Most have to take the form of a debate. That means it has structure to it.

At a minimum you have the following:

Sentence 1: I disagree. (Not you are wrong).
Sentence 2: This is why I disagree.
Sentence 3: Here is my counter point or an example
Sentence 4: In Closing... or Therefore,

Or something along those lines. One sentence is just an argument and does nothing to lend to productive conversation.

I am not the best writer in the world by any stretch of the imagination. Web Forums are also not meant to be PhD level work either, but a place where you actually have dialogue going on.

Most folks tend to type as they think at work, or what not, so you get what you get, which can get long winded sometimes.

If I am boring you and you don't feel like taking the time to read through it then don't.

To be honest, I have found that most people that are critical of thing do so out of ignorance of the issue they are talking about. Very few people take time to understand something before blasting out a bunch of stuff and making assumptions. It is what gets people killed in combat. Patton was actually a pretty smart man and challenged constantly the status quo, but he did so critically and with lots of research.

Another Gentlemen I know says it slightly different. Stephen Covey of 7 Habits Fame. Seek to understand before being understood.

Personally I think this is the key to world peace and the real underlying message off aikido. Seeking to understand, before being understood.