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Old 12-07-2007, 09:20 AM   #74
Keith Larman
Dojo: AIA, Los Angeles, CA
Location: California
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,604
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Re: Partial sucess with Aikido on "the street"

Quote:
Christian Moses wrote: View Post
Bingo! I was hoping someone else would draw that distinction. Thanks.
Well, yes, but sometimes walking away quickly is one very good means of resolution of a conflict among many. And having gone to a rather, um, less than pleasant high school I would say that trying to pull the thing Dobson saw on a train when surrounded by a group of young men out looking for trouble would be a good solid beating (or worse) waiting to happen. So would attacking. So would posturing. So would most anything *other than* walking away and letting it go.

FWIW I understood what the OP meant when he wrote it. Not terribly precise, but I got it. What if he had written "Lessons learned from Aikido" instead. And said he took the aikido approach of diffusing the situation by simply walking away. Of course that isn't exclusive to aikido, but it *is* part of the philosophical discussions that usually go on within it. Shodo-o-seisu is sometimes taking the initiative by walking away. That becomes controlling the situation. Masakatsu agatsu can be simply letting it go and realizing that a cheap set of headphones isn't worth a physical confrontation with a gang of young men no matter how your pride is hurt or offended you may be.

I don't see the big deal.

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