Quote:
Eric Worth wrote:
if they say they've never heard of it and as what it is, I hand them a business card (I am not a Sensei) and invite them to observe a class.
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While I know what I'm about to say isn't your intent it still may be what the other person is hearing from you.
To put it bluntly shunting a person off to the Sensei to be told
anything about aikido smacks of a cult. You as a student need to be able to talk intelligently about aikido and answer some very basic questions. I've run into this in other things and it always sets off my warning signals.
A friend of mine was involved in the Landmark Forum and would rave about how it changed his life. When I asked him what kind of things they did or discussed I was told he wasn't able to talk about it and I would have to go to a meeting to fully appreciate it, and the first meeting was even free
The same thing happened when I stopped into the local Ninjitsu school. None of the students would answer any of my questions. They said I would need to talk to the Sensei. When I asked if the Sensei was there and if I could speak to him I was told that yes he was and no I couldn't. I would have to make an appointment for a free (again) one-on-one intial class/interview with the Sensei and that is when I would have any questions answererd.
Again, both cases set my warning buzzers off. And if I was a person unfamiliar with aikido and met a student who was unwilling/unable to even talk about it and instead pushed me off on some all powerful authority figure for answers to simple questions, I would think it was a cult and wouldn't pursue it.
That of course is strictly my opinion, take it for what it's worth.
Bronson