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Old 12-30-2002, 08:05 PM   #43
opherdonchin
Dojo: Baltimore Aikido
Location: Baltimore
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 586
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An admirable list of heroes and, like I said, I don't have a strong opinion on whether or not hero worship is appropriate. I'm just saying that the argument 'cultures all over the world have practiced it' is not strong support for the practice to my tastes.

What you just did, giving a list of people you feel are worth worshipping, would probably be a stronger argument. It's the difference, if I remember my rhetoric, between arguing from authority and arguing from example.

The central problem with hero worship (and this thread is a great sort of case in point) is the possibility that the hero will let you down by turning out to be merely human. There's nothing terribly wrong with that particularly learning experience, of course, except that it can sometimes get in the way of our ability to be compassionate. I'm a real strong believer in putting myself in places where compassion comes easily.

I think this is something I learned while doing AiKiDo: the stronger your position, the easier it is to be generous.

Yours in Aiki
Opher
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