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Old 01-21-2010, 11:24 AM   #15
jonreading
 
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Dojo: Aikido South
Location: Johnson City, TN
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,209
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Re: Are we keeping to the aikido philosophy?

I pose a few things to consider:
1. Poor writing that does not effectively communicate the poster's intentions is the fault of the poster, not those who critique the post.
2. Posts that demonstrate a clear lack of preparation or forethought is the fault of the poster, not those who critique the post.
3. Posts that set forth speculation or opinion as fact is the fault of the poster, not those who critique the post.

Many posts [from more experience voices] that I read on aikiweb that appear harsh often are in response to one of these faults. That post may include a link to a previously discussed thread, a request for clarification regarding the topic, or a denounciation or counter to an opinion-presented-as-fact. These responses can appear harsh.

I often find I prefer to respond to well-written posts. I also prefer to read about new topics of interest rather that responding to a topic about which I have previously read. As an observation, I cannot recall reading a senior aikiweb-er respond negavitively to a well-reasoned and prepared post from a newer member.

As for the aikido philosophy I say this, what if a student trained half-heartedly on the mat, or gave instruction to a senior, or contested sensei, or made wild theories, or any of a number of habits we see on aikiweb. For all of these things, that student would be judged by the other dojo members and reprimanded for her conduct. So why does that respect and attitude change in cyber space?

I believe often we seek to post what we want to say, then revise our comments when rebuffed by others. We think we deserve credit for trying. One of my favorite english teachers once told me that if something was important enough to write down, then [i] should be prepared to concisely, effectively, and clearly write it and stand up for what I wrote. If not, then [i] did not know enough about what I was writing about to write about it. Similary, Einstein said, "
If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
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