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Old 05-28-2010, 10:10 AM   #68
"PhB"
IP Hash: 55f43dc5
Anonymous User
Re: The purpose of Aikido?

I appreciate and thank you as well for the discussion. To cap it all off, I appreciate those who take Aikido because they want to take advantage of it's fighting structure. I understand why some are disappointed because it doesn't meet their expectations. For those people it may suit them to have directed their energies into pre-war Aikido. I am assuming they are not happy with Aikido because they took the post war Aikido which we all know doesn't focus it's efforts into using Aikido to fight, but instead to peace.

Aikido (here on in being the post war Aikido) is looked at mostly as a hobby my its general student body. I went into Aikido because of the social benefits. I wanted as well to have some exercise. I wanted something healthy to escape into. I wanted to add more to my life than just work. I am not disappointed by Aikido. Suffice it to say, whether or not Aikido is a butt kicking mopping the floor with your butt fighting system isn't at all important to me. I will go out on a ledge and say my view is true for the major of people who take Aikido.

Everyone has their own reason for taking up Aikido. Not everyone, most, are into going home after practice with dislocated wrists, shoulders, elbows, shiners, broken teeth or ribs. My priority is showing up to work capable of doing what they pay me for. I can't afford to be in hospital unnecessarily. I have a host of other responsibilities. I am no longer twenty-something and full of testosterone. Though I'd like to. Most conflicts in society can be resolved though diplomacy and verbal communication. I don't have to worry about someone physically gunning for me, or forced to fight in a colosseum. I have far more verbal confrontations and threats then I do physically. My real self-defense skills are verbal skills, then physical, thus I have put most my time into dealing in that verbal arena. Each individual has their own reasons for taking Aikido, not everyone is or wants to be a physical warrior. Being verbal warrior in the modern age is to what a physical warrior is in the dark ages.

I do Aikido as a hobby, and I hope those conflicted with whether or not Aikido is an effective fighting system or not, will find peace and resolution.

Thank you to all for letting me comment here.
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