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Old 10-15-2002, 10:15 PM   #6
Kevin Wilbanks
Location: Seattle/Southern Wisconsin
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 788
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Well, Anne Marie, I don't think that really covers my objection to the situation, as portrayed. I think it has more to do with the real or perceived purpose behind the intent than the intent to harm as such.

For instance, during my first year or so of training, I got punched in the nose by my sensei pretty hard - enough so that we had to check to see if it was broken. Technically, I punched myself, because I ran headlong into a fist I didn't see, but it's basically the same thing. Anyway, in retrospect, I think it may have been mostly an accident in that he though I would see it, but at the time I didn't think my teacher did anything accidental on the mat. I went about trying to figure out what it meant, even going to a few of the seniormost students for diagnostic help with my ukemi. It never occurred to me to be outraged, even though I thought I had been punched deliberately, because I thought the purpose behind the harm had something to do with concern for my education.

If it had seemed to me like the Sensei had hit me for the sake of satisfying his own sadism, alleviating his own anger, or as some crude attempt to dominate and belittle me, I would have been pissed off. Yet, the context was such that the idea never came up.

Anyway, the point is that I thought there was some intent to harm, but it still seemed fine, because I was certain that there was nothing unacceptable behind the intent to harm.
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