Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido Forums
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > Spiritual

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 08-27-2008, 07:28 AM   #1
Mary Eastland
 
Mary Eastland's Avatar
Dojo: Berkshire Hills Aikido
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,476
Offline
Fear-based to Love-based

When I first started training I had no clue....after training for a few years my motivation became fear based...I started training in Self-defense along with Aikido....

Several years later..... now my motivation in connection, blending and love based....no more specific self-defense training...... just aikido.
My fear has been replaced with understanding and openmindedness...training is an amazing process.
Mary
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2008, 11:48 AM   #2
SeiserL
 
SeiserL's Avatar
Location: Florida Gulf coast
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 3,902
United_States
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

Agreed.
Fear-based to love-based.
That's the journey and the discipline.

Lynn Seiser PhD
Yondan Aikido & FMA/JKD
We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training. Train well. KWATZ!
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2008, 07:58 PM   #3
Lyle Bogin
Dojo: Shin Budo Kai
Location: Manhattan
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 588
United_States
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

From fury to forgiveness.
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2008, 09:43 PM   #4
Hebrew Hammer
 
Hebrew Hammer's Avatar
Dojo: Lava Fitness (The Boxing Club)
Location: San Diego, CA
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 74
United_States
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

Hi Mary,
If you don't mind sharing....what do you think were some of your major turning points/milestones in this process? Why is self defense no longer important? Finally congrats on your journey!

Stay Cut,

The Hebrew Hammer
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 02:10 AM   #5
Beard of Chuck Norris
Dojo: Aberdeen Aikido Yuishinkai
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 181
United Kingdom
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

A wise man once said that we choose to see the world through one of two sets of eyes: the eys of fear or the eyes of love.

Quote:
A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourselves off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one.
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 03:09 PM   #6
Will Prusner
 
Will Prusner's Avatar
Dojo: AikiSpirit Dojo
Location: Coral Gables, Florida
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 196
United_States
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

This reminds me of something i read in some sort of samurai text (can't remember where). Basically, just because you have to kill the enemy doesn't mean you should view them with anger and hatred, on the contrary, your enemy should be viewed with love and compassion and respect. I also remember reading, I think in "Hagakure", that one should exist with so much compassion that it should feel as if one's chest is about to burst.

W.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration...

ART! - http://birdsbeaks.blogspot.com/
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 05:43 PM   #7
aikidoc
Dojo: Aikido of Midland
Location: Midland Texas
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,652
United_States
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

Well, I don't know if I can go so far as to "love" someone trying to do me harm, but I think I can express compassion or empathy.
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 06:46 PM   #8
gdandscompserv
 
gdandscompserv's Avatar
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,214
United_States
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

I read something once from an American soldier in Iraq that struck me. He said how he had gained great respect for the Iraqi's they were fighting.
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-2008, 07:19 AM   #9
SeiserL
 
SeiserL's Avatar
Location: Florida Gulf coast
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 3,902
United_States
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

Quote:
Ricky Wood wrote: View Post
I read something once from an American soldier in Iraq that struck me. He said how he had gained great respect for the Iraqi's they were fighting.
INHO, one should always respect who they are fighting. Otherwise you might underestimate them and get everyone killed.

Lynn Seiser PhD
Yondan Aikido & FMA/JKD
We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training. Train well. KWATZ!
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-2008, 03:29 PM   #10
Conrad Gus
 
Conrad Gus's Avatar
Dojo: Eclipse Budo
Location: Victoria, BC
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 274
Canada
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

I feel like I am going through a similar transition.

I was teaching jo on the beach on Wednesday to a small group of my students, and I had the feeling that for the first time I am using this weapon without aggression. My sensei has been saying "relax" for years (to me, and to everybody), but how can you relax when some part of you is imagining hurting another human being (and probably achieving some sort of gain from it).

It is a paradox of aikido that it is a martial art based upon a foundation of love. Good ol' eastern philosophies and their paradoxes! It's crazy but it is actually true. Waza flows more truly when the conflict paradigm has been transcended.
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2008, 09:23 PM   #11
jennifer paige smith
 
jennifer paige smith's Avatar
Dojo: Confluence Aiki-Dojo / Santa Cruz Sword Club
Location: Santa Cruz
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,049
United_States
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

Brian Johnson, the CEO of Zaadz, sent this in the mail today:


Fritz Perls, the founder of Gestalt therapy, once said, “Fear is excitement without the breath.”

Last edited by jennifer paige smith : 09-02-2008 at 09:27 PM.

Jennifer Paige Smith
Confluence Aikido Systems
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2008, 11:27 AM   #12
Anja Lampert
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 24
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

This thread just captured my attention as I was thinking about fear quite a lot in the last few weeks. A friend of mine was attacked ba a guy who tried to rape her and threatened to stab her with his knife to keep her from calling from help... Luckily he was not successful, but still it was a shock for her and for her friends as well, as you can imagine... I don't consider myself a fearful person, but still this event changed my view and my feelings, as I couldn't stop myself from viewing other people as possible threat. And somehow I wondered if this would change my attitude in Aikido training (I did concentrate on Iaido during the summer and went to Aikido training yesterday for the first time after a few weeks of absence; mainly I was afraid that the thoughts about this incident would keep coming up during Aikido lessons, but they didn't ...). Somehow I have the impression that yesterday's training gave me back some of my inner balance again, it somehow made me a bit less insecure about being out in the streets and wondering if someone might try to hurt me, it just made me calm down again; not at all in way that I knew some things to get away in case of an attack (which I abolutely don't think I could), it just changed my inner tension into some kind of calmness again...

Perhaps this is some part of this "fear into love" conversion as well, that even if you are training a martial art, it makes you less fearful, also takes away your thoughts of aggression or revenge, it kind of makes you believe in the goodness of human beings (just as a principal view, I know that still not all humans are good and still you shouldn't just trust anyone; but in general I just can't take it to walk around and see everyone as potential criminal). Kind of makes you able to see the world with more love and less fear...

Just what came to my mind after reading the posts of you all... I'm not sure if I can explain properly what it feels like...
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2008, 11:39 AM   #13
jennifer paige smith
 
jennifer paige smith's Avatar
Dojo: Confluence Aiki-Dojo / Santa Cruz Sword Club
Location: Santa Cruz
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,049
United_States
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

Sounds like you've done a good job to me.
Best,
jen

Jennifer Paige Smith
Confluence Aikido Systems
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2008, 12:49 PM   #14
SeiserL
 
SeiserL's Avatar
Location: Florida Gulf coast
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 3,902
United_States
Offline
Re: Fear-based to Love-based

Quote:
Anja Lampert wrote: View Post
Just what came to my mind after reading the posts of you all... I'm not sure if I can explain properly what it feels like...
Anja,

IMHO, your explanation illustrates it properly. When you identified with your traumatized friend, you took on her perspective of the world as unsafe (common among rape victims), you became fear-based (even out of love). That could have stayed with you. But, it sounds like when you trained, you owned back some of your personal power.

Compliments.

Lynn Seiser PhD
Yondan Aikido & FMA/JKD
We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training. Train well. KWATZ!
  Reply With Quote

Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Religion and Aikido Jenn Spiritual 91 12-06-2007 11:47 AM
Banyu Aigo R.A. Robertson Columns 3 12-05-2007 09:25 AM
Ki and Technique... Ascendedskater25 Spiritual 58 03-20-2006 06:02 PM
Ten Ai Ko Tadhg Bird Spiritual 2 05-27-2004 08:57 AM
Poll: Is feeling fear in your everyday aikido class a good way to grow? AikiWeb System AikiWeb System 21 04-16-2003 09:04 AM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:20 AM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate