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Old 11-08-2009, 05:01 PM   #26
aikishrine
Dojo: aikido of central new york
Location: syracuse,ny
Join Date: Sep 2005
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Re: Taking yourself to seriously?

Mary i am not judging others, i am making an observation, however it seems to me that you are choosing my post to judge me. So check your footing before you fall.
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Old 11-08-2009, 05:56 PM   #27
Anjisan
Dojo: Aikido of Madison
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
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Do symbol Re: Taking yourself to seriously?

Quote:
Maarten De Queecker wrote: View Post
I don't see how the latter is an issue. As long as people are having fun, let them train. The social aspect of aikido is one of the main reasons I keep training. I
By the comment that I made, I am not at all implying that Aikido should not be "fun". On the contrary, without 'fun and friendships, there would be very few of us left to train with. However, I do not believe that just because one wants their training to be "fun" does not mean that their practice has to be ineffective.

Why cannot one have "fun" training that retains the focus of being effective? To do otherwise does not seem to reflect a martial art--perhaps Yoga or pottery class--but not a martial art either to the public or to other martial artists. To not make effectivess an aspect of one's training not only hurts the practitioner, the image of the art, but also one's training partners in my opinion.
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Old 11-08-2009, 07:00 PM   #28
lbb
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Re: Taking yourself to seriously?

Quote:
Brian Northrup wrote: View Post
Mary i am not judging others, i am making an observation.
Please feel free to substitute "making statements in which you comment unfavorably about what other people think and feel" for "judging", then -- or whatever you prefer. My comments stand: if all you're doing is guessing about other people's beliefs and motivations, I think this is counterproductive. The person that you judge (or use whatever word you want) as "taking him/herself too seriously" may simply have a different way of going about things than you do, or a different kind of focus, or a different level of dedication to his/her training, or simply other difficult things going on in his/her life.

Quote:
Brian Northrup wrote: View Post
however it seems to me that you are choosing my post to judge me So check your footing before you fall.
I'm not judging you, I'm commenting on your own statements. Remember, creating a thread on a discussion forum is an implicit invitation to comment -- and not merely to be a cheering section, but to offer alternate views as well.
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Old 11-08-2009, 07:14 PM   #29
mathewjgano
 
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Dojo: Tsubaki Kannagara Jinja Aikidojo; Himeji Shodokan Dojo
Location: Renton
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Re: Taking yourself to seriously?

It might just be semantics, but I don't think a person can take themselves too seriously. They can take their role in a situation too seriously though.
I try to be serious about everything, including whimsy and lightheartedness (that's a word right?). I find the times I've "taken myself too seriously" it feels more true to say I haven't taken something else seriously enough.

Gambarimashyo!
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Old 11-09-2009, 02:11 AM   #30
crbateman
 
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Re: Taking yourself to seriously?

I think it's hard for any person when training to completely leave their personality, or even their mood, at the door. I don't mean this in a bad way, but only that people are ultimately going to be whomever they are. So it follows that some are going to take themselves too seriously, because that's who some people are... sometimes...
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Old 11-09-2009, 09:20 AM   #31
MattMiddleton
 
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Dojo: MUN Aikido
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Talking Re: Taking yourself to seriously?

Quote:
Josh Phillipson wrote: View Post
O Sensei talked about training with a joyful heart. How is this offset with the seriousness and life-and-death sincerity?
I don't think that life-and-death sincerity offsets a joyful heart. I don't remember the exact quote, but didn't O-Sensei talk about part of the purpose of Aikido being the preservation of life? If so, and life should be something that brings joy, then by practicing something that protects life we should be joyous.

Or, I could've had too much coffee this morning *LOL*
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Old 11-09-2009, 09:23 AM   #32
ninjaqutie
 
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Re: Taking yourself to seriously?

I have always trained with the mindset that it is a serioius endeavor, however, I don't see anything wrong with training with lightheartedness. Smiles and giggles/chuckles should be used when appropriate.

~Look into the eyes of your opponent & steal his spirit.
~To be a good martial artist is to be good thief; if you want my knowledge, you must take it from me.
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Old 11-09-2009, 09:50 AM   #33
Shadowfax
 
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Dojo: Allegheny Aikido, Pitsburgh PA
Location: Pittsburgh PA
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Re: Taking yourself to seriously?

I've been thinking about this subject for a couple f days before I could really comment on it.

To be honest I just can't see why it should matter to me whether someone else takes themselves too seriously or not. That's their issue not mine. To me aikido is a way of exploring and discovering my self... not examining someone else.

I think Mary made a very good point. You cannot know what is going on in someones life or mind, on the day, that might give the impression of seriousness or lack of seriousness. Concentrating on someone else's perceived shortcomings only distracts you from your own training.

Nothing puts a bigger smile on my face than a partner who gets serious, makes a great connection, and moves me in a big way. In fact my partners can tell, if the know to look, if they have connected because when they do I can't help getting a huge smile on my face.

Being serious can be a lot of fun.
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Old 11-09-2009, 12:22 PM   #34
David Board
Dojo: Aikido of Reno
Location: Reno/NV
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Re: Taking yourself to seriously?

Quote:
Brian Northrup wrote: View Post
When i say taking yourself to seriously, i am not talking about training. By all means train with the utmost sincerity, and with 100% effort. You should do this, otherwise you take the chance of hurting yourself or others.

What i was getting at is what i like to call the "Steven Seagal "complex. A great martial artist from a technical stand point, but thinking himself a reincarnated Dali Lama and the such is just a bit much. And while i havent come across people with that big of an ego, I have definitely come across people who could slide down that slippery slope.
Hmmm, buy them a copy of Lu-Tze's Yearbook of Enlightenment 2008. It will be out of date but perhaps they will gain some understanding. If you can't find a copy try The Thief of Time.

This way even if they do slide down that infamous slope they can do so with a grin. At the very least they will learn Rule One. Plus, it will give them something to think about while sweeping the Dojo.
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