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Old 03-28-2015, 10:48 AM   #1
akiy
 
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YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?



Here is an Aikido video of Christophe Depaus presenting aikido as an "alternative education system for humanity" at the TEDx UBI Wiltz conference.

Depaus is a 5th dan aikido practitioner/teacher in Brussels, Belgium who has studied with Seiichi Sugano, Christian Tissier, Tsuruzo Miyamoto, Shoji Seki, and others. More on him can be found here.

What are your thoughts on this video?

-- Jun

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Old 03-29-2015, 05:29 AM   #2
sakumeikan
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

Quote:
Jun Akiyama wrote: View Post


Here is an Aikido video of Christophe Depaus presenting aikido as an "alternative education system for humanity" at the TEDx UBI Wiltz conference.

Depaus is a 5th dan aikido practitioner/teacher in Brussels, Belgium who has studied with Seiichi Sugano, Christian Tissier, Tsuruzo Miyamoto, Shoji Seki, and others. More on him can be found here.

What are your thoughts on this video?

-- Jun
Dear Jun,
Some of Depaus Sensei views were food for thought.As far as his aikido is concerned I rather liked how he used the limited space. His movements were quite clear and clean. Thanks for posting, Cheers, Joe
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Old 03-29-2015, 10:26 AM   #3
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

I am not impressed with his usage of Aikido as a vehicle to express his lofty philosophical ideas about improving humanity.

dps
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Old 03-29-2015, 05:01 PM   #4
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

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David Skaggs wrote: View Post
I am not impressed with his usage of Aikido as a vehicle to express his lofty philosophical ideas about improving humanity.

dps
Dear David,
Perhaps if people would try and live up to the man's 'lofty ' philosophical ideals the world would be a better place.At least the sensei tries to make a case for the benefits of aikido.You may not be impressed but others might. What if any] are your own lofty philosophical ideas by the way??Have you any, if so please feel free to let the Forum know. Cheers, Joe
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Old 03-30-2015, 02:03 AM   #5
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

There is always a mismatch in what people talk about and what they perform.
It is not credible when someone talks about love peace, and in the same moment shows techniques to destroy joints and to smash people to the ground.
The process that leads to peace in the sense how Ueshiba meant it, can hardly be made comprehensible by perfoming martial techniques that can cause serious injury.
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Old 03-30-2015, 06:30 AM   #6
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

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Joe Curran wrote: View Post
Dear David,
Perhaps if people would try and live up to the man's 'lofty ' philosophical ideals the world would be a better place.At least the sensei tries to make a case for the benefits of aikido.You may not be impressed but others might. What if any] are your own lofty philosophical ideas by the way??Have you any, if so please feel free to let the Forum know. Cheers, Joe
I have no problem with him having lofty philosophical ideals. It is use of a martial art to promote his ideals that I find hypocritical.
Making weapons of mass destruction ( nuclear bombs) would be an "alternative education system for humanity".

Not my lofty philosophical ideal but one a Buddhist Priest told me over 25 years ago that I agree with. You want a better world to live in, take a broom go out and sweep the sidewalk and street in front of your house everyday.

dps

Last edited by dps : 03-30-2015 at 06:36 AM.
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Old 03-30-2015, 07:49 AM   #7
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

"The process that leads to peace in the sense how Ueshiba meant it, "
--what do you think O'Sensei meant? K. Ueshiba was clear that O'Sensei was not a pacifist in the western sense.
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Old 03-30-2015, 10:20 AM   #8
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Post Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

Quote:
David Skaggs wrote: View Post
I am not impressed with his usage of Aikido as a vehicle to express his lofty philosophical ideas about improving humanity.

dps
It's TED talk. It's all about lofty philosphical ideas about improving humanity in order to make rich people feel better about themselves.
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Old 03-30-2015, 11:29 AM   #9
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

Quote:
David Skaggs wrote: View Post
I am not impressed with his usage of Aikido as a vehicle to express his lofty philosophical ideas about improving humanity.

dps
i thought any idea about improving humanity is lofty.

I remembered listening to google manager talked about google's goal, which is "increase the IQ of the world". if you heard that, like most folks, you will put that goal in the same category as "world pease", "world hunger", and so on. kinda extremely lofty. so, how often folks google for information of sort, on a daily basis? folks who change the world, just do, then worry about whether they could or could not afterward.

"budo is putting on cold, wet, sweat stained gi with a smile and a snarl" - your truly
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Old 03-30-2015, 12:08 PM   #10
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

Quote:
David Skaggs wrote: View Post
I have no problem with him having lofty philosophical ideals. It is use of a martial art to promote his ideals that I find hypocritical.
Making weapons of mass destruction ( nuclear bombs) would be an "alternative education system for humanity".

Not my lofty philosophical ideal but one a Buddhist Priest told me over 25 years ago that I agree with. You want a better world to live in, take a broom go out and sweep the sidewalk and street in front of your house everyday.

dps
It seems like, if you are willing to look at sweeping the sidewalk as a metaphor for a mental / spiritual process that leads one to being more centered, calm, and stable in times of stress and contention, then just about any traditional martial art I can think of can aid in creating a better world.

That's pretty much what gets people in the door these days - this lofty philosophical goal. There is not a martial art out there that is more upfront about this.
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Old 03-30-2015, 02:12 PM   #11
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

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It seems like, if you are willing to look at sweeping the sidewalk as a metaphor for a mental / spiritual process that leads one to being more centered, calm, and stable in times of stress and contention, then just about any traditional martial art I can think of can aid in creating a better world.

That's pretty much what gets people in the door these days - this lofty philosophical goal. There is not a martial art out there that is more upfront about this.
Indeed. it's a marketing gimmick, and in the case of aikido, a pretty successful one.
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Old 03-30-2015, 02:38 PM   #12
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

Quote:
Phi Truong wrote: View Post
i thought any idea about improving humanity is lofty.

I remembered listening to google manager talked about google's goal, which is "increase the IQ of the world". if you heard that, like most folks, you will put that goal in the same category as "world pease", "world hunger", and so on. kinda extremely lofty. so, how often folks google for information of sort, on a daily basis? folks who change the world, just do, then worry about whether they could or could not afterward.
Of course it is impossible to increase the IQ of the world. The average IQ will always be 100.

Peter Rehse Shodokan Aikido
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Old 03-30-2015, 04:58 PM   #13
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

Quote:
Peter Rehse wrote: View Post
Of course it is impossible to increase the IQ of the world. The average IQ will always be 100.
Dear Peter,
If as you say the average IQ is 100,maybe we should spend more cash on education than making armaments?Of course there are financial rewards for some folks who sell arms/bullets, tanks and other types of sh-t.Not forgetting the funeral trade/army uniform trade etc.
If we educate the people to think for themselves maybe some institutions, Congress, house of commons would start to get a bit worried.
Who knows my own iq could well be increased beyond its present capacity?Cheers, Joe.
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Old 03-30-2015, 06:19 PM   #14
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

Quote:
Cliff Judge wrote: View Post
It seems like, if you are willing to look at sweeping the sidewalk as a metaphor for a mental / spiritual process that leads one to being more centered, calm, and stable in times of stress and contention, then just about any traditional martial art I can think of can aid in creating a better world.

That's pretty much what gets people in the door these days - this lofty philosophical goal. There is not a martial art out there that is more upfront about this.
Nope no metaphor. Just get your ass out and sweep the sidewalk and street. That will make a better world.

dps
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Old 03-30-2015, 10:43 PM   #15
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

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Dear Peter,
If as you say the average IQ is 100,maybe we should spend more cash on education than making armaments?
The average IQ is always 100 because that's how IQ is defined. IQ scores are not an absolute measure of anything, they are a measure of relative position within a distribution centered at 100.

Some argue that IQ is useless for exactly this reason.

Katherine
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Old 03-31-2015, 05:33 AM   #16
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

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David Skaggs wrote: View Post
Nope no metaphor. Just get your ass out and sweep the sidewalk and street. That will make a better world.

dps
Ah, okay. So what if there is no sidewalk on your street, and maybe its paved with gravel? How do you make the world a better place then? Improve yourself maybe?
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Old 03-31-2015, 05:55 AM   #17
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

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So what if there is no sidewalk on your street... ?
Be present and do whatever there is to be done. Just that. Live will show you ...

Last edited by Carsten Möllering : 03-31-2015 at 06:02 AM.
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Old 03-31-2015, 06:28 AM   #18
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

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Ah, okay. So what if there is no sidewalk on your street, and maybe its paved with gravel? How do you make the world a better place then? Improve yourself maybe?
What does "improve yourself" even mean? If all you ever do is go around improving your own stuff, which is only ever used for your own personal gratification, how does that "improvement" ever "make the world a better place"?

If there's a single characteristic shared by those who actually do make the world a better place, it would have to be a good solid grasp of "it's not all about me". If your goal in aikido OR sweeping the sidewalk is, at the end of the day, to make yourself better, does that help the world? Sure, if by "make yourself better" you mean to make yourself less messed-up, less reactive, less selfish, etc. Past a certain point, if you just keep polishing your mirror the better to preen in it, then no.
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Old 03-31-2015, 06:32 AM   #19
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

When Aikido is practiced there are opportunities for feelings to develop that can lead to compassion and understanding of others.

I have learned from reading on Aikiweb that aikido is not the same for everyone.

For me, it is the difference between external and internal training:

External : change others. control circumstances

Internal: change one's self, accept what is and go with the flow.

For me: the internal training has changed me and how I look at my life.

Mary Eastland

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Old 03-31-2015, 06:48 AM   #20
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

I once saw a accounting seminar taught while doing yoga. What does yoga have to do with accounting? Nothing. Why do yoga and accounting? Because the seminar presenter was trying to think outside the box. Was that a reflection of good yoga? No. Was it a reflection of good accounting? No; although, one could argue the need for a hook like yoga implies the material was less than enjoyable...

Good for sensei to know someone who got him a spot, I don't know if that is necessarily a reflection of his aikido skill. I think given the forum for what he demonstrated the aikido was fine. I am somewhat confused by the role the physical demonstration played in his verbal presentation.

Personally, I am not a fan of using aikido within a political context or as footing for extrapolated ideology. Religion and politics... I think aikido is bigger than either but the presentation clearly uses aikido to support an ideological perspective. Even the forum for the presentation is notoriously political.

Joe brought up a point that troubles me most... to someone, the ideology in this presentation is a reflection of what is aikido. It's difficult to separate what the presenter says as being his personal perspective and what he says is aikido. Cliff mentioned that this is a problem in martial arts as everyone jockeys for a piece of the pie and I agree with that generalization. I don't think it is right and I don't think that we should get a pass because karate does it.

Jon Reading
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Old 03-31-2015, 09:09 AM   #21
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

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I don't think it is right and I don't think that we should get a pass because karate does it.
"because karate does it"? In my experience in both styles, aikido is much, much more guilty of this than karate.
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Old 03-31-2015, 09:55 AM   #22
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

"The world is where you are standing, and that is the place to train." Didn't O Sensei say that, or something like it?

A lot of harm has been done by people who tried to change the world from a place of personal brokenness. A lot of good has been done by people who didn't worry about the world, just themselves and the people around them.

The "lessons" of aikido (or any martial art) are no different from the lessons of the world's great religions. If your personal practice of aikido (or meditation, or iaido, or flower arranging, or...) makes you a better person, that's great! I'm glad you've found your path! But that doesn't mean it is the best or only path for the rest of us.

Katherine
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Old 03-31-2015, 10:19 AM   #23
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

Quote:
Mary Malmros wrote: View Post
If there's a single characteristic shared by those who actually do make the world a better place, it would have to be a good solid grasp of "it's not all about me". If your goal in aikido OR sweeping the sidewalk is, at the end of the day, to make yourself better, does that help the world? Sure, if by "make yourself better" you mean to make yourself less messed-up, less reactive, less selfish, etc. Past a certain point, if you just keep polishing your mirror the better to preen in it, then no.
Unless you've achieved a Buddha-like degree of enlightenment, there's always plenty of your own stuff to work on.

With that said, I think the cleaner your mirror is, the more you are able to see the other parts of the world reflected in it. If the sidewalk in front of your home is clean, but your neighbor's is not, eventually the contrast will become obvious. So maybe you inspire your neighbor to clean his sidewalk, too, or maybe you organize a neighborhood sidewalk-cleaning committee. Or maybe you go ahead and clean your neighbor's sidewalk, too, because he's elderly and not really able to do it himself.

If you use that mirror for preening, I think maybe it isn't actually as clean as you'd like to think.

Katherine
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Old 03-31-2015, 02:35 PM   #24
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

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Katherine Derbyshire wrote: View Post
Unless you've achieved a Buddha-like degree of enlightenment, there's always plenty of your own stuff to work on.
Only if the goal is personal perfection. And whom does that serve other than yourself? You know the phrase, "The perfect is the enemy of the good"?

Quote:
Katherine Derbyshire wrote: View Post
With that said, I think the cleaner your mirror is, the more you are able to see the other parts of the world reflected in it.
Or your own awesome, dear, narcissistic face?

Quote:
Katherine Derbyshire wrote: View Post
If the sidewalk in front of your home is clean, but your neighbor's is not, eventually the contrast will become obvious. So maybe you inspire your neighbor to clean his sidewalk, too, or maybe you organize a neighborhood sidewalk-cleaning committee. Or maybe you go ahead and clean your neighbor's sidewalk, too, because he's elderly and not really able to do it himself.
As soon as you look at the sidewalk, you're no longer polishing the mirror.
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Old 03-31-2015, 03:55 PM   #25
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Re: YouTube: TEDx: Aikido: an alternative education system for humanity?

Quote:
Katherine Derbyshire wrote: View Post
Unless you've achieved a Buddha-like degree of enlightenment, there's always plenty of your own stuff to work on.

With that said, I think the cleaner your mirror is, the more you are able to see the other parts of the world reflected in it. If the sidewalk in front of your home is clean, but your neighbor's is not, eventually the contrast will become obvious. So maybe you inspire your neighbor to clean his sidewalk, too, or maybe you organize a neighborhood sidewalk-cleaning committee. Or maybe you go ahead and clean your neighbor's sidewalk, too, because he's elderly and not really able to do it himself.

If you use that mirror for preening, I think maybe it isn't actually as clean as you'd like to think.

Katherine
My widowed mom lives by herself in her own little house. The next door neighbor has never been nice to her and lets the weeds and small trees overgrow the link fence into her yard. She has complained to city officials and got nothing done. A few years ago she had the person mowing her lawn mow next to the fence on his side to get rid of the overgrowth. She even paid for his trees to be pruned so they would not overhang her side of the fence. She never said a bad word to him or treated him anything but nice. This past winter we had an enormous amount of snow. One day she saw him shoveling her sidewalks and driveway. When she asked him why he said she had trimmed his trees and mowed part of his lawn and it was about time he did something for her.

Is the world a better place because of this. In a small way yes.

dps
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