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05-06-2009, 09:37 PM
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#1
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 950
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Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
Every once in awhile you come across things like this you gotta share, in some way it always applies to Aikido.
Long ago, a group of monks got into a discussion of horses teeth. How many did a horse have? All the ancient writings were consulted, and the discussion became more and more heated. Finally a young monk suggested they look in the horse's mouth. One and all turned on this impertinent, irreverent monk and they literally threw him out of the monastery.
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05-07-2009, 03:41 AM
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#2
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Dojo: Wherever I happen to be
Location: Zaragoza
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 587
Offline
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
Of course! He commited heresy!! Pretty much like in many aiki dojos around...
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05-07-2009, 05:50 AM
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#3
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Dojo: Aikido Fellowship of Great Britain
Location: Birmingham
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 84
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
I like A Cup of Tea:
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he could no longer restrain himself. "It is overfull. Nothing more will go in."
"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
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05-07-2009, 07:28 AM
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#4
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,415
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
My brother is a retired machinist. The majority of his work career was spent rebuilding old machining equipment and adding new electronics to them. The engineers would send them blueprints and the machinists would rebuild the machines.
One day an engineer came into the shop and pointing to the blueprints wanted to be shown where a particular part was on the machine. When he was shown where it was located on the machine he got angry and said that the machine wouldn't work because the part was not where the blueprint said it should be. The machinists told him that the blueprint was wrong and to get the machine to work in the factory they had to change the location of the part. The engineer told them that he was the engineer and they were just machinists and did not know what they were doing and in the future to follow the blueprints exactly.
The machinists continued to rebuild the machines to work in the real world and not to the engineer's blueprints.
David
Last edited by dps : 05-07-2009 at 07:30 AM.
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Go ahead, tread on me.
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05-07-2009, 03:49 PM
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#5
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Dojo: Wherever I happen to be
Location: Zaragoza
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 587
Offline
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
Care with that, David. Then, things happen...
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05-07-2009, 04:47 PM
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#6
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,248
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
says the enginner.
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05-08-2009, 02:55 AM
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#7
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Dojo: Wherever I happen to be
Location: Zaragoza
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 587
Offline
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
See, Demetrio? My boss used not to take our blueprints as... well... blueprints, and he modified the location and size of the pipes at his will and past (vetust) experience, he having some 40 years of experience in this field (meaning having his cup full).
Long story short, the company went bankrupt due to continuous repairs, reworks, re-"engineering" of the systems in all factories we erected. And they never worked at client's satisfaction.
Sad. Needless to say, all of us engineers resigned and disbanded. Short after that, there was an explosion due to a modification in the safety system of a diesel chest made by him, ignoring the blueprints. Fortunately nobody was there.
That's why I say, "things happen". But I digress...
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05-08-2009, 08:37 AM
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#8
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Dojo: Tsubaki Kannagara Jinja Aikidojo; Himeji Shodokan Dojo
Location: Renton
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,276
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
I love the allegory of the 3 blind dudes and the elephant:
Three blind men were walking along a trail in the hills of northern Thailand when they came upon a strange smelling beast (terrible pun intended). The man in front reached out and felt the rough skin of the trunk and said, "be careful! It's some sort of large snake!" The second man had already put his hand out from force of habit and said, "you're crazy! It's some kind of very large and strange water buffalo!" The third man also reached his hand out, but grabbed the tail, saying to the second man, "you're mental, dude! It's definately just a snake...although, how our friend seems to think this little thing is something large is beyond me!" As they continued their walk in heated argument (they all agreed it smelled bad), the elephant thought, "what a neurotic breed of simians!"
And while I'm sharing stories about elephants in northern Thailand, some words of wisdom: when riding an elephant along a trail, make sure the people picking you up at the end of the ride don't happen to have any parrots with them or you may find yourself on the back of an elephant running and shrieking through the jungle.
Last edited by mathewjgano : 05-08-2009 at 08:42 AM.
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Gambarimashyo!
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05-08-2009, 09:43 AM
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#9
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Dojo: Doshinkan dojo in Roxborough, Pa
Location: Phila. Pa
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,615
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
Elephants don't like parrots?
B,
R
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Ron Tisdale
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"The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind."
St. Bonaventure (ca. 1221-1274)
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05-08-2009, 10:15 AM
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#10
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Dojo: Tsubaki Kannagara Jinja Aikidojo; Himeji Shodokan Dojo
Location: Renton
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,276
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
Quote:
Ron Tisdale wrote:
Elephants don't like parrots?
B,
R
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Mine didn't.
Just as we were about to disembark, the parrot came into view and suddenly the elephant went in reverse, turned around, and began running back the way we came (toward its home, basically). It was almost comical at the time...now it's definately so.
Apparently elephants are emotional creatures...which I guess makes sense given the disparaging remark about humans in my first story.
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Gambarimashyo!
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05-08-2009, 10:25 AM
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#11
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Dojo: Doshinkan dojo in Roxborough, Pa
Location: Phila. Pa
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,615
Offline
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
Yikes! Any pictures?
I can't quite imagine the look on your face! chortle...
B,
R (nobody rode the elephants I saw in Kenya!)
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Ron Tisdale
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"The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind."
St. Bonaventure (ca. 1221-1274)
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05-08-2009, 10:44 AM
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#12
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Dojo: Tsubaki Kannagara Jinja Aikidojo; Himeji Shodokan Dojo
Location: Renton
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,276
Offline
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
Quote:
Ron Tisdale wrote:
Yikes! Any pictures?
I can't quite imagine the look on your face! chortle...
B,
R (nobody rode the elephants I saw in Kenya!)
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No, I didn't want to embarrass the elephant, but I assure you I was the very image of stoic composure. Plus, I had my girlfriend with me so I couldn't let a little thing like a "stampeding" elephant make me look bad!
...and there's another piece of wisdom from the hills of Thailand: always look cool in front of your future wife (it prevents her from telling embarrassing stories later on at social gatherings).
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Gambarimashyo!
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05-08-2009, 11:54 AM
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#13
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Location: Miami, FL
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 453
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
I haven't verified this, but I heard that elephants saved the lives of many during that horrible tsunami. I actually don't doubt it. I'm not a biologist or zoologist, but I just get the feeling when I see them at zoos that those animals are highly intelligent and caring. I rode on the back of one as a kid at Miami Metrozoo. It was a gentle, pleasurable ride but my olfactory sense left much to be desired!
Drew
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05-08-2009, 02:59 PM
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#14
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Dojo: Doshinkan dojo in Roxborough, Pa
Location: Phila. Pa
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,615
Offline
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
Mathew,
Dude, if you didn't scream like a little girl, you were a hero in her eyes!
Mine too...
B,
R
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Ron Tisdale
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"The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind."
St. Bonaventure (ca. 1221-1274)
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05-08-2009, 03:21 PM
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#15
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Dojo: Jiki Shin Kan Utrecht
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 562
Offline
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
Quote:
Matthew Gano wrote:
always look cool in front of your future wife (it prevents her from telling embarrassing stories later on at social gatherings).
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Is all I'm saying about that...
kvaak
Pauliina
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05-17-2009, 12:10 PM
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#16
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,415
Offline
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Re: Story's, Anecdotes, and Other Stuff of Wisdom
Quote:
Matthew Gano wrote:
I love the allegory of the 3 blind dudes and the elephant:
Three blind men were walking along a trail in the hills of northern Thailand when they came upon a strange smelling beast (terrible pun intended). The man in front reached out and felt the rough skin of the trunk and said, "be careful! It's some sort of large snake!" The second man had already put his hand out from force of habit and said, "you're crazy! It's some kind of very large and strange water buffalo!" The third man also reached his hand out, but grabbed the tail, saying to the second man, "you're mental, dude! It's definately just a snake...although, how our friend seems to think this little thing is something large is beyond me!" As they continued their walk in heated argument (they all agreed it smelled bad), the elephant thought, "what a neurotic breed of simians!"
And while I'm sharing stories about elephants in northern Thailand, some words of wisdom: when riding an elephant along a trail, make sure the people picking you up at the end of the ride don't happen to have any parrots with them or you may find yourself on the back of an elephant running and shrieking through the jungle.
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The Blind Men and the Elephant
by John Godfrey Saxe
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, "Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
" ‘Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!
David
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Go ahead, tread on me.
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