Yes once again my first post on a thread was not right, oh will I every learn.
The idea of politics playing a part in my Aikido is a none issue, Before individuals come on the forum and state other wise I would like to say I HAVE NEVER BEING INVOLVED IN POLITICS IN AIKIDO EVER.
Other people may say I have had or within this post and I have always had a political issue in the background, not true. I know my own mind and when I say something people should take it at face value.
In my Aikido training I have only wanted one thing, to improve. To this end I have traveled up and down the country and Europe. The places I have gone and thing I have done have all being done for this end.
But I have heared comments like the reason I don't grade is political, I now ask myself are these people fooling themselves. If you are not liked by the powers that be were you are go somewhere else, if you are not learning anything or being challenged go somewhere else. The other thing that come to me is people look at politics as the problem in they lives, but never look to see the problem may not be politics but themselves, the reason they have not grade may be simple they just not good enough yet.
The other common statement I hear is the one that goes. Why can I not grade other people. Why do people feel the need to have power over other because you have a thin black line around them. I have to be asked to grade and I am not really that keen to truthful, I only use it as a another pair of eyes to help Sensei make the right choice. And before anyone says it my feelings are it is not politics I give information over and someone else uses it.
I have been in three Aikido Org,s and the reason I left two of them was nothing to do with politics. One was to far away and I had work comments, the other simply the training bored me. So I when somewhere I feeled I could learn Aikido and not be bored. See no politics involved.
As for Foucault, POWER KNOWLEDGE DISCOURSE was one of his big ideas. Looking at it from a Aikido angle he has a point. People use discourse to retain power over others comments like "I know more about Aikido than you will ever forget" and the classical one "I was doing that 20 years ago" and last but not lest "your Aikido would be nothing without me". These all demonstrate how people use word to control how people think and feel and its not politics it pity little people trying to make so sense of they miserable little lives. Oh i am so cross
. May the wrong words to use so close to Easter he,he,he