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In many ways, Aikido has changed my life, and given my shaken faith in humanity a new lease.
Many of the American practitioners are looking beyond the actual training, beyond the cultural value of Japanese society, and we do try to bring an even higher value to the simplicity of Aikido practice that many times astounds even our fellow practitioners in Japan.
Maybe the combining of our Aikido practice into the fabric of our lives is with the lessons of practicality that allows us to seek the best qualities within ourselves.... while we struggle with the physical practice. There is only so much you can learn in the physical practice before you must let go of physical dominance to allow the ego of an attacker bring about their downfall.
I guess I am saying, the arrogance of some martial styles, the attempt to use them for Aikido become your undoing if you attempt to use force, anger, or superiority of self to practice Aikido. It clouds the mind, slows the reflexes, and hinders the fabric of training.
The very basis of Aikido calls for you to give up your self imposed image of superiority to use it to its full potential. If this is not a journey to correct the self and physically learn a martial art to its full potential, I don't know what is.
The real benefit of changing your attitude, is that once you open your defenses, your vision of how to better protect yourself, blend with the circumstances at hand, and view the personality traits that hold you back in training become clear ... or clearer.
That would indeed make a difference in anyones life, wouldn't it?
Last edited by Bruce Baker : 09-29-2002 at 07:40 AM.
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