tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315333410007118561.post597695477344609154..comments2024-03-15T00:52:20.774-07:00Comments on The Dragon's Orb: Principles – the essential qualityErik the Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14719361294346916751noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315333410007118561.post-6928215399613617902010-06-19T12:04:14.098-07:002010-06-19T12:04:14.098-07:00I will not argue that violence or non-violence is ...I will not argue that violence or non-violence is always or not always good, because according a reality of constant change, which it seems many of us are concerned with, doesn't make sense. Sense and order as concerned with philosophy is not what I comment to concerning "belief". But it also doesn't just require one to say "OK, I believe now." And yet, I feel as though there CAN be a realm of conviction, away from confrontation, that stems at the root of someone's physical movement and emotional reaction to adverse situations. I wonder if someone more experienced in aikido, which is rank with such beliefs from the Founder, could affirm such a statement, or comment on it's legitimacy.Zacky Chanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174486813298415578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315333410007118561.post-34753085313343651512010-06-19T04:50:26.429-07:002010-06-19T04:50:26.429-07:00Pat, your comment reminds me of a famous aphorism,...Pat, your comment reminds me of a famous aphorism, from George Orwell, if I'm not mistaken. From memory, so might not be exact:<br /><br /><i>People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.</i>Man of the Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691063580228409415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315333410007118561.post-51910465528311882722010-06-18T16:47:41.871-07:002010-06-18T16:47:41.871-07:00Yes the definitions lack. I am starting a journey...Yes the definitions lack. I am starting a journey here at the Kyuryu blog. It is a fool's errand. But the goal is to help us all define and redefine...then get beyond the definitions. <br /><br />This I hope will become my first book, and everyone;s contributions will shape it's form.Erik the Strangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14719361294346916751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315333410007118561.post-9656110487317437742010-06-18T07:33:07.220-07:002010-06-18T07:33:07.220-07:00I would say, no, an aikido practitioner does not h...I would say, no, an aikido practitioner does not have to "believe" in non-violence.<br /><br />Violence is not a thing to believe in or not. Violence is a part of nature. You can't really "not believe in lightning or tornados" any more than you can not believe in violence, or as you put it, "to believe in non-violence."<br /><br />I think violence is a hell of a great thing at times. I think that a lot of times we don't like the violent approach, we'd prefer a gentle, civilized, controllable approach. But at times violence is just maximally efficient use of power.<br /><br />Consider how well a non-violent approach would have worked for the forces and issues that led to WWII, for example.<br /><br />Was it Patton that said, "A good plan violently executed right now is better than a perfect plan sometime later."Patrick Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04471858995477729220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315333410007118561.post-33638252350117776712010-06-18T07:22:47.518-07:002010-06-18T07:22:47.518-07:00this last comment by zacky is good. and aren't...this last comment by zacky is good. and aren't all the different arts based upon principles (albeit varying)? can one be non-violent in another art form? yet we all know aikido is its own form. hmmm. good post....jchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07623739973599458366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315333410007118561.post-47434069031103302872010-06-18T06:11:12.920-07:002010-06-18T06:11:12.920-07:00This is a comment from someone with infinitely les...This is a comment from someone with infinitely less hands-on experience than the writer of this blog, but I think there is something greatly lacking in the definitions given. Aikido's physical "principles" can certainly be summed up, and as a matter of fact, very well done by the sources given I think, but to go deeper is to find something beyond physical movement, and thusly closer to the root of the style of movement. This post does give attention to that, but I think it is more than "peace and harmony through non-violent action", more than "elegance", and more than mantras and sounds. I am at a loss to give an addition to the definition, but I wonder what you would say about the emotional energies that charge an aggressive attack, a "legitimate" attack, or an aikido-practised-pacifist. Is it important for a practitioner of aikido to believe in non-violence?Zacky Chanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174486813298415578noreply@blogger.com