We are all in it together

"Our reason has driven all away.
Alone at last, we end up ruling over a desert."

~ Albert Camus (1913-1960)

In the past week I thought about "alone and together".

We arrive and leave this lifetime alone, and yet, simultaneously, we are part of a vast universal web, a complex matrix, in which we are all interconnected, influencing and ever-creating.

I come to peace with the feeling that we might not be able to fully understand those around us. We can still choose to look for growth and deepening in the relationship, allowing its dynamics to hone our character. I also come to peace with the idea that we may choose to depart, leaving the chance of change, the risk, the work, and be alone.

As each of us carry the light of our own vision, we can acknowledge that the light of others helps us see a greater picture. Love and connectedness, dedication and hard work - are choices, by which we grant ourselves and others the opportunities to exchange, learn, and teach.

Precious and delicate, the sweet connecting lines on the web, weaving us single pearls into one universal masterpiece.

A fleeting cloud

Our lives, a fleeting cloud.
Are we stormy - lighting and thunder?
Just floating about, pretty to look at?
Golden on the edges?
Dense and blocking the light?
Are we giving
rain for things to grow?

Looking for the flair

Recently I was approached by one of my students that told me he liked a particular class I taught that week. I usually stick to basic techniques. I believe they show the best way to development of a strong base for beginners. I usually avoid complicated variations with much flair. Though seem somewhat less exciting - I feel the basics will provide my students with a better soil, that can then sprout into a deeper knowledge and understanding of Aikido. The class my student was referring to was a different one though; one in which I moved away from my habit, and showed more complex and challenging variations. I could see the excitement in my students' eyes: "Yes! something new!".

At this conversation, I mentioned to my student some of O'Sensei's words: "In your training, do not be in a hurry, for it takes a minimum of ten years to master the basics and advance to the first rung. Never think of yourself as an all-knowing, perfected master; you must continue to train daily with your friends and students and progress together in the Art of Peace." More basics, I said to him, is better for us all.

O'Sensei's words kept echoing within me, reminding me to stick to simplicity, rather then to flair and grandiosity. A reminder that a daily and ongoing practice should never end. My teacher is a perfect example to that. Decades of Aikido, and still keeping his daily training. His example is a glowing torch, and to its light I follow.

Here is a demonstration of Ikkyo, the very basic of basics, by the current Doshu, Moriteru Ueshiba.



Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
~Leonardo DaVinci

Sharing Aikido

I would like to share this National Geographic 45-minutes program about Aikido.