the philosophy of aikido by George Simcox
(1933-2000) - Page 1 of 2
AIKIDO: A civilizing martial art
and,
Ki: The force that makes it that way
Homo Sapiens has been called a hunter and fighter. History has shown us that this is pretty true. Civilization is one name for efforts over the years to evolve human social life from a dog-eat-dog existence where the environment is an enemy to be subdued, into a society where we care for one another and have a concern for what we leave to successive generations.
Sports are often highly competitive, focused on winning, sometimes at all
costs. Ethics and kindness, civilizing functions, have both been sacrificed
on the altar of WINNING. Many martial artists have followed a similar path,
stripping away those concerns for our fellow persons which have made us civilized,
focusing instead on the perceived need to stomp an opponent into the ground
and "teach a lesson that will not be forgotten". Some martial arts
stress a high intensity of emotion and hostility in pursuing self defense
strategies. Yet, there are some martial arts which stress inner forces and
focus on calmness in action and control of emotions. Aikido is one of these
"other arts". Morihei Uyeshiba (often called O'Sensei meaning great
teacher), the founder of Aikido, created a martial way which focused on the
harmony of nature rather than conflict within nature. This approach requires
that the practitioner be calm and relaxed in order to respond effectively
to the energies of the attacker and to utilize his or her skill. Punishment
was never a goal.
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