“Where there is a way or path, it is someone else's. Each of us has to find our own way.” - Joseph Campbell
The Way (道) is a singular pursuit. No one can do our work for us. In the journey of Aikido and life, each of us will become entangled in our own problems and thus each of us will have to find our own way out. One way to say “to find a way out” in Japanese is shichuukyuukatsu (死中求活) which literally translates to mean “find a way out of a potentially fatal situation.” All of our problems are relative and thus to each of us they are dire or seemingly potentially fatal.
One of the unintended benefits that Aikido training gives us is how to deal with our problems. However, I do preface this by saying that although “people bring their stuff to the mat,” that Aikido is not psychotherapy or at least not directly. Basically, in Aikido, we learn to be one of three types of people. The first is a solutions-based person who looks for kaiketsuhouhou (解決方法) or “ways of solving a problem.” Typically, students are solutions-based people who are seeking answers. The second is a problems-based person who only sees things as mondai (問題) or “problems.” Another interesting way to say “problem” in Japanese is fuguai (不具合) which literally translates to mean “no tool fits.” Usually, teachers are problems-based people because they have to be able to “see” what the student is doing wrong in order to give them the appropriate correction to get them back on track. Together, the teacher and the student meet somewhere in the middle. The third type of person is the strategist. The strategist has gained the objectivity of being able to see the problem but at the same time continually look for a solution and is not mired one way or the other. In swordsmanship and Buddhism, this unemotional objectivity is referred to as equanimity or the ability to mindfully observe and consciously act. Equanimity is the ability to have shinshokujijaku (神色自若) which means “to have mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.”
Each of us has to find our own way out but essentially what we are talking about is being good at heihou (兵法) or “strategy.” Strategy is being able to quickly see problems, mindfully think ahead, and create efficient solutions. In Aikido and in life, there will always be something that will rise to confront us. No one is immune to strife. The real testament to one’s Aikido training is in our ability to deal with our problems and find our way out efficiently and unemotionally. In Aikido and in life, it is all strategy.
Today’s goal: Don’t see your problem as a threat. Look for a strategy to find your way out.
Watch this video to better understand solution oriented thinking.