Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on June 10, 2002.
In Aikido and in all things, we understand our own perspective well enough and we may even be so bold as to assume that everyone else in the world abides by our own world view but this doesn't get us very far. What does the old adage say about walking in another's moccasins? In the art of Aikido, it is important to see all sides, meaning that it is important to see not only the position from the standpoint of the techniques but also the position of the mind and spirit of the other person as well.