“Teamwork makes the dream work.” - John C. Maxwell
The best martial artists are good at teamwork. The Japanese don’t really talk about teamwork except in a Japanized sports sense chiimuwaaku (チームワーク) or “teamwork.” Typically, teamwork is only talk about in terms of kyouryoku (協力) or “cooperation.” Kyouryoku literally translates as “cooperative power.” The idea is that a group of people who combine their energies are virtually unbeatable. In the 16th century, Mori Motonari was the head of the Mori clan. He wanted to retire but didn’t know which of his three equally capable sons should succeed him. He had hoped that his sons would work together for the benefit of the clan, so he devised a way to illustrate this to them. Motonari called his sons together and, as the legend goes, he took three arrows from a quiver, and gave each son one and asked them to break it in half. Of course, all three were capable samurai and easily broke them. Then he took out three more arrows and tied them tightly together and invited each of them to try and break the bunch, but no one was able to do it. Motonari said, “I hope you don’t forget this lesson. If you remain united, our clan will survive, but if you become divided, it will perish.” A dojo too can learn from this lesson as it is supposed to be a community of people working together toward a common good. Aikido (合氣道) is not just simply a title of a martial art. It is a clue: ai (合)means for two things to come together, ki (氣) means energy or power and do (道) means path. Two things which come together and then move down the same path kind of sounds like a very basic definition of teamwork. Aikido teaches us that when we work together, there is nothing that we can’t achieve. There will be good times and bad times, but regardless of what happens, I hope that we can come together as a team and help one another. Everything gets better and a little bit easier when we work together. Author John C. Maxwell said, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” The dream is for everyone to master Aikido while working together as a community. That is why the best martial artists are always the best at teamwork.
Today’s goal: Remember, nobody does it alone, not even you. What can you do to be a better team player?