“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” ―The Emperor, Disney’s Mulan
One of the major things that all martial arts teach is resiliency. In terms of Aikido, the proverb that comes to mind is “Nana korobi ya oki” (七転び八起き) or “Fall down seven times, but get up eight.” Every day in Aikido practice someone throws us down and we have to put this proverb into practice and get up. We have this wonderful student who started during the pandemic. She comes to almost every class and really exemplifies what it means to be a “good” student. The other day while rolling out of a technique she landed on her hip a little too hard and got injured. One of the senior students advised her to take some time off. To our surprise, she showed up one day later and didn’t make a big deal about it and just trained. At the end of class, I said, “Congratulations!” She and everyone else looked around quizzically. I explained that I congratulated her because our first training injury is supposed to be auspicious. Most people think that our first promotion makes us a real Aikidoist, but in all actuality the true right of passage is our first injury. Our first injury tests our mettle and demonstrates our true inner character. This won’t be her last injury and there will undoubtedly be bumps and bruises or keikyoku (荊棘) or “obstacles” throughout her journey in not only Aikido, but in life as well. Epictetus said, “It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” Thus, our reaction demonstrates our true inner character. She could have quit but instead she chose to gaman (我慢) or “persevere” in the face of her obstacle. The word keikyoku means “obstacle” but it literally translates as “thorns” and it seems apropos for the martial arts. Keikyoku remind us that we have to get past the thorns to enjoy something’s beauty. Thus, Aikido training teaches us that life is really about surmounting obstacles.
Today’s goal: If you are considering giving up, don’t. The perseverance is worth it.