“Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.” - Maya Angelou
It takes trust to learn Aikido or anything else for that matter. However, a warrior isn’t supposed to be the trusting type. There is an old saying, “Bushi wo mitaradoroboutoomoe” (武士を見たら泥棒と思え) which means “Warriors always assume the worst in people.” On a certain level, this could be true because it is commonly thought that the most effective technique is the damashiuchi (騙し討ち) or “surprise attack.” Our opponents study us and wait for the right moment to attack when our guard is down. Not wanting to be caught off guard, the warriors of old were always supposed to be vigilant and ever suspicious. This type of mindset is called negative bias or one that assumes the worst in people. In the beginning of our training, it is easy to cultivate an adversarial mindset because people are throwing us down and we can mistakenly think it is malicious. Thinking that everyone is out to get us makes it hard to shinnin (信任) or “trust” others. However, with time and training, we come to realize that Aikido is less about fighting others and more about overcoming ourselves. O’Sensei once said, “Aiki is not a technique to fight with or defeat an enemy. It is the way to reconcile the world and make human beings one family.” This is where we start to shift from having a negative biased mind to one that is positive biased where it is more about abundance and trust and less about lack and deceit. With experience, we learn to take care of others on and off the mat. We realize that our partners are trusting us by giving us their bodies to use and that we shouldn’t abuse that trust and with this awareness comes shinraikankei (信頼関係) or a “relationship of mutual trust.” It is easy to lose our trust in others and assume the worst in people. With Aikido training, we learn to soften our negative minds, see the world in a more abundant light and trust that life is not a burden but a gift. While the warrior of old may not have trusted others for good reason, the warrior of today has the opportunity to live a different life. With trust, we can learn anything and become anyone we want to be.
Today’s goal: Trust that the world is abundant instead of seeing it as lacking.