We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. - Anaïs Nin
In a true budo mindset, a warrior knows no disharmony. However, a martial artist is supposed to always be kigamae (氣構え) or “prepared” and ready for an attack. Typically, a prepared mindset is one that is good at negative bias or one that only sees the bad. Our opponents try to conceal themselves from us so we need to be hypersensitive to the smallest detail which can reveal our enemy’s true intentions and those elements are usually negative. The problem with having negative bias is that the world tends to fade into a vast wasteland of disharmony that is hard to transcend once we are immersed into it. The goal of Aikido training is not to become a better fighter but rather to attain uchinaruheiwa (内なる平和) or “inner peace.” However, harmony is not an attainment but a practice that must be continually reinforced. When Furuya Sensei was a student at Hombu Dojo, one of his duties was to stock the vending machine and count the money. One day he started to notice that people were paying with fake coins. Not wanting to embarrass anyone, the first few times he just replaced the fakes with his own money. At some point, it became too expensive, and he thought that he should bring it to 2nd Doshu’s attention. After explaining the situation and showing Doshu the fake coins, he responded, “No, an Aikido student would never do that. It must be someone coming from the outside.” At first, Sensei thought that Doshu was just being naive but later realized that Doshu’s true greatness came from how he chose to see the world. We can choose to see the bad in the good or the good in the bad but regardless of the choice that perspective can become our worldview. Anaïs Nin said, “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Fear, anger, hatred, etc are all functions of disharmony while kindness, compassion and grace are perspectives of harmony. Understanding this, we can see how Doshu chose to see the good as a way to practice inner peace. Gandhi is falsely attributed with this quote, but it is still apropos, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” We change because we change the way we see the world and thus a true martial artist knows no disharmony.
Today’s goal: Don’t look for disharmony. See the world as you wish to become.
Watch this video of Michael Caine reading and discussing Rudyard Kipling’s poem If.