“Personal greed and egoism are things that cause human beings to
forget respect for others and to violate rules that have been
established for the sake of peace and friendship.”
- Mas Oyama, Founder of Kyokushinkai Karate
The best Aikidoist takes nothing for granted. The definition of taking something for granted is “to fail to properly appreciate someone or something.” One way to say, “take for granted” in Japanese is kimeru (決める). Interestingly, kimeru can also mean “to decide” and it is also a martial arts term for a “double-arm lock.” If we play with the meanings, then a person takes something for granted (kimeru) and then the other person decides (kimeru) to take advantage of their oversight and put them into a double arm lock (kimeru).
Aikidoist don’t take anything or anyone for granted because they are supposed to be good at details. The movements in Aikido are supposed to be very seido (精度) or “precise.” Precision is necessary because the philosophy of Aikido dictates that we place a great amount of emphasis on limiting the amount of injury inflicted to our opponents. In order to do that, we need precision. Another reason that Aikidoists don’t take things for granted is because in Aikido, we are also supposed to be training ourselves to become “good at finding weak points” or suki wo mitsukeru noga jozu desu (隙を見つけるのが上手です). By scanning for suki (隙) or “weak points,” we get good at seeing details. Any detail, no matter how small, can become the clue which helps us to unlock our opponent’s offense or defense.
In class, one of the easiest ways to teach ourselves to look for the details is during the warm-up. If we are paying attention as people warm-up, then we can notice who is flexible and who is not. We can also see where people are inflexible or who cannot follow the warm-up. One interesting thing we can notice is how people carry their bodies. Most times, we warm-up mindlessly and so a person can observe how our bodies move without conscious thought. Here, to name just a few things, we can see how balanced a person’s body is, if their body moves in sync, or if how well acquainted they are with their body. That information goes into our calculation of how to best deal with them.
In Aikido, everything matters down to the smallest details. In Aikido and in life, we are supposed to be training ourselves to notice not just where people are weak but where they are strong. On the mat, this starts as a means to overtake our opponents but later we are supposed to transfer that skill into becoming better human beings. The act of being “human” is about relationships and thus how we treat one another is important. A famous Tea Ceremony quote is “Give those for whom you find yourself with every consideration.” Once we can “see” others, we should never take them lightly. We become real martial artists when we decide (kimeru) to not take anything or anyone for granted (kimeru) but if we do, someone is likely to put us in a double arm lock (kimeru). The best Aikidoist do their best to not take people, things, or situations for granted.
This weekend, I am aware that many of the students “lost” their weekend to the dojo, and I apologize for imposing on everyone. I hope that you all know that your sacrifices are not taken for granted. I think everyone had a good time despite the work and long hours, especially Vrej who lightened the mood of mochitsuki with the phrase, “Part of the job is hanging out.” So true indeed.
Today’s goal: Try to truly see one person today and not take them for granted. Tomorrow, strive for two.
Watch this video to better understand taking things for granted