Touch Your Weapons Every Day

身から出た錆
Remove the rust from your blade

Don’t let your weapons rust, handle them every day. Furuya Sensei used to admonish us by saying, “Touch your weapons every day.” We aren’t forced to confront the line between life and death every day, so the idea is that, as humans, we have the tendency to forget. If we neglect our bodies or our weapons for even a day then we may accidentally forgo them for much longer and thus, when we need them, they will be rusty. In college, I read a study that the average professional athlete starts to lose conditioning after 10 days of inactivity. This is incredible and those people are on average in their late twenties and in a sense, they begin to rust. Even during the Tour de France, the riders still ride on the rest days to keep their legs from getting stiff or they ride so that they don’t rust. Today, life seems to go by so fast. One day turns into a week and a week into a month and without even realizing it, a year has passed. The only way to slow this down is with mindfulness. When we handle our weapons, we are mindful and we are in the present. In order to not forget with our bodies, we must remember our training by moving our bodies. In order to not forget how our weapons feel then we must touch them every day. By picking up our weapons every day, even for a moment, we remember who we are. This memory is the mindfulness which prevents our minds and our bodies from rusting. Don’t forget how your weapons feel, touch them to prevent them from rusting. Remove the rust and don’t forget!     

Today’s goal: Pick up your weapons and swing them around even if it is for just a moment.

We Fail to the Level of Our Training

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” Archilochus

Behave like a martial artist. To behave means “to act or conduct oneself in a specified way, especially toward others.” This leads us to understand that following the way of budo or “the martial arts” is a behavior that is as much mental as it is physical. Most things have already been codified into a set of steps or the skills that when mastered can bring about success. In Japanese, these skills are called kihon (基本) or “basics.” When we train in Aikido, we train to develop the basic movements which in turn develop us physically, but while we are creating order within our movements, we are also creating order within ourselves. Training then forges us both physically and mentally which creates behaviors which are the best tools for one’s success. The Greek poet Archilochus alludes to this when he said, “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” How we prepare ourselves creates the opportunity for our success and thus a martial artist fails to the level of their preparation. The behavior of “being” a martial artist benefits us both in the dojo and in all aspects of our lives. Furuya Sensei said, “The only proof that we have mastered Aikido or, at least, have begun to understand its principles, is the degree to which we have incorporated it into our lives.” In budo, there is a saying, “everything you do matters.” How we behave reflects on our dojo, on our teacher, on our training, and on our art. Thus, how we do anything is how we do everything and so everything we do matters. Behave like a martial artist.

Today’s goal: Ask yourself, “Is this how a martial artist acts?”

Command Spacing and Timing

The best warriors are always in command of spacing and timing.  

In swordsmanship, the proper distance between us and our opponent is referred to as issoku itto no maai (一刀一足の間合い) or “the distance for one step and cut.” Issoku itto no maai can be shortened to ittoma or “one cut spacing.” Generally, the proper safe distance is about six feet. Coincidentally, most western made tatami are 3 feet by 6 feet. The theory is that if we can keep the spacing at about 6 feet then we can simultaneously attack our opponent but also safely stave off their attack. In the beginning the proper spacing is an actual measurement, but later it becomes more of an intuitive feeling. At one’s highest level, ittoma is more mental than it is physical because maintaining the proper distancing is really an exercise in restraint. Can we have the self-control to only attack when the spacing is right but also have enough self-discipline to not step into our opponent’s ittoma. At our highest level, we are supposed to be in control of the spacing and timing of any situation. Furuya Sensei once wrote, “Watch the spacing first because spacing is not only to negotiate the opponent’s attack by establishing proper distancing, but this spacing also greatly influences the proper Timing of the technique.” Thus, if we can control the spacing then we can control the timing and if we control timing then we are automatically in control of the spacing.  

Today it is an interesting coincidence that the proper social distance spacing is 6 feet and this can conveniently dovetail into a training tool for us. One difficulty in modern training is that it lacks danger. Now, the danger is real and we can use this this danger to help us train in keeping the proper spacing and thus it is as Sensei said that, “Everything is training.” Controlling our spacing helps us to be vigilant, diligent and safe. Maintain your issoku itto no maai!

Today’s goal: Discipline yourself to maintain your social distancing.  

Throwback Thursday: Furuya Sensei Daily Message from October 24, 2002

Throwback Thursday

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on October 24, 2002.

I often think that there are two realities. One reality is the hard facts of life that we are on our own and have to deal with life with our own bare hands in the here and now. But I think there is another reality as well. It is one which we can't touch or control, it is the reality that there are many powers and influences upon our lives which keep us well and keep us going and these come from the people and things all around us. At the same time, when we are alone, we are also not alone, there are many people here by our sides and we receive their power every minute of the day. When we try to realize love in this hard world, I think it is very difficult because it is part of the other reality. Occasionally, we can make this "cross over" where both worlds link together. Aikido is another way to link both worlds of the here and now and this other reality where we are completely at the mercy of something higher, more powerful and mysterious, and far beyond our understanding and scope. In our practice, we should learn to see both worlds as one. This is not easy and about as hard as trying to make love work. Please try your best every day anyways!

Accept Things As They Are

Life and budo training teach us to accept things just as they are.

In the beginning of training, we program ourselves to see only our opponent’s weaknesses and their tendencies or in other words we see the bad in them. However, this method of “seeing” sometimes becomes something we have difficulty turning off and it can accidentally become our daily outlook. Later in our training, we start to see the similar things inherent in us in our opponents and thus we begin to see the good in them but that too can become our normal perspective. At the pinnacle of our training, we no longer see things or people as good or bad but just as they are. Seeing things as good or bad is merely a judgment and many times it is not the reality. Shakespeare once wrote, “Nothing is either right or wrong but thinking makes it so.” it is then our perspective which creates our false sense of reality. Understanding this, we realize that the reality is often times much too complicate and convoluted, so it is not necessarily something to understand but something to just accept. O’Sensei said, “True Budo is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace the world, correctly produce, protect and cultivate all beings in nature.” Thus, the true pinnacle of one’s training or life is just acceptance. When we can accept things just as they are then we can live a life free of judgements of others and ourselves and thus live a calm and centered life.

Today’s goal: Do your best to accept things just as they are.

Read the Air

“Develop intuitive judgement and understanding in everything.” Musashi Miyamoto

A good warrior can intuitively read the air. In Japanese when someone can intuitively anticipate something they say, kuki wo yomeru (空氣を読める) or that they are able “to read the air.” A warrior can be successful if they are able to anticipate their opponent’s next move. To know what is coming next enables us to be at the right place at the right time in order defend or attack our opponent. This “knowing” is not only apropos for the battlefield but it is extremely useful in one’s daily life. However, to anticipate is more than a “knowing,” it is almost an intuitive feeling of what is most likely to come next. That is because when we are anticipating, we are actually supposed to be using our intuition which is action without conscious thought and hence it is as if we are “reading the air.” This is something that we use every day as we drive, catch, walk or care for others. To learn to read the air takes training and we usually receive this training when we take ukemi or at the higher levels with our teachers as we try and anticipate their needs, but we can also do it with our friends and loved ones. At the root of intuition is caring. If we care enough then we try and do our best and that means trying to anticipate what someone might need or want. Doing something before we are asked shows that we care but it also shows that we were being attentive. The best people are those who seem to be able to “know” what the right thing is that needs to be done at the right time and are thus usually the most successful. Being able to “read the air” is a very high level martial arts technique.       

Today’s goal: Try and anticipate someone else’s needs before they ask you.

There are No Shoulds

“Do not think of work, any work, as a duty. If it is a duty, then it will become a burden to you. How do you turn a burden into a pleasure? Live respectfully, correctly and boldly.” - Nakamura Tempu

Do you ever get corrected when using the word “should” or do you ever find yourself directing someone to do something by telling that they “should” do it only to be corrected  with, “there are no should.” For the longest time, it was hard for me to figure out what it was they were implying. The word “should” is defined as a word “used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness, typically when criticizing someone's actions.” The definition of “should” alludes to this understanding that its use is about control. Therefore, if we do something because we “should” then we are typically not doing it because we want to. If we are in control of ourselves, and we are because we have free will, then whatever it is that we do is because it is our choice. Thus, everything that we do is because we “want” to without any outside obligation or influence. Likewise, when we tell someone that they “should” do something there is an element of control in our request. Somethings are out of our control or we are obligated to do them, but we can take back our control by substituting “should” with “choose” or “want.” Training in budo is hard work, but that doesn’t mean it has to be horrible work. In order to turn a burden into a pleasure, all we have to do is reaffirm ourselves that it is our choice and so we “choose” to do it or that we do it because we “want” to. Today, while you have the chance, it would be nice if you chose something that you want to do and made best use of your time.       

Today’s goal: Spend the day thinking about what it is that you want and make sure it is not because someone else wants it.

Get Ready To Launch

Stillness

Furuya Sensei throwing Ken Watanabe with Jo

Throwback Thursday

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on May 27, 2002.

Seichu no Do means “Movement in calmness.” This comes from the complete saying, Seichu no Do, Do chu no sei or “Movement in calmness, calmness in movement.” This calmness does not come from a mental other-worldliness or from a psychological denial of what's going on around ourselves. It is a calmness which is derived from complete training which allows us to think and move freely at will. As we develop awareness of ourselves or the technique through training, we should also be aware of our mental state, how we are aware, how we are focusing our energies and how we are concentrating our energies towards the action. In incomplete training, as soon as one issues speed or strength, they immediately lose their balance or timing. When we try to only develop our strength then we become stiff and inflexible, this is not complete training. When we try to go faster and break our posture, become confused or lose focus on what we are doing, this is not complete training either. When we try too hard, and cannot blend with our opponent, this too is not complete training. Our techniques should be strong and well balanced, without being forced, stiff or awkward. We should move quickly but not be rushing things. We should be strong but also not muscling it. Within the technique, we should be aware of the time and space in order to see and be aware of everything else around us - this is Seichu no Do. Within our own technique, when we should always feel balanced and at ease with ourselves, without any idea to show off or demonstrate our strength, this is true movement in calmness. There is no end to Aikido training. As we train, the spiritual aspects of the art only get deeper, wider and more profound.

Live in a State of Peace

“Training teaches us how to establish order within ourselves so that we may live in harmony with everything and everyone around us while acting with dignity so that we may live in a state of peace.”

Some believe that the theoretical framework for Japanese culture and etiquette is chado or tea ceremony. The tenets of chado are simply wa kei sei jaku or harmony (和), respect (敬), purity (清) and tranquility (寂). Soshitsu Sen, the XV grandmaster of Urasenke tea commented that, “The principle of harmony means to be free of pretensions, walking the path of moderation, and never forgetting the attitude of humility. Respect is the sincerity of the heart that liberates us for an open relationship with the immediate environment, our fellow human beings and nature, while recognizing the innate dignity of each. Purity is the act of cleaning so that man can establish order within himself; this order is essential as he is no less attending to his own consciousness and his state of mind. Tranquility comes with the constant practice of the first three principles in our everyday lives so that we can find lasting tranquility within ourselves and in the company of others is the paradox.” These principles can be laid over all Japanese arts. Training teaches us how to establish order within ourselves so that we may live in harmony with everything and everyone around us while acting with dignity so that we may live in a state of peace. The martial arts can teach us how to destroy others, but it can also teach us how to live a more dignified and meaningful life. Today, purify yourself so that you can do your best to live in harmony and respectfully with all that surrounds you.    

Today’s goal: We get out of it what we put into it. Don’t make it about you. Reach out to someone with kindness and it will be returned to you.      

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Be Vulnerable

The Aikido mysteries are open to all who seek it,

Secret to those who do not want to see,

Hidden from those who will not hear,

Beyond those who continue to fight and conquer.

Seek it with an open heart, bow your head humbly,

To see the heavens above!

- Rev. Kensho Furuya

At the highest stage of one’s training in budo or the martial arts, a person of mastery reaches the state of complete vulnerability. This might seem counter-intuitive since throughout our training, we are trying to harden our bodies to close all of our openings and avoid attack. In the beginning, we hide our inner selves and close our openings because inwardly we feel weak and not good enough. However, vulnerable in this sense does not mean being “susceptible to emotional or physical attack or harm,” but rather having the faith, courage and confidence to have an open heart and truly live one’s life. Author, Brene Brown wrote, “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.” Thus, it is not about being strong and impervious, but rather having the fortitude to be willing to authentically open up our hearts despite being afraid or embarrassed and also with no guarantee of safety.  Brene Brown also said, “Wholeheartedness. There are many tenets of Wholeheartedness, but at its very core is vulnerability and worthiness; facing uncertainty, exposure, and emotional risks, and knowing that I am enough.” The true strength of a warrior is this wholehearted living that begins with showing up, being vulnerable and having an open heart to the possibilities of what can be. Furuya Sensei once wrote, “In his strength, man can show what he can do, in his weakness, man can show his own humanity.” A person at their highest level shows true power by exposing their humanity and by being completely vulnerability. Today, with all that is happening, remember to share your humanity.

Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.

Be a Person of Budo

An ominous opponent we will all face in our training is our own selfishness.

The virtues of budo are thought to be: Righteousness (Gi 義), Courage (Yu 勇), Benevolence (Jin 仁), Respect (Rei 礼), Honor (Meiyo 名誉), Honesty (Makoto 誠), and Loyalty (Chugi 忠実).

When we examine each of these martial tenets, we can see a common thread - selfishness. The thing that all martial arts training is trying to train out of us is selfishness. A righteous person cannot be a selfish person. It is difficult to be courageous when we only think of ourselves. It is impossible to be benevolent when we are self-absorbed. To truly be respectful, we cannot be self-centered. One’s honor are the rules by which one lives their lives in accordance with others and not above them. An egocentric person cannot be honest. It is interesting that loyalty is the final quality because loyalty is the ultimate test of one’s selfishness. When the time comes, will we choose ourselves over what it is we say, what it is we believe or who we have pledged ourselves to. Generally the first six principles can be subverted or justified, but loyalty is one of those things that is or is not.

As we train, we are confronted with each one of these virtues. Some are lessons while others are merely tests. Training teaches us to learn to let go of ourselves or the desire to be egotistical. The biggest barriers in one’s training is to let go of these three “ideas” of the self: “I think,” “I know,” and “I am.” Each one of these is rooted in the ego and thus selfishness. Train yourself to be a righteous person who lives a life of honesty, respect and kindness so that when the time comes you can act with courage and show your true loyalty.

The Journey Down the Path of Aikido is Difficult

Throwback Thursday

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on October 9, 2002.

Every day, we must think about what is important in our lives! Every day we must check our course of action and the direction we are taking lives. Like a captain of a ship on the sea, who must constantly check everything because it is so easy to go off course and become lost. Aikido is like a great rudder! We understand how to master it, adjusting a little to the left or right and it keeps us steady and balanced. Aikido is the anchor too, which holds us steady even when we are not in motion. Indeed, Aikido is the great ship on the sea of life carrying us to the other shore.

I was looking at the scroll hanging in our tokonoma of a sunrise with the bright red sun rising above the blue sea. It is so beautiful to think about! Daily, the beautiful sun rises and this is how we start our lives each morning, but, in our real lives, we hardly notice the sun coming up because we are so busy while such a beautiful miracle of nature occurs.

From our own tiny scope of our lives, things can seem bad or good depending on our circumstances of life. We have no time to enjoy the beautiful sun rising nor the stars at night or beautiful afternoon sky. There is a bigger, better world out there if we can expand the vision of our lives from our own tiny self-centered selves.

The sun has no "will" to rise each day but it naturally appears to come up in the morning without fail. Many things in our lives happen naturally without will or intent. We are so concerned about imposing our will or power over everything! Same in Aikido against our partners and nature too.

As long as we think Aikido is about strength and bettering others, we will never know what Aikido is about. At the same time, if we think Aikido is simply to self-indulge ourselves and created to serve our own selfish whims, we will never know what it is all about either.

To journey down the path of Aikido is difficult and hard but everyone and anyone can do it - this is what the Spirit of Aikido is all about, I believe.

Calm Yourself

“You can’t calm the storm so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

Be Imperturbable

“An imperturbable demeanor comes from perfect patience. Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

In our Aikido, we are supposed to simultaneously hide all of our “openings” or suki (隙) while searching for an opening in our opponent’s defenses. In these “openings,” we are vulnerable and open to our opponent’s attack. At the beginning of one’s training, these openings leave us unguarded physically and mentally. Later with more experience, one realizes that the openings are purely a lack of mental focus. Training teaches us how to be mentally awake or “mindful” so that we may fill in these physical gaps or mental lapses.  Furuya Sensei once wrote, “In Zen, this is called ‘mindfulness’ and in swordsmanship, this is referred to as sukima ga nai (隙間がない) or ‘to have no openings’ whatsoever.” In Aikido there is no attacking, but that doesn’t mean that we are passively waiting. In swordsmanship, there is this concept of sen no sen where one “knows” what the opponent will do and thus strikes before the opponent moves. In Aikido, it is sen sen no sen which can be a kind of intuitive movement. O’Sensei said, “If I were to try to verbalize it, I would say that we control our opponent without trying to control them. That is, the state of continuous victory. There isn’t any question of winning over or losing to an opponent. In this sense, there is no opponent in Aikido. Even if we have an opponent, they become a part of us, a partner we control only.” Today, our opponent is a global pandemic on the microscopic level, but that doesn’t mean we cannot still be calm and mindful and look for an opening. What opening is our opponent creating for us to take advantage of? This is Aikido and this is our training.

Breathe and Be Calm and Mindful

Shusei - Practice Serenity

In our tokonoma, above the space where a venerable picture of O’Sensei is placed, there is a piece of calligraphy which reads shusei (静習) or “to learn or practice serenity.”

Aikido may start out simply as a martial art, but with time and experience, Aikido becomes much more than a way to destroy one’s opponents – it becomes a kind of meditative movement. The highest goal of Aikido training is to be in a state of equanimity. O’Sensei once said, “To practice Aikido fully you must calm the spirit and go back to the origin.” To practice equanimity or shusei is to observe what is happening and then act appropriately and mindfully. To reach this state of mindfulness begins with calming our minds down and we do this with our breathing. In Aikido, after we learn how to move, at some point we learn how to breathe correctly, and this allows our minds to be in a relaxed state and enables us to be mindful. Modern neuroscience reveals that when we hold our breath, even when we don’t think we are, our nervous system goes into sympathetic mode or “fight or flight.” When we actively engage in deep breathing, our nervous system goes into a parasympathetic state or “relaxed.” To mindfully breath is something called vagovasal breathing which is nothing more than making one’s out-breath twice as long as their in-breath. No matter what happens, practice serenity. Breathe and be calm and mindful.     

To practice vasovagal breathing on your own you can use the 4-7-8 method. Breathe in through your nose or mouth to a count of four. Hold it in for a count of seven. Breathe out through your mouth or nose for a count of eight. Keep doing it until you feel relaxed.

Read more about the Vagus Nerve:

Perfect Your Spirit

“As a samurai, I must strengthen my character, as a human being, I must perfect my spirit.” – Yamaoka Tesshu

Often times, it is easy to “think” we know something before we really do. In training, a difficult opponent to defeat is what we think we know.

Yamaoka Tesshu was born in 1836 into a samurai family and began studying swordsmanship when he was nine years old. He would eventually become one of the greatest swordsman of his time.

However, before Yamaoka Tesshu became a prolific swordsman, he was a young and brash student of Zen who traveled the country looking for instruction. One day, he met Ogino Dokuon of Shokoku-ji temple. Desiring to show his enlightenment, Tessu said, “The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received.” Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing and just hit Tesshu on the head with his pipe. Tesshu instantly became angry. Dokuon admonished his so called enlightenment and said, “If nothing exists, where did this anger come from?”

Later, when Tesshu was 28 years old, he was defeated by the sword teacher, Asari Gimei and became his student. Tesshu was younger and bigger than Gimei, but he couldn’t overcome his teacher’s strong mental state. These daily defeats forced Tesshu to train harder than he had ever before. Tesshu did nothing but train and meditate and he trained so hard that he would sometimes awaken from a dream and force his wife to hold a sword as he worked out something that came to him in a dream. After almost two decades of diligent training under Gimei, Tesshu reached a place of true enlightenment while meditating. Later that morning when Tesshu went to the dojo, he once again challenged his teacher to a match. Looking at Tessu’s face, Gimei said, “there is no need.”

At some point or another in our lives and in our training, we will all be confronted with adversity and sometimes not just once. This might be a harsh reality, but if we can accept this reality then we can use it as means to develop ourselves. True mastery is the polishing of one’s spirit and that can only come as a result of daily diligent training.

Throwback Thursday: Furuya Sensei Daily Message from February 19, 2001

To practice the martial arts does not mean that we become invulnerable, invincible or acquire superpowers. It means to live our lives correctly and justly according to our ideals and beliefs. We all will get sick, grow old and die like everyone else, but there is something different about our lives. It is this tiny difference which is very important, and we can only find it through our daily training. When someone thinks that they are better than someone else then they are only displaying a sickness for which we still have not found a cure. All human beings have their strengths and weaknesses, knowing this fully well, how can we brag or be boastful to others? An enlightened person learns to live in accord with their weaknesses, a superficial person only lives with their strengths and blames their weaknesses on others. An individual's value is in direct ratio to the value that they see in everyone around them. To try to stand above others, means that you have disconnected yourself from others and you have become that much smaller, not bigger and not definitely not greater.

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on February 19, 2001.

Order to Chaos

“True budo brings order to chaos.” - unknown

The other day, Ken Watanabe Sensei said, “True budo brings order to chaos.” He couldn't remember where he'd heard it, but it instantly made sense to me. The training in Aikido is supposed to refine us and make us better human beings through the study of the movements of Aikido but I am sure that this is true for other martial arts as well. A commonly heard saying in the martial arts is, “all budo begins and ends with etiquette.” Furuya Sensei once wrote that, “Reigi-saho allows us to see an ‘order’ in society and in our relations with others. It is with this order which is the first step to realize a peaceful environment.” We begin our training with reigi-saho (礼儀作法) or “etiquette” because it teaches us how to set the proper mindset and intention. Later when we go off into battle or life, we know how to ground our minds and intentions. The practice of all martial arts are rooted in kata (型) or “form.” Kata are exact context-based movements that teach us how to move in response to confrontation. However, through their practice and study they are also become the context by which a person develops themselves and learns to understand themselves. Once we can bring order to our minds and our bodies then we can bring order to our lives. Our lives will forever be buffeted by forces that are out of our control. Our job is not to change others or what is happening to us, but to change the way we respond to what is happening outside ourselves. Therefore, the practice of training in Aikido is to bring order to chaos.

The Way of the Warrior

Budo (武道) translates to mean “military arts.” Nowadays, most of us don’t live in harm’s way and there is no real need to train to fight. At the highest level of training, a warrior realizes that the only true opponent is themselves and that is why O’Sensei said, “In true budo there is no enemy or opponent.” Training reveals to us that we are in fact our greatest opponent and own worst enemy. Thus, our highest level is not to defeat others but to defeat ourselves. To defeat one’s self is to find a place of serenity or in other terms harmony and therefore, as O’Sensei said, “The way of the warrior is to establish harmony.” Harmony is when two or more things come together. In kanjis for Aikido, Ai (合) means “to meet,” Ki (氣) means “energy” and Do (道) translates as “the way of.” Aikido is then the practice of harmonizing energy. Harmony in the beginning of one’s Aikido training is to physically align with the opponents attack or their energy. Later, with O’Sensei’s assertion, harmony can be created within one’s self when the energy of our minds and bodies become one. It is thought that there is only one Ki in the universe and so when the Ki of our minds and bodies become one then our we immediately become one with the universe. This universal harmony then becomes wago (和合) or “peace” and thus the true way of the real warrior is to establish harmony. Harmony is not a destination, but a practice. Please do your best to practice harmony especially now when the world needs it so much.