O-Sensei was the greatest martial artist of all-time. Yes, he was the GMOAT. A man of great humility and respect, he instructed all of us to be humble, to be one with the universe.
One day, my friend John and I discussed the dichotomy of power and grace. He observed that these things occur, paradoxically–if not contradictorily. I believe this is largely due to the Western cultural perspective, which is a valid one.
In my nearly 30 years of Aikido training, I’ve discovered that power and grace exist in a balanced state. They are components of art in mastery, as well. Personally, I have experienced this through my years of training with Sensei Dan.
What do we mean when we speak of power? It is not always “great physical strength” or “force.” Sensei constantly told me, “It’s not strength against strength.” If that were the case, the strongest would always prevail. That’s not Aikido. That’s not what O-Sensei intended, either.
I took falls for Sensei from the time when he was 60 years old until he was into his 80’s. Of course, we, both, grew older together: I was 47 when he was 80. While I might have been physically stronger than the older Sensei (maybe), he surpassed me in so many different ways.
When I came at him with a strong punch to his head, he waited it out. I would just touch his nose and he would fully enter the attack with his body. Matching-up with me, he used my force to lead me off my center. Then, I was on the mat from either a clothesline (iriminage) or a joint lock to my wrist or arm. It was one time. That was power! The grace was in the matching-up, the awase.
The “ai” in Aikido means “to match up or be in harmony with.” The “ki” means “the power of the universe.” While the “do” means “the way.” Aikido is not just power (ki). It is “the way to match-up with the power of the universe.” That is grace in power. To access it, one needs humility. One must be humble, regardless of their training or innate gifts. It is the access to this amazing state of being.
As a black belt in my youth, I attended various Aikido seminars with some famous Japanese senseis. Before going to a seminar, Sensei would tell me, “Do what that sensei does. Not what I do.” By the very construct of those seminars, I only got a flavor for any particular Aikido style or technique. Often times, I was doing some technique thinking, “WTF? “This shit ain’t gonna work!”
When I came back from a seminar, Sensei would ask, “Jon, what did you learn?” Sometimes, I did learn some cool and useful techniques. I’d show them to him, along with the ones that I thought were complete “bullshit.” Sensei would look at me with a smile. Then, we’d work out the kinks and he’d say, “Maybe it’s like this…”
Sensei constantly amazed me. He always said, “Make it work.” He wasn’t about making others wrong, so he could look greater. He was the sixth-degree black belt without ego, an eternal student at heart.
I remember, once, an eighth-degree black belt from Japan came to teach a seminar at our dojo. That sensei demonstrated a “WTF” technique. Sensei Dan saw the look on my face, while we were practicing together. In his broken English, he said, “Drop you elbow like this.” He made it work. Sensei in his grace and power—humility–had no pretense.
Powerfully, gracefully. and humbly–that’s the way Sensei lived his life. He truly “walked the walk.”
On the surface, power and grace may seem contradictory. Perhaps, but true power is not force, much like one can’t always power through a problem to the desired outcome. True power is having the willingness to match-up, to be graceful, to “bow,” deeply, to the universe. It is the willingness to give up being right and making others wrong. In that way, the universe “bows” back to all of us. Amen. And amen.
—
What’s Next? Talk with others. Take action.
We are proud of our SOCIAL INTEREST GROUPS—WEEKLY PHONE CALLS to discuss, gain insights, build communities— and help solve some of the most difficult challenges the world has today. Calls are for Members Only (although you can join the first call for free). Not yet a member of The Good Men Project? Join below!
RSVP for Intersectionality Calls
—
Join the Conscious Intersectionality FACEBOOK GROUP here. Includes our new call series on Human Rights.
Join The Good Men Project Community
All levels get to view The Good Men Project site AD-FREE. The $50 Platinum Level is an ALL-ACCESS PASS—join as many groups and classes as you want for the entire year. The $25 Gold Level gives you access to any ONE Social Interest Group and ONE Class–and other benefits listed below the form. Or…for $12, join as a Bronze Member and support our mission, and have a great ad-free viewing experience.
Register New Account
Please note: If you are already a writer/contributor at The Good Men Project, log in here before registering. (Request a new password if needed).
◊♦◊
ANNUAL PLATINUM membership ($50 per year) includes:
1. AN ALL ACCESS PASS — Join ANY and ALL of our weekly calls, Social Interest Groups, classes, workshops, and private Facebook groups. We have at least one group phone call or online class every day of the week.
2. See the website with no ads when logged in!
3. MEMBER commenting badge.
***
ANNUAL GOLD membership ($25 per year) includes all the benefits above — but only ONE Weekly Social Interest Group and ONE class.
***
ANNUAL BRONZE membership ($12 per year) is great if you are not ready to join the full conversation but want to support our mission anyway. You’ll still get a BRONZE commenting badge, and you can pop into any of our weekly Friday Calls with the Publisher when you have time. This is for people who believe—like we do—that this conversation about men and changing roles and goodness in the 21st century is one of the most important conversations you can have today.
♦◊♦
We have pioneered the largest worldwide conversation about what it means to be a good man in the 21st century. Your support of our work is inspiring and invaluable.
—
Photo credit: By Anna Jurkovska@Shutterstock
David – Sublime photo. Thank you.