23/03/2021
There is this magnificent thing about Aikido that is hard to capture in a sentence. I will try in a couple of paragraphs.
I was watching us train this evening, and there were men and woman all interacting - working on a purpose. In the technique we were doing there is wrist grabbing and pushing to get others on the ground, but both people in the pair are helping each other. They had a common goal.
People get to interact without all the posturing and fake small talk that comes with meeting someone for the first time. You train with someone and then train with someone else a little while later.
Its like being at a party and the host rushes over, grabs two people and exclaims quick, I need a couple of dish washers. Suddenly you both have a purpose, and the process of learning about the other person happens organically. And, if you like them, you keep talking. If you don't you don't, and noone is offended if you walk away. Dishwashing is a great way to meet people.
In this world of division, training brings people together, briefly, with a common goal. You learn how to talk to people you don't know, how to help others, and accept help.
And all this when you are supposed to be learning to fight. Aikido is truly a wonder.