Q:
How can Aikido and/or your dojo be a positive force in these troubled
times?Q:
How can Aikido and/or your dojo be a positive force in these troubled
times?This question was recently asked in Kaze, an Aikido magazine.
Following is Mark Binder's response.
Our dojo has grappled with this question since September 11. We take the idea of "A Martial Art for Peace" very seriously.
From the moment the planes flew into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon, we have been playing Osama Bin Laden's game. Fortunately, we've been lucky in Afghanistan so far.
One person attacked us, and we (meaning the United States) declared "War on Terrorism."
This is a war we can not win. Are we willing to pursue policies that will reduce the creation of terrorists? Or are we only going to blow them away as they appear?
If you want to learn to practice peace, come and study Aikido with us. Within the dojo, we can continue to practice and learn, taking our insights out into the world.
But the fact is that this will have little impact except on those around us.
Although we live in a democracy, the truth of today is that the only person who can stop this war is the President -- one of the few people in this country who is a designated target of these terrorists. Changing his mind, opening his heart will require luck, and may be impossible given the layers of insulation around him and his background. We ought to be prepared to campaign for peace in the next election and need to begin looking for a candidate now.
If we are serious about creating peace, we need to bring the ideas of Aikido out of our safe dojos and into the world of people who do not practice martial arts.
To this end, I have created a keynote program called "Tales of Peace" it includes stories, conversation and lectures. It is designed for all audiences -- children, adults, families.
It's goal is to create other solutions to problems than reinforcing the cycle of violence.
To learn more about it, please visit http://www.markbinder.com/storyteller/peace
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