You know, somebody once told me that in France in medieval times, if you wanted to go on some kind of spiritual journey, if you were really lucky you would meet somebody who might have been a teacher (you were never quite sure), and that person would say to you, “What is it that you wish to do?”

“We’ve been doing nothing, and boy are we bad at it,” Serge said. I had to agree. We had just finished a three-day ZenA school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition. meditation retreat, called a sesshin. Doing nothing, it turned out, was one of the hardest things I’d ever tried.

AikidoThe word "Aikido" is made up of three japanese characters: ai - harmony, ki - spirit, mind, or universal energy, do - the way. Thus Aikido is "the way of harmony with universal energy." as activity: I conjure a clear mental picture of teacher and students lining up and bowing in. This concept of aikido practice is, for me, the simplest way to envision my relationship with aikido. Go to the dojoPlace of the way; a place for strengthening and refinement body, mind and spirit; training hall, do aikido, go home. I admit it, I also think about aikido outside of the dojo. I imagine an attacker around the next corner, straighten my spine while in the car or at my desk, and wonder what nearby object could be used as a weapon. But that’s just for fun. As easy and comfortable as it is to leave it right there… I know it is a forced simplification; the first line of defense employed by my small-self against an idea so overwhelming it refuses to be ignored. This is why I’m here, isn’t it? The answer was clear when the question was rhetorical. Now here it is… right in front of me, all around me, inside of me, waiting for me to say yes. Is this really what I’m struggling with? What am I holding on to?

One goal that I hope to fulfill every day is acquiring new knowledge; about myself, nature, the world, and all of the intricacies involved with each. I try to utilize every source available to me. There are infinite ways to be educated, but there are four main veins that I frequently tap into. One way is through balancing my thoughts. Another is through learning from the exteriorization of my thoughts as well as the destiny I have created for myself. A third way is by pushing myself physically and mentally until my mentally constructed facades are knocked down. And finally, I use the power of self-suggestion to gain valuable insight. AikidoThe word "Aikido" is made up of three japanese characters: ai - harmony, ki - spirit, mind, or universal energy, do - the way. Thus Aikido is "the way of harmony with universal energy." and ZenA school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition. have been crucial to achieving my daily goal; they are the structure that gives me the strength to discipline myself and thereby fuel my determination to perpetually dig deeper.

Responsibility is required with maintaining any practice. In aikidoThe word "Aikido" is made up of three japanese characters: ai - harmony, ki - spirit, mind, or universal energy, do - the way. Thus Aikido is "the way of harmony with universal energy.", it is necessary to ensure a safe, productive environment. Training under martial circumstances, we take ownership of our partner’s welfare—our actions dictate outcome. Thus, responsibility can be likened to its hyphenated homonym relative, response-ability. Their relation is that being truly responsible requires executing appropriate actions.