Choice

All of us in this life walk along a path.  That path is a product of our choices.  What I have found in my short 38 years of life is that good choices make that path easier and more fulfilling to walk.  Then the question becomes, "What are good choices?"

All of us have inside us an innate sense of what is right and what is wrong.  Going against those feelings (or not having them in the first place) and choosing something that is not "right" will create discord and suffering in our lives and the lives of those around us.  All of us at times have made a wrong choice whether intentionally or unintentionally.  And, more than likely, we had to live with the painful or embarrassing consequences of that choice.    

Sometimes, we do not immediately recognize when we fall off this path by making a poor choice. It might take awhile to see the consequences of our actions.  But once we see those consequences (usually in the form of increased suffering in our life or the life of those around us) and recognize the mistakes we have made which caused those consequences, we must acknowledge personal responsibility for those mistakes and resolve ourselves to climb back onto the honorable path.  Eventually, we learn that making poor choices and falling off this path is not worth the pain and suffering it causes.  This realization is key and is a turning point in our personal development as martial artists and as people.

On the mat when we practice aikido techniques, if we make the wrong choice we can immediately see the result usually in the form of tension or struggle or, in the worst case, an injury.  During practice, it is up to each and every one of us to recognize tension and struggle and adjust ourselves to relieve it.  Do not wait for your partner to change.  You must adapt to whatever situation your partner presents.  This does not mean to give in and succumb.  It just means to find a way around the problem that does not cause additional struggle and pain and is beneficial to both sides.

Always remember that aikido is not about "winning".  It is about a mutually beneficial solution.  This is why we do not teach how to break arms, necks, or joints.  This is also why we don not have competitions. The art of aikido is in harnessing the energy of violence and using it for constructive purposes.  In aikido, our constructive purpose is to use this energy to end the violence in a calm and controlled manner.  To do so is to manifest, through the techniques of aikido, an honorable character.  This is the goal of our physical practice and the external manifestation of our honorable path.  You should think about this daily and make it your goal every practice.

Will we occasionally fall off this honorable path?  Absolutely.  We are human.  But to recognize when we have stepped off it and to resolve ourselves to step back on it is the ultimate goal of our training and our life.  This is how we develop our character.  Through daily practice, aikido helps us develop the skills necessary for this recognition.

There is no destination with life's path.  It is the journey along the path and how you conduct it that counts.  Owning up to our mistakes is a sign of integrity and honor.  Learning from our mistakes is a sign of maturity and wisdom.  

Thus, the path becomes easier and more fulfilling to walk for us and those around us.