From: bwhite@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (William E. White )
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Avoidance and Aikido/martial arts (was Re: Guns & self defense)
Date: 23 Nov 92 04:46:16 GMT
Organization: O.U., Harvard on the Hocking, Berkeley in the Boondocks!

In article <1244@abb-sc.abb-sc.COM> ksm@abb-sc.abb-sc.com (Ashley) writes:
>though because a marshal arts teacher I was once instructed by told me that 
>there was *no* situation where one could not escape withouth the use of 
>violence. The entire class tried to find holes in this and he carefully 
>detailed a way out of each one. All involved non-violence and the class was 
>taught to us just before a non-violent civil disobedience action.

I'm not sure I agree that every violent situation is avoidable, simply
because I could arbitrarily construct an unavoidable one (crazed psycho of
the kind found mainly in bad made-for-TV movies stalks you down and tries
to kill you, etc).  This leads me to believe that there may also be more
"normal" violent situations which are not unavoidable.

>	I wish I could remember the name of the marshal art that this 
>"avoidance" philosiphy is contained in, but all I remember is the instructor's 
>name was Mark and he taught the class in Trukee, CA in 1984 or 1985.

Could it be Aikido?  My (very limited) Aikido training consisted in part
of learning how to redirect the Ki of the "one who falls" (can't remember
the Japanese word for this (Nage?) -- the Aikido term for the person who
is attacking you, since s/he is viewed as already falling; you just sorta
help them along the way).  Physical intervention and Judo-like throws are
a (small) portion of this.  Mental attitude, how one carries onesself, how
one interacts with others, are other parts.  A good deal of Aikido is
somewhat "mystical" in that Ki may be viewed as having some concrete
manifestation outside of our bodies; in the long run I don't think it
matters.  I've seen Aikido masters defend against wooden sword blows while
fully blindfolded (I tried one on -- you can't see through the corners)
and sometimes with loud music playing.  Whether they're "sensing the Ki
of the opponent" or just very good at discerning non-visual clues is up
to you to decide.

A classic Aikido story (probably true) was told of a Japanese Aikido
master on a bus (or maybe subway?) who stopped an enraged construction
worker, drunk on saki, who was harrassing people.  He did it by talking
to the guy and finding out what was wrong, relating stories of his own
home and how his wife prepared saki for him, etc.  The drunk man ended
up coming home with him in tears.  The Aikido master was simply too
nice, too friendly, to attack.  Probably this story has been embellished,
but it does make a point.  On the other hand it's *NOT* universally
applicable.

I do think that situations are often avoidable even if we don't think so.
I don't think *all* such situations are.  Fortunately I live in a section
of the country where people aren't apt to kill you for your wallet, so
my experience does not apply everywhere.


>				- Ashley


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