Message to Ki Society members regarding the Events of September 11, 2001

Dear Instructors and Members:

I suspect that many of you have been deeply affected by the recent tragedy in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC.  Naturally, after something of this magnitude and scope happens to our nation, people will react with very strong emotions.  I have some concerns as Chief Instructor for all of you and want to share my thoughts with you at this time. 

At this moment, I know of no Ki Society members who have been directly involved.  If anyone had been involved in this tragedy, who I am not aware of, I would like to take this opportunity to send my condolences to them and their families. 

Violent crimes like this make us feel sad, lost and disappointed.  They also make me wonder when such things will stop for humans.  My feeling also goes to those who live close to the events or who had very close connections to the victims or those places, there must be many who are affected by the emotional impact for a long time.  Because of times like these, I think it is good to redefine what we have learned, what is important and how we take our training in to the real world. 

I would like to suggest a few points that we can consider in our training. 

For Instructors, take this opportunity to see if students change their feelings or awareness in class.  Sometimes it is necessary to open a dialogue and talk about such events and share your views about loss, death, terrorism, safety, etc.  with your students if you see people have been swayed by these events.  It is best to avoid political and ethnic tones when discussing these topics, just present your honest views and explaining how you feel and think about this.  Teach them simple and practical Ki training such as, Ki barai and Ki breathing. 

For students, practice awareness of reality by using the principles you have learned at the dojo.  For example, when you go to a public place, look around and check for strange or unusual things and take care for those things.  If nothing happens, that is best.  If something happens, however, your awareness will make a big difference in your ability to act accordingly in a crisis.  When people panic, they become desensitized and are thereby preparing to die.  Ki and Aikido training teaches us to become sharper and more calm in such situations because of awareness training with Ki principle. 

Young children are often affected deeply by the reactions of their parents or the mass media.  If you feel affected greatly by this, it is a good idea to talk to your children so they can reasonably express their emotions.  It is important for them to express their emotions without going overboard and turning fear into hatred. 

Finally, we strive through the essence of Ki Principles, to understand the way to union with the Ki of the universe.  We must understand that reactions of anger or hate only promote further violence and pain.  Of course, we should not accept terrorism or any violence at all.  A tragic event like this can unite American people, but I hope that such unification is to seek solutions to these problems instead of unifying to destroy others through violence. 

I have already received messages phone calls from our members and have spent time responding with their concern.