22-06-2012, 04:05 PM
Jeffrey, before I continue with a post that is an extension of an earlier post of mine, let me say simply that your process, and your perception of me, is in error. Does that make you something less of a human being? No, not at all. So cease and desist with the projection of a false sense of having been wounded. It doesn't play well, and it doesn't help advance the discussion or dialogue.
You completely mis-apprehend the import and intent of the post with the quote from the book on aikido, perhaps because you've never had the experience of having been "on the mat" while people try to disassemble you. Getting your 6'0" 250-lb. physical ass handed to you by a petite woman is an enlightening experience. "It's a lot like dancing." My time on the mat was limited for a time due to physical/medical issues; maybe I will return -- we'll see-- but in the interim, I had enough of an "experience" (an aha! moment) that I have studied the discipline to the point where I have at least 20 high-level books, a subscription to an instructional service, and a very deep somatic and psychological insight into the process, the art and the discipline. Indeed, it provides a great deal of fodder for my blog on mind/body/spirit topics.
The quote above popped out (and seemed relevant in this thread) as I dictated a future blog entry from two of those sources. A deeper understanding of the process of aikido provides a template for the interpersonal harangues, arguments and confrontations that have become commonplace here. I speak less of any that involve you and I than of those that don't involve me at all.
Be patient and there will be a detailed explanation and "pedagogical" explanation of how that could and should work. Suffice it to say, in simplest terms, that a dialogue or discussion which is in theory aimed at teasing out insight, truth, further examination, etc. of any issue should involve one "partner" or opponent being required to state the position of the other as he sees it (which, then, leads to further examination of the viewpoint). It derives from the experience of the aikido technique of 'irimi" (or entering). [Last night, I saw -- again -- a remarkable example of "entering" when a third-year medical student broke the rules, confronted his own frailties, and risked death to discover for himself what there was to be seen and learned. This occurred after a long motorcycle ride to the point where the Norton was abandoned and the journey continued with the help and support of others. What he discovered became fodder for deep reflection and a complete alteration of his POV and approach to things.]
Be patient; further text will illuminate what I am saying with regard to the nature and process of disagreement.
In the interim, with regard to pedagogy:
I remembered the philosopher Robin George Collingwood's definition of community as a place where those who know teach those who wish to learn. There was a conspiracy therea breathing togethera highflying companionship, an appreciation of excellence, a mutual admiration, a generous sharing of knowledge." [Page 103]
"Occasionally, we had an official teacher, but increasingly we critiqued each other's moves and tricks, encouraged each other, and figure out things by trial and error. ... The more we began to trust in the efficacy of our shared ignorance and wisdom, the more we each became "master" and "student." Unlike most spiritual communities, we killed the guru and learned by sharing our gifts with each other." [page 129]
Learning to Fly: Reflections on Fear, Trust, and the Joy of Letting Go, Sam Keen, Broadway Books, NY, 1999.
You completely mis-apprehend the import and intent of the post with the quote from the book on aikido, perhaps because you've never had the experience of having been "on the mat" while people try to disassemble you. Getting your 6'0" 250-lb. physical ass handed to you by a petite woman is an enlightening experience. "It's a lot like dancing." My time on the mat was limited for a time due to physical/medical issues; maybe I will return -- we'll see-- but in the interim, I had enough of an "experience" (an aha! moment) that I have studied the discipline to the point where I have at least 20 high-level books, a subscription to an instructional service, and a very deep somatic and psychological insight into the process, the art and the discipline. Indeed, it provides a great deal of fodder for my blog on mind/body/spirit topics.
The quote above popped out (and seemed relevant in this thread) as I dictated a future blog entry from two of those sources. A deeper understanding of the process of aikido provides a template for the interpersonal harangues, arguments and confrontations that have become commonplace here. I speak less of any that involve you and I than of those that don't involve me at all.
Be patient and there will be a detailed explanation and "pedagogical" explanation of how that could and should work. Suffice it to say, in simplest terms, that a dialogue or discussion which is in theory aimed at teasing out insight, truth, further examination, etc. of any issue should involve one "partner" or opponent being required to state the position of the other as he sees it (which, then, leads to further examination of the viewpoint). It derives from the experience of the aikido technique of 'irimi" (or entering). [Last night, I saw -- again -- a remarkable example of "entering" when a third-year medical student broke the rules, confronted his own frailties, and risked death to discover for himself what there was to be seen and learned. This occurred after a long motorcycle ride to the point where the Norton was abandoned and the journey continued with the help and support of others. What he discovered became fodder for deep reflection and a complete alteration of his POV and approach to things.]
Be patient; further text will illuminate what I am saying with regard to the nature and process of disagreement.
In the interim, with regard to pedagogy:
I remembered the philosopher Robin George Collingwood's definition of community as a place where those who know teach those who wish to learn. There was a conspiracy therea breathing togethera highflying companionship, an appreciation of excellence, a mutual admiration, a generous sharing of knowledge." [Page 103]
"Occasionally, we had an official teacher, but increasingly we critiqued each other's moves and tricks, encouraged each other, and figure out things by trial and error. ... The more we began to trust in the efficacy of our shared ignorance and wisdom, the more we each became "master" and "student." Unlike most spiritual communities, we killed the guru and learned by sharing our gifts with each other." [page 129]
Learning to Fly: Reflections on Fear, Trust, and the Joy of Letting Go, Sam Keen, Broadway Books, NY, 1999.
"Where is the intersection between the world's deep hunger and your deep gladness?"