Aikido as Conscious Evolution by Chadwick Chennault

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=235 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="ed246283.jpg"> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="10" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="208" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#999980" BORDERCOLORDARK="#666600" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF HEIGHT= 305 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="11acaf520.png" border=0 width="175" height="82" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="South Austin Aikido"><B>Home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="what_s_new.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Whats New"><B>Whats New</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="2006_events.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2006 Events"><B>Events</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="about_aikido.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Aikido"><B>About Aikido</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="about_our_dojo.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Our Dojo"><B>About Us</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="stories.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stories"><B>Media</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><B>Links</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="contact_us.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><B>Contact Us</B></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="b4e76763.jpg"> <div> <B>Aikido as Conscious Evolution by Chadwick Chennault</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Aikido as Conscious Evolution</B></I></div> <bR> <div> As soon as you concern yourself with the "good" and "bad" of your fellows, you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter.  Testing, competing with, and criticizing others weaken and defeat you.</div> <bR> <div> -O Sensei Morihei Ueshiba</div> <bR> <div> The apparent separateness of the world is secondary.</div> <bR> <div> -Josheph Campbell</div> <bR> <div> Dr. Robert Ornstein, in his revolutionary book The Evolution of Consciousness sets forth a bold hypothesis: evolutionarily speaking, humankind is still primitive man living in the forest primeval. Even though over the past 10,000 years, our cultures, civilizations and technologies have evolved significantly, our brains are still basically the same as the brains of our tribal ancestors. While our civilizations may develop and change drastically over the course of millennia and centuries, the evolution of the human brain is a process that requires aeons to yield significant developments. Therefore, we still instinctually respond to stimuli as though we are living on the wild savannah. Every situation is a life or death situation and our instincts are out of touch with our environment. Dr. Ornstein goes on to conclude that the next phase of human evolution is "conscious evolution." Another way of saying this might be, "consciously evolving." Consciously evolving is the act of looking into oneself, understanding how and why one responds to certain situations, and choosing a different, more positive response. It is my belief that to practice Aikido is to practice conscious evolution.</div> <bR> <div> For humans, surviving life and death situations requires split second judgments: good | bad; me | him; us | them; etc. For the primitive man, there are two options: fight or flight. Yet the modern man still responds this way. Through the practice of Aikido we learn that it does not have to be this way. Aikido teaches us that when attacked, we can blend with our attacker, become one with him, and create new options that do not necessarily include fighting, fleeing, or dying. Better yet, it is possible to absorb the energy of the attack in such a way that neither attacker nor attached are injured. For, according to O Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, attacker and attacked are not just one at the moment of attack, they are one eternally and infinitely. To damage the one is to damage the other. No concept could be more contrary to human instinct and more beneficial and empowering to humanity.</div> <bR> <div> Another tenant of Aikido that contradicts human instinct is that through relaxation, we gain power. Primitive man gains power through strength and thought. It is an instinct that ensures that only the strongest and smartest will survive to reproduce. It is an instinct that ensures conflict and ultimately failure-- strength and quick wits do not last forever. Aikido teaches us that through a relaxed mind and body, we can move through and beyond strength. When are confronted with strength, our instincts tell us to tense up, fight back, and think of a way out. In practicing Aikido we learn to relax, clear the mind and move. O Sensei was renowned for his ability to deal with multiple attackers far younger and physically stronger than him well into his 70's.</div> <bR> <div> Of course, changing something that is as deeply entrenched as instinct is no small task. It is an endeavor that requires years and years of training. Herein lies Aikido's greatest weakness, and its greatest strength. Instinct tells us that when something is too difficult, it is better to give up, move on to something else, and conserve energy. Because of this, many beginning students of Aikido drop out before they discover the joy of Aikido training. But it was very much O Sensei's intention that Aikido training be conducted in the spirit of joy. So, for those who do manage to make it through the first few difficult months of training, conscious evolution is virtually assured. For one of humanities most positive instincts is to seek environments that nurture joy and happiness. Once the joy of training is discovered, it is far easier to continue training than it is to quit.</div> <bR> <div> O Sensei did not live to see the global spread of his art and ideas. Indeed his methods and philosophies are now as well known and popular as others that our hundreds of years older. And it is not likely that I will live to see a world where it is normal to pursue unity and harmony over conflict and judgment. But O Sensei is one man whose life has affected hundreds of thousands. Surely those hundreds of thousands will affect millions. And thus evolution continues.</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>