Our last post was about “gaman” – enduring with self-restraint and dignity.
Anne Curry , reporting in Japan five days into the disaster, addressed the notion of gamburu, the art and spirit of the effort. And it is also about having support in that effort. It’s staying the course, as Ms. Curry translated the meaning of the word: “Never, ever, ever, ever give up even when, and especially when, there is no chance of winning, to ever give up…”. Not giving up, even when there is no chance of winning. Think about that.
Are you conscious in your effort? Do you focus on doing — or winning?
In American culture, we are often driven beyond the spirit of doing the thing, we are competitive, setting our sights on the prize. We pride ourselves on being a “self made man” or “going it alone”. Though we use the term “team spirit” – it is often a reference to winning, and not in the spirit of cooperation. Our friend, Bob Ellal, mentioned this American idea in a recent comment: “When one examines the concept, the ‘land of rugged individualism’ is a myth on many levels: no one makes it alone. No matter how successful one is in any field of endeavor, you had help getting there.” How true. A strength in Japanese culture is the strong sense of community.
Nomura Shihan spoke of this in terms of Aikido, saying, “Techniques are not about fighting and winning. It is training in the way of aspiring for perfection as human being. In Aikido it’s important to cooperate with your partner”. He added, “This means that both people should concentrate on a correct movement…It’s not about who is stronger, but the focus is on perfecting the movement. Part of perfecting the movement is by not forcing it, but finding the most reasonable way to move according to your strength”.
Our collective human strength gives us our balance. Keep doing, keep going…
Toni Josephson
Tags: aikido, anne curry, community, earthquake, gambaru, japan, Martial Arts, spirit, toni josephson, tusnami
“For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.” T.S. Eliot’s line dovetails with the concept of ‘gambaru.’ It’s the effort, the focus, the resilience–winning or losing is not really important; don’t worry about it. As soon as one wins he or she feels a sense of loss–realizing that winning again will be the only possible satisfaction. And no one wins indefinitely.
In my own experience, I pondered the line from the Tao te Ching during my health struggles: “he who has no place for death to enter.” Certainly Lao Tsu couldn’t be referring to physical death–as that is our common fate. Or “failure”–as we all fail time and time again. “Death” must mean something else–a quality of mind and spirit; allowing oneself to be paralyzed by fear and anxiety, which crushes the soul. One must face challenges no matter what the perceived outcome–we owe it to ourselves as human beings and to those close to us. “Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.”
Good God–another philosophical rant! All that meditation–and I still can’t shut up.
Good to know about your article such a nice information i really very happy by your post.
Thank you for post..
Never a rant, more of a musing…lol. That’s a great quote: “Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it”
–ain’t that the truth?
The Tao…it’s the eternal flow of things, that big old circle…from dust to dust, yet nothing dies…(the Tao…or is it the Byrds?)
Keep on keeping on…
Thank you! The best of luck to you with the AVM Walk on May 1st — people can learn more about it here: http://www.avmsurvivors.org/
The Byrds? Please, not that–rather Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Lou Reed and the Ramones–a philosophy of life forged in punk/metal. No wonder I’m divorced.
LOL — OK, but there’s probably no lyric to quote that dovetails into the Dao.
Lou R did study w/Lawrence…so, maybe that…
I did read an interview with Lou Reed a decade ago–saying he practices “The Universal Form.” Odd. As a matter of fact, Iggy Pop practices 40 minutes of qigong every morning. In an interview he said that back in the old days with the Stooges, guys would be nervous before a show and say “I need to drink 20 White Russians to calm down.” Today, it’s “I have to do some tai chi to calm my nerves.” Once again, a fundamental tie between punk/metal and the internal arts is manifest! Heavy metal for health–what a concept.
Rockers relax too. Ha ha, Heavy metal for health. Bob, you might have a book there.
There’s got to be money in it!
For those who might be curious, the Byrds song referenced by Admin is called “Yesterday’s Train” by Gene Parsons and Skip Battin, a real gem from Untitled. However it’s not currently available on U-Tube