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

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Weeks ago we were glued to our T.V. and computer screens, watching the Japanese people valiantly confront nature’s power mercilessly unleashed. A triple disaster: an earthquake, a tsunami and nuclear radiation. No doubt their response is influenced by the samurai spirit.

Keep practicing and exploring,
Lawrence Tan

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The devastation in Japan dramatically shows the destructive power of nature’s forces unleashed. Swift and tragic. It brings to mind the ancient Daoist sage Lao Tzu’s famous verses on the power of water. Nothing is softer than water, yet nothing is more powerful. It is also reminiscent of the ancient Chinese image of the dragon used by traditional martial artists.

Modern martial artists with a rational scientific mindset may view the dragon as a quaint symbol, irrelevant to martial technology. Power is about biomechanics and physics – not tiger, cranes, dragons or qi. Yet, for a traditional eastern intuitive mindset, nature metaphors and images are meaningful descriptions. As a symbol of nature’s primal power, the dragon, master of ocean and lake, could control the wind and the water. Powerful.

Aikido and internal systems like Tai ji, Ba gua and Tan’s Dazzling Hands use the metaphor of the power of surging water crashing onto rocks, penetrating into creaks and crevices, or a dragon generating a whirl pool, are vivid descriptions of how to create power circular strikes and the relentless penetration of force through an opponent. By opening our minds to this intuitive model, with reflection and experimentation, we can enhance our palm strikes, kicks, throws and joint locks. Watching the haunting images of cars, homes and boats swept up by the tsunami wave reminds us of the power of the water dragon.

Toni and I send our heartfelt condolences to the people, friends and families devastated by the tragic earthquake and tsunami.

In spirit,
Lawrence Tan

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I have learned two lessons in my life: first, there are no sufficient literary, psychological, or historical answers to human tragedy, only moral ones. Second, just as despair can come to one another only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings. ~Elie Wiesel

This is the work of bringing chaos to order. The martial spirit of the warrior, scholar and monk must be alive in the effort, epitomizing the integration of all three components of our humanness: action, organization and compassion.

There was an incredible moment in the reports coming from Haiti. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a CNN journalist who is also a neurosurgeon, spontaneously tends to a tiny baby whose house collapsed on her during the earthquake. Miraculously, she survived. Many, many others have not been as fortunate.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/health/2010/01/14/sot.gupta.treating.baby.cnn.html

Donate/Volunteer ~ CHARITY WATER:

http://www.charitywater.org/