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Year 2006 MessageI would like to begin this year's message by discussing a part of the French writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupery's book Wind, Sand, and Stars. The main character, who was a pilot of a mail carrier, crashes while flying over the Lybian Desert. After surviving the crash he struggles to stay alive in the harsh conditions of the desert, where the hot western winds can dry out the human skin in just 19 hours. Miraculously he meets and is saved by Arabs who live and migrate throughout the region. They gave him water, which is more valuable than anything to a human stranded in the desert. This one action, the action to help someone in trouble, enabled him to live. Antoine de Saint-Exupery said that water is the most valuable treasure in the world; it is not necessary for life, it is life. As you probably already know, our bodies are mostly water; our skin is 72%, our brains afe 75%, and our hearts are 95% water. 20th century wars were fought primarily for natural resources. Perhaps, the next war will be fought over fresh water resources. Dr. Joseph Rotblat, a member of the Pugwash organization, said something to the effect "that to erase war from the world, it is very important to have an optimistic attitude. Some people say that war is unavoidable, but this is a pessimistic viewpoint. Optimism is not simply believing that the world will get better on its own, rather it is the attitude that 'I can, and I will make a difference.'" To overcome the problems in this world or problems in your immediate environment, I believe that the most important point is being optimistic in the way Dr. Rotblat described. This is to say, no matter what problem we face, we need to make continuous efforts to change the problems, no matter how small they might be. There is a Japanese saying chiri mo tsumoreba, yama to naru which means if you continually pile up dust, you can make a mountain. Let's not forget that the moment we decide and then take action is the key. Our Doshinkan Dojo will welcome our 15th year anniversary of the dojo's opening in 2006. We have received so many good comments and kind words from people visiting our school describing the welcoming atmosphere of our dojo towards newcomers. These kind words from outsiders are probably the result of you all carrying on the true Aikido spirit. I would like to carry on this legacy within the Doshinkan. I believe that the idea that "Aiki equals daily life" means that we think about how we can improve the atmosphere and then take the action. This will ultimately create a wonderful atmosphere in the dojo. To master Aikido, you must first master the basics. Diligent efforts to master each step are what lead to true Aikido. To obtain the best results, you need to take the proper action. This means to strive to always improve. Finally, I would like our Doshinkan Dojo to be a place where we cultivate, together, the spirit to want to help people in the way that the main character of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's book was helped by the desert Arabs. Aikido is not simply the study of martial techniques. It is also the cultivation of an open heart and mind. I hope that we can create a meaningful history here in the Doshinkan in our 15th year anniversary in 2006.
January 1, 2006 |