The Road Less Traveled

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Hi all, I wrote the following as a response to a Spanish post on Facebook and thought that I would share it here. Something to think about at any rate.

What could be more disrespectful than to ignore another human’s humanity?  Morihei Ueshiba was a human.  As a human, Ueshiba Morihei worked hard and sacrificed for his achievements.  They were not “gifts” from “on high.”  To assert as much is to belittle Ueshiba Morihei’s accomplishments in an effort to avoid the same level of hard work and sacrifice.  

What could be more disrespectful than to excuse one’s self from studying one’s “Great Teacher’s” words because, “He was a mystic.”  If one’s “Great Teacher” wished to have his words ignored because he was a mystic and therefore uncomprehend able, would he have uttered the same words over and over? 

What could be more disrespectful than to excuse one’s self from task of reaching one’s “Great Teacher’s” ability simply deeming the task unattainable?  Would one’s “Great Teacher” have spent so much time teaching if he truly thought what he was teaching unattainable?

A facile theory is one that, while appearing neat and comprehensive, does so by ignoring the true complexities of an issue.  

Here are a few facts to ponder:  

Ueshiba Morihei joined Omoto Kyo in his twenties and remained involved in Omoto Kyo until his death.  Within Omoto Kyo, Ueshiba Morihei’s abilities as a “mystic” were not leveraged, rather his abilities as a martial artist were.

Ueshiba Morihei joined the “elite” of Japanese society in Tokyo at the end of the 1920’s and retained ties to these “elites” until his death.  What gained him entry into this “elite” community was not his “mysticism” but rather his ability as a martial artist.

Ueshiba Morihei was recognized among the “elite” of Japanese martial arts community not long after moving to Tokyo.  He attained this recognition, not by heredity or titular transmission.  His opportunity of introduction was facilitated by those already of “elite” status (mostly military elites) but could only be held by demonstration of virtuosic martial ability.

Over and over again, when one reads the accounts of those that first met Ueshiba Morihei and then became his student one finds a similar pattern.  The pattern is not one of being wowed by his elite status, or mystical bearing.  The pattern is one of being overwhelmed by his martial ability.  Many were so overwhelmed that they could not begin to explain what happened to them . . . and, as is typical for human beings, when left without explanation one attributes the cause the inexplicable.  Nevertheless, Ueshiba Morihei wasn’t BORN with this ability and his attainment of this ability can be easily traced back to after having trained extensively with Takeda Sokaku.  

So, it was Ueshiba Morihei’s martial ability that set him apart from others and he never, ever, set that aside.  

It isn’t shameful to have not achieved Ueshiba Morihei’s accomplishments.  After all, we each lead our own distinct lives.  However, it is shameful to discount Ueshiba Morihei’s dedicated life efforts in order to attribute his abilities to some supernatural source, thereby absolving one’s self of having to make the same dedication and effort, while excusing one’s lack of ability.

Ueshiba didn’t deify Takeda Sokaku and try to capitalize off of Takeda’s name and reputation.  He cut his own path.  

It is the greatest disgrace and disservice for the Aikido and Daito Ryu worlds to place their greatest teacher’s out of reach by turning them into legends.  Use them as exemplars, not as an excuse.  Far too often the idol that one worships simply obscures one’s view of the truth. And when what has become “orthodoxy” is no longer the Way, what is pointed to as “heterodoxy” is probably the surer path.

Think about it.  The path to true reward is almost always the path less taken.  Why?  It’s hard.  It is lonely. It is scary.  The path to relative reward is well worn, well recognized and highly populated.  The red pill or the blue pill.  You have agency.  The choice is yours.

~ Allen

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