Community-Building

Apparently I'm bad about updating out here in Cali...  Well, here's to trying to be better about this!

Something I've been thinking about a lot recently is community - it is both hard to find and vital to make when moving to a new place.  This awareness makes me even more grateful for aikido.  In Rochester, the dojo was one of the strongest communities I found - my family away from home.  Now that I switched coasts, I've been even more overwhelmed - the fledgling community here welcomed me with open arms, and I have been working hard to help them grow into something sustainable and full of vitality.

So, why does aikido allow for such a feeling of community?  I think that one of our newest members hit the nail on the head when he mentioned why he was planning to stick with us.  He said that it was obvious our practice was based in a pure love of the art, which made the practice atmosphere seem friendly and collaborative.  This is exactly what we're going for - as I've discussed before, I see the theme of victory over oneself as central to aikido, which means that you are only competing against yourself.  Other people in the dojo, whether more or less experienced, can only help with that goal.

In my view, this collaborative kind of atmosphere is vital for any sort of study.  In my life as a grad student, I am at my most productive when talking with colleagues about a whole range of topics - to me, cutthroat competition only hinders effectiveness, whereas collaboration always allows for new perspectives and ideas to flourish.  This approach also correlates with the aikido goal of a holistic approach to life, with no part neglected.  By building a community, rather than a group of working enemies, mental health and growth is facilitated, along with work.  This in turn leads to even more productivity!

To me, the dojo can be a template for other social interactions.  In the dojo, uke and nage each try to improve their role, and constantly switch off, preventing any sense of a constant attacker.  The less and more experienced people work together, and both have the mindset of learning from the other.  Instructors look forward to taking classes with other sensei's, so that their own practice can continue to grow and they can develop new ways to present materials to their own students.  To me, this maps well onto ideal work situations - in academia, professors can learn from their students' fresh perspectives, and can keep friendly conversations alive with colleagues in their own departments and out.  This is certainly the type of atmosphere I'll work to cultivate in my life - both the dojo and my future classroom.