The killing desert

Aikido is very much like a desert… A vast unfriendly, deadly desert…
Once you enter it, it works like a sand clock. The sand starts running from the upper side of the glass to the other side of the bottom of it. And when its top is empty, it is time to die.
It is always like this, unless you have managed to cross it, and reach to the other side…

I have been asked once too often, how many students do I have… And once too often I return the answer to this question… I always had few students, very few indeed…
But on second thought, that is not entirely true.
If I think of all my students, from the beginning of me teaching all the way up to now, then my students have been many, almost like an army I can tell you.
And where are they now?! They all lie dead in the sands of this Aikido desert…They simply did not survive traveling through it. And now nothing is left of them, not even their white bones, since the desert consumes everything, it wipes everything clean…
I will try to tell you what happened to them… You know, in loving memory, as it is custom to be said…
And who knows?! Maybe somebody will read this someday, and by doing so save his own life, if he attempts to enter this desert himself…

A beginner enters the desert
It is a big mistake to start anything without being prepared… Even making love, requires a condom, wouldn’t you agree to my sarcasm?!
Well, maybe part of the truth is that for this particular desert, you can never be prepared for… It will probably take more than this. It will take that element which made us dominant species of this planet. Yes you know! The same element which could lead us to our own self-destruction…  It will take improvisation!!!
Let us not forget, Martial Arts are standing with one leg on the art of war, Aikido as peaceful as it might be, is no exception to that…
So, the beginner must be prepared for being unprepared, and then try to improvise.

Some of them (the beginners!) lose their life on day one. One lesson and they’re gone, what a shame! They die on their first step into the desert, literally entering with one foot into a pit of quick-sand… You try to warn them… no, no, no don’t do that, putting the other leg in it as well is not the solution… too late, he’s gone, rest his soul!
The quick-sand is so quick they don’t even have time to shout help…

Those who are not that unfortunate experience the joy of a newfound, vast, empty, clean space, with so much view to all directions… and shortly after that first enthusiasm, of having found a new playground, they realize that they are completely lost in it… Makes no difference where they go, which direction they take, it all looks the same anyway…
And soon one finds out, there are so many deaths to choose from!
It can be the constant extreme heat of the sun…
It can be the exposure to the night’s cold… who would have thought that this dry, sunny place can be so freezing during the night?!
And then you realize… there is no water here, is there?!

I do not wish to discourage anyone, but have you ever heard of the desert-viper?! Well, it is a snake, deadly of course, which travels under the surface of the sand… The moment it detects its prey, or some unfortunate of our beginners happens to pass-by, it launches its lightning fast attack in order to bite. All this happens if you are lucky! Because most deaths from that same snake happen as follows: You sleep at nights and keep yourself as warm as possible, as we mentioned earlier, deserts are freezing cold at nights. But you are not the only being seeking warmth! The desert-viper happens to like human body warmth, and it can detect from far away that your underarm is the best place to be… So, it approaches you slowly and creeps under your sleeve and then… well, I told you, I don’t want to discourage anyone…

Man is very courageous, that is why he made it that far, so the above obstacles are no big deal, if he really puts his mind into achieving things… He will soon find his way around… Scorpions, poisonous plants, the difficulty of finding food, little by little he learns to survive these things… But the years are still young (Note: I had to rephrase that for you here, because Aikido takes years!) and the desert is endless and merciless… It will soon put you to the test of tests. It will take the best out of you. It will put you against your own weakness… 

Once you have learned to overcome some difficulties, there is a tendency to become careless, and that will get you definitely killed!
For example, from time to time it rains… Big clouds gather quickly and the sky turns grey. It smells so beautiful and then big drops of rain come down, which cool down the hot sand… You have no idea how many students I have lost that way, it is truly sad! They rush into the rain that now has gone stronger, they open their hands and mouth in order to receive it, and then “ka-boom” they are hit by a thunderbolt… An awful sight to see I tell you, just black ashes which the rain washes quickly away into the deep sand…

We have spoken of some dangers of the desert so far and I completely forgot to mention those who you might meet and will definitely try to take you out. Simply and plain, you will always have a number of those people. Let us not forget, we are not a sport, we have enlisted in the Martial Arts, and these things happen… 
In that case of course, in your panic as a beginner you can always dial 911, but cell-phones last only as much their battery lasts, not to mention the quality of reception… But in case you are that lucky, you must then explain where exactly it is you are! And you are lost mister, remember?!...

Last, but not least, my finest and most promising students are not dead today because of all the above dangers put together… There is one more danger left, which is the most deadly of them all. It is called… mirage!
It is a phenomenon created by the extreme heat combined with the evaporation from the ground, of whatever humidity and moisture is left in this forsaken place… How can I explain it to you in a more scientific way?! A mirage is like those things you see on YouTube, learn at a Mac Dojo and are taught by so called “Masters” who show-off  their grades…
So, to go back to our desert, you see a vision in the far distance, of a place that in reality does not exist, and you cannot help following it!
In spite of the prior warnings, you hope to get out of there and you believe that this is the way… But in reality you follow a reflection of a place that is not there.
Being lost was supposed to be a thing that maybe one could survive by adapting and improvising. But being lost and following the wrong direction all at the same time, is the mistake that the desert has waited eons for you to do…
And once you do, it will lure you deeper into its embrace, and kill you!...

But let us speak of something more pleasant, I grew fatigued from all these long gone students and the merciless desert…
Let us speak of those who made it and did finally cross it!

A beginner no more
I have been asked once too often the question how many students do I have… And for those who read my text, now you know. I had, have and probably will have, very few students. But I could show you an army of students if it wasn’t for that damn desert…

From time to time, rarely, some students make it to the other side… And what a joy and relief that is!
Since everybody was a beginner student once, so, I am no exception. And every time a student of mine crosses the desert my happiness is double… Because he/she reminds me of my own crossing and now I see someone who is equal with me, free for himself and free from me!!!
I no longer have to worry to save his ass every five steps along the way and now he can help not only himself, but others as well…

There is a little confession to make here…
Once you made your crossing, your life is not the same anymore. You try to go back to what once was your life, but something keeps you awake at nights. It is the desert my friends! Calling you back for another challenge, calling you to cross it once more…
Difference is, now it is you who are different, everything else has remained the same… The heat, the night-frost, the snakes, the quick-sand, the thunderbolts and those who wait for you in order to take you out…
But the calling is strong, so one day you suit up your gear and head back to the desert once more… With the first step in, you realize that now you have become a desert voyager. You know your way around and you can turn things around, to your own advantage…
You take a slow pace in the heat, you follow the Northern star for the night. You mark the quick sand, and you put it between yourself and those who follow your trace with a bad intent… You hit the snake with your stick and you keep it alive for its nice omelet eggs it produces… You know where the water is and you stay sheltered against the sand-storms and the sudden rains. You smile at the mirage, sit back and watch it like a movie, but you don’t move an inch towards it…
You do all this and more… and you also find joy, in the company of fellow desert travelers, with whom you share your way and your food…
You go in and out of the desert as you please, and one day, one day not far away, you settle in for good…
You make the desert your home!

Still, can you get killed by the desert?! Yes you can… If you become careless and inattentive, you will anytime...
But for those who will respect it and continue their journey, the desert holds one more surprise… No, no, no, don’t run away… No more snakes, lizards and death, we had that.
The desert can be also kind, because it holds a place inside its heart called Oasis!...

“He who seeks will find”

September 18, 2014