Sensei Berry on Aikido

Potential: Refers to that state or condition of anything which is not in an active state. It is a static condition which means it is dormant.

DDDP is the answer.  The question is, “Why do so many not live up to their full or even partially full potential?”

Before I go into details I need to make a few suggestions.  Maybe I should call them statements. But first lets see what some of the masters say about this phenomenon:

“Your potential is unlimited in all that you choose to do.” – Neal Donald Walsh.

“The difference between ‘effort’ and ‘struggle’; Life was never meant to be a struggle.” -Stuart Wilde.

“The possession of Knowledge, unless accompanied by a manifestation and expression in Action, is like the hoarding of precious metals-a vain and foolish thing. Knowledge, like wealth, is intended for Use.  The Law of Use is universal, and he who violates it suffers by reason of his conflict with natural forces.” – The Kybalion.

You decide to make a change for the better in your life.  It could be any significant change, but let’s say it involves getting on the path of mastery, or you choose to start a business or maybe follow through on that idea to create something new. You shout it to high heaven and tell your friends all about it. You write down your ideas which really help to reinforce them. You’ve actually made a change and it really works well.  you are feeling great by this time.  You go on that way for a while, then begin to experience a gradual change. You slide backward. Why?

My mentor once told me the most important word in the world consists of just three letters. “WHY.”  I like to add three letters of my own. “HOW!”

Backsliding is a universal experience.  Every one of us resists significant change.  It is caused by something called ‘homeostasis.’  A state of equilibrium obtained when tension or a drive has been reduced or eliminated. This means you do not wish to stay in a newly changed condition because it requires effort. Back and forth is uncomfortable.  And to the mind completely unnecessary.  It’s all mind by the way.

The solution?  DDDP.  Discipline, Direction, Dedication and Practice.

Naturally one needs much Discipline in order to accomplish anything, be it worthwhile or not.  But equally important is Direction. You must move unceasingly in the direction of your goal. Many move toward that goal and end up distracted by seemingly important incidents in their periphery. Ignore the distractions.

Some may call this tunnel vision, I call it Dedication. There is a really great quote by Robert Ryan’s character about  Clark Gable’s character in the movie,”The Tall Men.” He said: “There goes the only man I ever respected. He’s what every boy hopes to be when he grows up; And what every man wishes he had been when he grows old.” Dedication to something worthwhile leads to this type of conviction.  Of course, “worthwhile” is in the eye of the beholder.

Practice is good and necessary. Perfect practice is much better.  Disciplined, dedicated practice, structured into your daily life leads to a successful conclusion and permanently changes your lifestyle.

You become someone different. People notice.

Practice, practice, practice….

I had a question and answer session with one of my former students a few months ago when he stated that you cannot change your past.  I have proven to his satisfaction that his interpretation is incorrect since I have specifically experienced the contrary.  The question to be asked: Where does this type of thought come from?  Is it a societal consciousness or just a lack of thinking a thing through?  Or do we think as collective individuals?  Group thought is more pervasive than many realize.

Just because a thing has never been done before does not make it impossible, be it a new thought process or an Aikido technique. Otherwise, how can we progress as human beings?  It’s normally called evolution (slow change) or revolution (quick change).

Students are not possessions.  Is it not the job of the martial arts instructor to foster growth in his or her student, or is it to gain and keep students around forever?

I say all that as a way of explanation for the statement,”former student.”   The person I refer to is one of a few former students now serving in the ministry of GOD. I can’t claim credit for that. I have students in many walks of life but more are lawyers than any other profession.  My point is this: Martial arts training is just a stepping stone in life. Some merely stay a few years longer than others.  But make no doubt about it, all of them  eventually leave. This and all training, martial or otherwise, is a means to an end!

Now, about that predicting the future; you must open your mind.  You can often see what’s down the road if you open yourself up to how the universe truly works. If you look deeply enough, really see and observe universal laws in action, quiet your mind sufficiently, acting rationally and with correct and positive intentions you can predict the future with fairly certain accuracy.

However, to successfully predict the future, one must insert the points I mentioned in the previous paragraph into your past….and add them to  your present.

I recently had a conversation with my senior student and best friend regarding his physical condition.  He is 60 years old and his wife commented about good he looks for his age.  He attributed his conditioning to 38 years of martial arts training.  Punching, kicking and all-around sparring, kata and everything else that goes with it.

We discussed some of our couch-potato friends and their lack of endeavor which seems to have enhanced their weight gain.  There has to  have been hundreds of volumes written on the subject.

What most of my friends don’t seem to understand is I pay very little attention to the prescribed types of food deemed “acceptable” to the so-called experts.  Naturally I don’t go crazy with my diet and there is discipline in what I eat and drink.   But evidently I train hard enough to burn off the effects of my sometimes poor eating habits.  Of course my body dynamics could simply be the result of certain genetics but I don’t think so.

And then there is the mind. But what does that have to do with this lack of fat storage, you ask?  To me, everything.  As we envision, as we believe, and as we perceive, so we receive.  We live in a fundamentally friendly universe  which we create mentally with our belief systems.  We do this collectively, all of us together.  Which is why I’ve begun to direct my consciousness toward peace and contentment.  And as an add-on thinking this way: “thin is in.”  What’s important however is this thought is directed inward, and it definitely is  not  something coming from the outside in.  I don’t work at avoiding outside influences necessarily, I just tend to ignore them. To work at avoidance is to burn energy needlessly.  And in approaching 70 years old in a few months, I can use all the reserve energy I can muster.

Age and conditioning starts in the head.  It starts in the head and finishes in the body.  What do I mean by that?

It also pays to think young!

To those of you who are listening: If you think what you do affects only you, you are mistaken. All affects all!

Everything is interconnected and most of what you do is, to some extent, caused or brought about another action, be  it a person or an event.  Conversely, everything that you do is, to some extent, a “cause” affecting another person or event, sometimes singular, sometimes  plural.  If you notice I made no mention of this cause being positive or negative, not good not evil, its just an Effect!

You may have heard it explained as the “law of unintended consequences.”  Or, you really experienced it as something like this, ” I meant to do  ‘one little thing’ but ‘this’ is what happened.”

Society is a moving, living, breathing entity having a collective effect on itself. Please realize that this society, which is actually all of us, subconsciously sets each of us up to think and act in a certain way, which sometimes causes us to behave contrary to our original intentions.

The key to a satisfying life is to be more of a “cause” rather than being jerked around by relentless negative “effects.” The biblical quotations, “live by the sword, die by the sword,” and “an eye for an eye,” are for real. On the street it’s stated this way: “What goes around truly comes around.” All these statements revolve around that natural law called “Cause and Effect.”

This universal truth is always in operation.  Therefore I say this:

If there is a thing to be done, it is worth doing well and to the best of your ability.  “You can make it if you try” is not the answer. Trying implies failure, do it with intention.  Whatever you do affects all around you so Dare to dream… Dare to Dream BIG!

Is the dream complete?  Then ACT!

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if the world was without war.  Would the martial arts continue to exist?  As I see it, without war peaceful enterprise would allow for opportunity for all and there would be no need for crime and/or self protection, or as most put it self-defense.  What would I be doing these days?  What would you be doing?  Training or something else?

Sometimes I wonder why I feel this way.  Maybe my beliefs are a result of the my environment, those around me and the sum total of my experiences. I only know one thing for sure.   If you look back over my past blogs you will discern at least one principle thread.  You see I am a firm believer in the principle of “cause and effect.”  Cruelty, abuse, physical domination and hatred are all learned by children and taught by adults.  Of course, some weak-minded adults learn these applications from other adults.

For instance, ( this is no put-down on Joe’s comment) when Vice President Joe Biden commented on not allowing  his family to travel anywhere in a confined environment, he was severely criticized by the  news media and others for possibly damaging the travel industry. The claim was his words might cause a panic because of the swine flu fear.

Sometimes I wonder if maybe that childhood game we played years ago may have had too much influence.  That game was called “follow the leader.” How easily people are influenced by some idle commentary is the real cause for concern, not whether the lead is a proper guide post or not.  Why is it that many, many more will follow poor judgment or commentary and few follow good or great declarations?  Is it possible that negativity is less difficult than the positive?  Most people are too lazy to think for themselves and consequently fall into less than optimum situations then scream for help.  We are our brother’s keeper only up to the point where continuing makes him weaker.

As I was ending my book,” Stepping Off the Mat,” I made a wish: That self-defense become unnecessary and that society reach a level where the martial arts shall be taught for no purpose other than self improvement.

Sometimes I wonder.

Why do I?

Train?  Because I can.  Heal? It’s a GOD given gift.  Breathe? Because I must.  A deeper question is why do I live?

I don’t know.  I suppose the answer to that question would give me many other answers also.  In fact, if I could just figure out some of the simplier things in life, it would be oh, so easier to get along.  Don’t get wrong, I’m really enjoying myself. I’m just a little short in understanding why some people do the things they do.  If I could just see a little deeper into their motivations it would be easier to step out of their way.  As it is, I seem to be spending more of my allotted time on this planet practicing basic mental Aikido exercises when I could be showing my students more profound concepts. Of course that may be to answer to the whole thing; this may be the way it’s supposed to be.

Nah. I don’t believe in predestination.  All the great books say we set up life by the way we think and live. And if that’s the case, why do these weird situations keep happening?

A book I’ve read states that it is fate.  F.A.T.E. - From All Thoughts Everywhere. Which makes more sense than any other idea I’ve heard in a long, long time. Which makes it essential that we entertain strong, powerful and progressive thoughts to disrupt the destructive ones bombarding us. However, simply thinking is not enough, we must verbalize those ideas and also act on them.

Any sugesstions?

I’ve hesitated writing on this particular subject for a long, long time. But today my oldest student shook me as no other person can. He reminded me of why I teach.

An open letter to my students.

Too many, far too many lose sight of why I continue to train in the martial arts. Especially after reading the ending of my book “Stepping Off the Mat.” So what do I get from all this training and practicing?

It’s simply this:I’m teaching you, my student, how to live. The traditional educational institution is structured and designed to do one thing and one thing only; to teach you how to make a living! Not how to think and not how to be a good citizen. Just how to make a living.

I’ve been working out how to shape your minds, teaching you how to think properly and how to reason by giving you examples of strategic thinking under the guise of martial arts and self-defense strategies. If you remember, I’ve said it’s not so important what you think as how you think. Small minds get bent out of shape over small problems. Mitch Gilbert once said, “small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events and great minds talk about ideas.”

Some have commented on my style of dress and the way I always keep my shoes highly shined and the way I conduct myself. Well, it’s a way of living. I’m making a statement without saying a word. My actions and appearance speak volumes for me. I just go about my business.

And while I on that thought of dress, consider this: Do you ever wonder why the youth of this country dresses the way they do? Do you wonder why they have little or no respect for each other or for that matter none for you either? (when I say you, I mean adults) It may be because of this: We have lost respect around the world because of the decisions we’ve made. Look at the politicians we’ve picked to run the local, state and federal governments for the past twenty or thirty years. All they seem to care about is getting reelected and nothing about doing what’s right. The young have picked up on this and solve their problems the same way they see adults and governments do. By simply taking, fighting or stealing for it. There is another way. A much better way. I practice Martial discipline! It’s really not about fighting.

I make every effort to demonstrate the capacity of reason and civility by how I live my life. And some examples are (1) Do no harm. (2) Whenever possible, give advantage to the other guy. (3) Clean up after yourself by leaving no track. (4) Smile whenever possible. (5) Correct a child when you see him or her operating incorrectly. (6) Allow all children to see you in a positive light while doing the things you do. (7) Don’t cheat. (8) When you make a mistake, admit it. (9) Have the courage to say I’m sorry. (10) No matter your religion, practice the golden rule, treat others the way you wish to be treated.

Do you have other ideas or concepts? If so please share them.

In continuation of my last entry, I hinted at this conclusion: choice is all there really is. I say that because every action, non-action or I should say, inaction is choice, there is no chance. Just as there is no such thing as chaos. There is only “order” not yet understood.

As I contemplate this, I’m reminded of meditations I’ve experienced on occasion. For instance, during the last encounter I realized an unusual sensation, namely an openness, or emptiness. I use emptiness even though that word does not quite fit. I just cannot find one. There is a feeling of movement, sometimes inward and then on occasion, moving off as in moving to another place. The strange thing is it becomes a different place even as it feels like the same place.

I also experience a conscious decision for movement even as it’s done unconsciously, if that makes any sense to you. I seem to recall feeling my body, but from a distance. During some of my transcendent meditations, I lose awareness of my body for brief periods and on other occasions, not at all. To feel my body at an internal distance can be a rather progressive thing. At least I feel that is the case. In these endeavors I occasionally feel as if I’m on the verge of some grand experience that is difficult to explain.

Where am I going with this? It’s the reason I’m training in the martial arts. Namely, developing an intensely disciplined mind to help me move onward and inward psychically and spiritually. While I’ve physically gained good health and fitness, it is my wish that this journey will make me a better human being, with the accent on “being.”

It happened yesterday. Merdy passed.
I received the news today.
Today I lost a friend but it feels like my right arm and this is closer than family.
The hits you can see coming are so much easier to absorb, even when they knock you down.
I haven’t really lost him, the world is just so much smaller now, the slights more insignificant.
I am truly blessed for how many can say in truthfulness that they know a man whom everyone liked.
The first question asked of me upon arriving at last summer camp: How’s Merdy? Is he coming to camp?
I can’t see to write anymore

Most competent martial artists can function very well when they are fresh and well rested and full of energy. And many not so competent artists can do the same.

The question is, can you function in a life or death situation when you are physically exhausted and drained of energy? Can you function when you are injured and can hardly stand up?

This is where mental conditioning comes in. This is the reason few individuals make it as navy seals or special forces recruits. Or marathon runners. Or true martial artists for that matter.

Your mind must be strong enough to control your body and not the other way around. If you fall down seven times you must stand up eight. when your body screams stop, the man with the superior mind , the mentally strong individual goes on to complete the task; to fulfill the assignment; to reach for the goal and to finish what he starts. Half of the human race is male, half is female and I like this definition of a man. Strong women may properly raise a male child to adulthood, but only a man can show a male child how to be a man. Leadership is part of it.

There is movement in everything. Everything is in motion. Nothing rests, so you cannot stand still even if you wanted to. So train. Train hard and you gain control of your body. Train hard to gain control of your mind for this is essential for true growth.

Many examples of satisfactory instruction exist in the martial arts. Many can teach how to punch, kick and throw. How many can teach and train a student and develop him or her into a superbly sharp instrument that can cut anything, then teach him not to use it? This may sound like a contradiction in terms but if you think this is the case your thinking does not go nearly deep enough. Not only are you on the wrong page, you are in the wrong book. As human beings we are acquiring an amazing amount of knowledge; an amazing amount of information on how to do and make things, but no more intellect or morals. Mankind tends to make the same mistakes over and over again.

My message to you as a future leader is this:

In normal everyday activities it is okay to make a mistake, strive to make that mistake only once. And if you study your brothers and sisters actions carefully there is no need to make any mistakes. By this I mean incorrect actions.

Dare to dream. Dare to dream big even though this may lead you onto the cutting edge of life adventures. Miscalculations may happen when you are on the cutting edge because you are operating in unfamiliar territory. Be bold! In these situations others may consider your missteps to be wrong but ignore other people and their comments. there is a price to pay for learning new ideas and experiences. You may pay with time and or energy and sometimes injury. However, only you can decide whether those costs are worthwhile. Your teacher cannot, nor should he give you all of your experiences. It’s your life. Remember, you get certain results even if you do nothing. The law of cause and effect is forever in operation.