I love our dojo. I would love to see more young members joining – just to nurture aikido and because I think aikido is valuable. I want people to come into our dojo and say, “Oh, I see this is a serious dojo without having a stiff attitude.” You can have etiquette and tradition, and you can be sincere in it, but it’s communicated by the feeling of the place. When you walk into a church, even if you’re not religious, you are respectful because you can tell it’s a place that has meaning. When you walk into a library, you get quiet – just because you know it’s a place to be quiet. You can still be yourself, but you respect the space.
I think there’s something valuable in tradition. Aikido is a tradition that helped me improve my life. One teacher told me that aikido just makes you more of who you are. It helps you shed off layers, so that you can emerge more thoroughly as yourself. Aikido scrapes at your persona, at your ego. Some people get stuck at a certain stage because they’re comfortable at that spot. Keep scraping. What’s your true essence?