修行会

Over the years I had been asked to open a dojo many times. Upon departing Aikido Shobukan Dojo as a deshi, Mitsugi Saotome Sensei had requested the same. I even have a name for the dojo given by Saotome Sensei then and it is the same name he asked when caring for him after his wife passed away during COVID-19’s lockdowns—it is guarded today. Sensei’s memory is remarkable during our time together, and he still retains these memories, and I as well. In light of more peoples in various walks asking, it would be unfair and insufficient to leave this question unanswered, as I had not really given an answer private or public.

In short, there are several reasons why I had not done so, and herein are these reasons. Basically it comes down to the cultural climate, anomie strain, and [redacted] that would occur if I were to press it. Considering scientific interest across life, and practice of behavioral analysis techniques, this post will apply a better operationalized pros and cons analytical procedure followed by a discussion. In short, I will not be opening a traditional aikido dojo.

The pro- and con- analysis framework (see Table 1) from Dr. Lee Daffin (2021) is one of the initial steps in considering behavior modification. This framework will be applied here as it is informed by both cognitive and behavioral perspectives of psychology and is supported by further evidence in physiological research. The framework (see Table 1) is executed in a particular series of steps: (a) comparing pros and cons of not changing behavior, (b) comparing pros of not changing behavior with short- and long- term pros of changing behavior, and (c) short- and long- term pros and cons of changing behavior. There is a reason for this sequence and it is outside the scope of this discussion. The process indeed works.

Table 1

Pros and cons analysis.

	Step 2 ↓
	Pros of Not Changing Behavior	Cons of Not Changing Behavior
Step 1 →
	Short-Term Pros of Changing Behavior	Short-Term Cons of Changing Behavior
Step 3 →
	Long-Term Pros of Changing Behavior	Long-Term Cons of Changing Behavior
Step 3 →

Before continuing, there are many aspects to be considered, and this analysis considers the more salient and more accessible factors yet does not illuminate nuanced and difficult to communicate factors dependent on an intersectional and complex reality socially constructed that have been, are, and will be considered.

Step 1 – Pros and Cons of Not Changing Behavior

In this analysis it appears that a tension between strong-tie groups that I traverse are in strain as the strong intersectional identity of being a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, queer, gay male rubber furry participating in a form of fursuiting as crosscut by intellectual productivity and art does seem more aligned to the furry and queer fetish community rather than the male-dominant institutional stereotyped Aikido community. As example of the consequences of “breaking this form” is the firing of Joe Gown, Chancellor of University of Wisconsin and his wife Carmen Wilson for producing content for OnlyFans and the show Sexy Healthy Cooking. This provides an example of legal stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination running in stark contrast to principles of a Declaration of Independence and Constitution protecting inalienable rights in rapidly diminishing public space, yet the law is one thing, and the spirit is another.

My strong-tie to Saotome Sensei is because quite frankly, he is himself, a queer artist in his own right (evidence is easily assembled). Granovetter’s (1973) landmark paper on the strength of weak-ties producing social order, is a factor here. Sensei is less of a strong-tie and more of a weak-tie bridging various martial arts communities. I find a strong-tie relation to him in this regard. Aikido Schools of Ueshiba (ASU), founded and originated by Sensei and people around Saotome Sensei, and their close student peers (e.g., Patty Saotome) also operates as a weak-tie between independent “member” dojos. Considering this case, it does appear that the transmission that has been received from Saotome Sensei is the main issue in this first analysis. I am not only strongly tied to Sensei, but have received weak-tie transmission¹ as well. Yet there is more than just this reality.

In Step 1, changing behavior to open a dojo seems to win by a narrow margin if one is in a situation valuing a cultural assent to localized goals of pro-group/social behavior. Unfortunately this runs headlong into issues of Mertonian strain theory as there is a marked lack of institutional supports. American cultures are distinctly individualistic vs. collective. In this framing, collectivist goals likely do not receive institutional supports. Institutional supports for collective goals (i.e., transmission, social application) are actively cannibalized and subordinated to individualist goals (i.e., rank, status application). In light of this, though changing behavior seems to win out, in an individualist society it appears frustrated, obstructed, and “idealistic”. A senior practitioner was once overheard that they would not promote an individual because there was no income in it—in an individualist society, rank is a form of Weberian legal/traditional legitimation.

In final analysis of Step 1, though changing behavior is favored, there is also risk to self-determination (see Ryan & Deci, 2000), which is comprised of needs for relations, competencies, and autonomy. For example, if one opens a dojo in an individualist society, one may become beholden to individualist beliefs, ideologies, and thought styles (see Durkheim, 1912/1955; Fleck, 1935/1979; Marx & Engles, 1932/1965) that dojo members externalize. These beliefs, ideologies, and thought styles externalized by members may become objectivated in the dojo (see Berger & Luckmann, 1966). Expectancies engendered by psychological schemas, prototypes, and exemplars may lead to projective identification and internalization by deshi. Internalization alters, changes, and distances oneself from learned, developed, and transmitted skill and wisdom. As was once said by Gotama Buddha in Buddhist sutttas, it would be as if discarding a gem into the mud. For this reason it is best to distance from the “pitch” of market outcomes of highly favored strain adaptations and instead favor environments characteristic of inclination toward principles shared by meta-strong-ties between society’s weak-ties.

	Step 2 ↓
	Pros of Not Changing Behavior	Cons of Not Changing Behavior
Step 1 →	* Maintain existing relations with highly intersectional identified group of individuals. * Maintain existing autonomy in intellectual, physical and artistic pursuit. * Maintain existing self-efficacy in areas of skill/challenge development. * Maintain existing cash flow and capital stability. * Aligns with heteronormative idealized leadership beauty bias.	* Does not contribute to bridge group efforts (i.e., aikido community). * Does not allow for autonomous interests in martial/physical development. * Does not allow for transmission of skill/challenge environments for others. * Does not transmit to next [redacted]. * Does not offer support for individuals in intersectional identities.
	Short-Term Pros of Changing Behavior	Short-Term Cons of Changing Behavior
Step 3 →
	Long-Term Pros of Changing Behavior	Long-Term Cons of Changing Behavior
Step 3 →

Step 2 – Pros of Not Changing Against Short- and Long- Term Pros of Changing Behavior

When considering pros of not changing behavior against short- and long- term pros of changing behavior, it does appear that pros win out for personal (i.e., individualist) reasons, and pro-social (i.e., collectivist) reasons. Unfortunately, Mertonian strain is not being highlighted here, but has been mentioned in Step 1. That said, in Step 2, changing behavior does seem ideal, but in individualist perspectives.

	Step 2 ↓
	Pros of Not Changing Behavior	Cons of Not Changing Behavior
Step 1 →	* Maintain existing relations with highly intersectional identified group of individuals. * Maintain existing autonomy in intellectual, physical and artistic pursuit. * Maintain existing self-efficacy in areas of skill/challenge development. * Maintain existing cash flow and capital stability. * Aligns with heteronormative idealized leadership beauty bias.	* Does not contribute to bridge group efforts (i.e., aikido community). * Does not allow for autonomous interests in martial/physical development. * Does not allow for transmission of skill/challenge environments for others. * Does not transmit to next [redacted]. * Does not offer support for individuals in intersectional identities.
	Short-Term Pros of Changing Behavior	Short-Term Cons of Changing Behavior
Step 3 →	* Increases physical activity of exercise. * Increases health and well being for practice. * Allows for creative expression in development of a practice space. * Offers an outlet for skills.
	Long-Term Pros of Changing Behavior	Long-Term Cons of Changing Behavior
Step 3 →	* Demonstrates aikido’s ability in increasing and maintaining health and well-being. * Maintains relations with bridge communities of aikido and martial artists. * Demonstrates aikido’s effectiveness. * Allows for transmission of skill to others. * Allows for transmission to next [redacted].

Step 3 – Short- and Long- Term Pros of Changing Against Cons of Changing Behavior

In Step 3, several factors are revealed in short- and long- term cons risking individual health and well-being. In this case cons to changing behavior individual with an Aikido/martial group of individuals runs head long against intersectional identities missing group demographics. In this respect, in light of American individualist culture, cons win out.

	Step 2 ↓
	Pros of Not Changing Behavior	Cons of Not Changing Behavior
Step 1 →	* Maintain existing relations with highly intersectional identified group of individuals. * Maintain existing autonomy in intellectual, physical, and artistic pursuit. * Maintain existing self-efficacy in areas of skill/challenge development. * Maintain existing cash flow and capital stability. * Aligns with heteronormative idealized leadership beauty bias.	* Does not contribute to bridge group efforts (i.e., aikido community). * Does not allow for autonomous interests in martial/physical development. * Does not allow for transmission of skill/challenge environments for others. * Does not transmit to next [redacted]. * Does not offer support for individuals in intersectional identities.
	Short-Term Pros of Changing Behavior	Short-Term Cons of Changing Behavior
Step 3 →	* Increases physical activity of exercise. * Increases health and well being for practice. * Allows for creative expression in development of a practice space. * Offers an outlet for skills.	* Reduced maintenance of existing relations of highly intersectional identified group of individuals. * Reduction of cash flow and capital stability. * Reduction of autonomy in intellectual, physical, and artistic pursuit. * Reduction of time/space currently required for daily maintenance of life tasks (i.e., “adulting”).
	Long-Term Pros of Changing Behavior	Long-Term Cons of Changing Behavior
Step 3 →	* Demonstrates aikido’s ability in increasing and maintaining health and well-being. * Maintains relations with bridge communities of aikido and martial artists. * Demonstrates aikido’s effectiveness. * Allows for transmission of skill to others. * Allows for transmission to next [redacted].	* Erosion of existing relations of highly intersectional identified group of individuals (i.e., intersectional similar relations). * Cash flow and capital stability at risk to macro-economic situations (i.e., Martial Arts as an optional expense) * Reduced autonomy in greater sociological and psychological benefits to society. * Reduced ability to offer targeted and confidential transmission to individuals in the community.

Discussion

This analysis has revealed that cons to changing behavior are more salient, though initial analysis had elucidated potential for pros. These issues in favor of cons are made more salient when considering sociological issues of individualist vs. collectivist cultural goals and institutional supports of these goals. As American culture is strongly individualist, and that American institutions are less supportive of collectivist goals, it seemed fitting that the cons to changing behavior to open a dojo outweighs the pros. This failed to mention several factors outside of the ones mentioned here that add weight (e.g., non-standard legitimation of ability and teaching skill, stereotype threat of a gay male in a culture of honor that associates gays with sex-offenders [a point immediately communicated at entry to Aikido Shobukan Dojo from a senior student], introjection of ideologies of heteronormative leadership and their thought styles in popular culture of normalized strain adaptations).

That the cons enjoin additional factors does deem me to continue to accept the reality that I am an anomaly along with Saotome Sensei. Sensei has said so himself. Furthermore, we are outside a standard normal distribution of martial artists in American culture dominated more by a culture of honor bifurcating politeness and violence (see Cohen & Vandello, 1998). Furthermore, turning toward intersectional identities, I feel a kinship with fellow women in workplaces that are oft labeled aggressive, harsh, intimidating, and too rough when suddenly exerting assertiveness. It only makes sense due to psychological realities of just noticeable differences of situated identities and expected attitudes of said identities (e.g., gender; see Fechner, 1860/1966; Weber, 1834/1948).

I’ve never been a fan of “pecking orders”, large power-imbalance “hierarchies”, or tokenization. I hope peers in similar situations can break free of dominant tokenization in the martial arts taking advantage of a lack of assertiveness concomitant a desire to practice by minorities with few places to go. Thankfully ASU provided a safe place for me to much later and much more safely come out as I had not been so privileged to come out like more well off peers. To add, I’m just not “gay”, nor the homonormalized “gay” that has introjected heterosexual attitudes. I am multi-racial, multi-ethnic, queer, furry, and have experienced pleasures that Gotama Buddha also had shared in, friends in spaces Jesus had held close to, unadulterated perception of creation that Muhammed fiercely protected, along with a whole host of identities explored. I left many opportunities to explore life in its fullest yet renounced not norms, but the processes norms are developed by, especially process activated by greater isolation within a group of strong-tied peers much to the exclusion of traversing more complete social graphs.

In closing, I do take enjoyment in the fact that Saotome Sensei had conferred the highest degree of transmission that I could ask for, yet it is disheartening that society still today treats individuals they way they do. We both talk about jobs we could do together to survive if we didn’t do aikido. I know sociologically and psychologically, the reasons for this, and I do not hope for a fix, but work to bend toward a betterment for the future of beings that live on curved surfaces of spacetime. Durkheim, Marx, Fleck, Du Bois, Hobbes, Axelrod, Hechter, Horne, Berger, Luckmann, Mills, Coleman, Weber, Mead, Markus, Cohen & Vandello, Engles, Alexander & Knight, Willis, Petty & Cacioppo, Goffman, Hayek, Kanter, Schelling, Ryan & Deci, Kruglanski, Chambliss, Friedman, Khaldun, Kanazawa, Gellner, Gluckman, Granovetter, Simmel, Varshney, and so many more offered explanations of facets of micro- and macro- individual and social behavior. In these I find wisdom and understanding, and their continued application.

I do share a mission with Saotome Sensei, and it is a mission revealed in between walks, arts, gardening, and films we shared over many years; this mission continues today. Yet the mourning continues much like that of a relationship ended, of what could have been—the same mourning Sensei has in those moments together. Through this I have come to know and remember mono-no-aware (an acute/chronic awareness of the transience of things). Samsara is disadvantaged, and this paired with just enough beauty, and just enough benefit is the fertile ground where attachment(s) are composted to give birth to a release from enduring [view]. And protecting this for the benefit of limitless beings… is the role of a bodhisattva.

The field is limitless, and the seed is this very intersectional identity as a robe imagined, created, realized, and adorned the same way it has always been for beings of this specific deva realm (you betch’a!). The truth is known, and will be known, but right now, it is not time yet—the wheel turns ever so slowly, and it crawls the distance of a grain of sand here and there over time. Until it stops for good, the legal-rational and traditional dojo forms are closed, for this dojo is beyond the legal-rational and traditional.

In sharing the joys of successes of limitless beings, loving kindness to remedy the afflictions of limitless beings, compassion for the causes and enduring of sufferings of limitless beings, and equanimity absorbed for the benefit of limitless beings it had been determined that the right course of action had been exactly as it had been determined the evening of revelation before walking twenty six miles to seek an audience with Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche.

”Rinpoche… I don’t think martial arts is the best way for me to benefit limitless beings.”

”Of course not.”

Sensei already knew too.

One last reason. I along with similar intersectional identity peers never wanted to have sex with you. A senior once said in front of peers, “you just want to have sex with me…”. No, no I didn’t, do not, and will not. Sexual harassment. Gross. I hope this kind of behavior discontinues, for it is disheartening and diminishes diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This is why I do not open a dojo. The dojo had already opened when I walked into it long ago. No technique can be recreated now—train perception. The dojo for me is right here in between limitless realms at the nexuses of comings and goings of limitless beings. Though this body, spirit, and mind has received transmission, it was already there. Just as it is for limitless beings, spontaneously liberating. And though limitless beings are already liberated, this body is a library, and contains many secrets known and unknown. Each and every body is as a library. The secret is in the memoing, sorting, systematic thought, and absorption. The catalogue is partly revealed, yet mostly redacted for right now it would cause more damage to share it more completely than to protect it closely.

Youth and [redacted] are increasingly identifying as LGBTQ+ identities (Brown, 2023). It is possible that a new “traditional” dojo may be opened. Due to revolutionary pressures against existing legitimation structures (i.e., Weberian legal and traditional authorities) in favor of more decentralized legitimation, there may come a time where a dojo is opened upon invitation but not prior, yet its form will be unrecognized. Though this is possible, the reality is that a more up-to-date form is being dependently originated. Besides, where else do you think the dojo is?

I hope this makes sense now. Good luck!

<牙|RÆH>, [REDACTED]
Saturday, December 23, 2023

Notes

¹ Weak-ties, according to Granovetter (1973) are more responsible for social ordering than strong-ties. Respecting aikido literature and Shintō cosmology, bringing order is what an aikidōka (i.e., practitioner of aiki) does. In that respect I do practice a stronger ordering in the capacity I currently operate in, than in operation of a singular dojo, as the lineage is easily demonstrable across life-span in the many peoples in many spheres influenced (insert slightly withheld “weak-tie” cheeky grin here so as to remain walking amongst the world without too much elevation, until you arrive on this site and go, “holy frijoles”).

Art produced via EM-Calligraphy procedure (Hodges, 2023) via Google Bard, OpenAI ChatGPT-4, and hand edits by Roy Æ Hodges in Adobe Photoshop 2024.

References

Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. Anchor Books.

Brown, A. (2023, June 23). 5 key findings about LGBTQ+ Americans. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/23/5-key-findings-about-lgbtq-americans/

Cohen, D., & Vandello, J. (1998). Meanings of violence. The Journal of Legal Studies, 27(S2), 567–584. https://doi.org/10.1086/468035

Daffin, L. W. (2021). Principles of behavior analysis and modification (4th ed.). Washington State University.

Durkheim, É. (1995). The origins of these beliefs (conclusion): Origin of the notion of totemic principle, or mana. In É. Durkheim, The elementary forms of the religious life (K. E. Fields, trans, pp. 207–241). The Free Press. (Original work published 1912)

Fechner, G. T. (1966). Elements of psychophysics (D. H. Howes & E. G. Boring, Eds., H. E. Adler, Trans., Vol. 1). Holt, Reinhard, & Winston. (Original work published 1860)

Fleck, L. (1979). Genesis and development of a scientific fact (F. Bradley, & T. J. Tren, trans.). University of Chicago Press. (Original work published 1935)

Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360–1380. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2776392

Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1965). The German ideology. Lawrence & Wishart (Original work published 1932)

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

Space-Coyote, L. G. N. R. (2023). Digital design. Shugyokai.org. https://shugyokai.org/arts/digital-design/

Weber, E. H. (1948). Concerning touch, 1834. In W. Dennis (Ed.), Readings in the history of psychology (E. B. Tichener, trans., pp. 155–156). Appleton-Century-Crofts. (Original work published 1834) https://doi.org/10.1037/11304-019

Appendix I: Change Modification Log

04 JAN 26 - Updated RAEH to LGNRS in references; fixed URL.