What Will The Last Thing You do be?

Aiki Dojo Message - Last Days

Where do birds fly at night,

Following the moon so calm,

Only the true sword so bright,

Opens the gates of Paradise.

- Rev. Kensho Furuya

The best Aikidoist strives to live every day as if it is their last.

I was watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and something Charlie’s grandfather said at the end caught my attention. Feeling slighted by Willy Wonka, he said, “I’ll get even, if it’s the last thing I do.” I thought to myself, “The last thing you want to do before you leave this Earth is get revenge?” It seems so petty and empty to want to end one’s life in the pursuit of getting even for some sort of slight.

In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius? wrote, “Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretense.” Reading this, I thought to myself, “Ahh, those things truly encompass the path of Aikido.”

In terms of frenzy, an Aikidoist strives to be calm and never rushes. Rushing is a telltale sign that someone’s nervous system is in a heightened state where we are more apt to make a mistake, and mistakes are the surest path to defeat. Aikidoist strive to achieve seichu no do, do chu no sei (靜中動 動中靜) or “movement in calmness, calmness in movement.” With a calm and a centered mind, the Aikidoist is able to better meet any challenge with appropriateness and propriety.

Apathy is to have “a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.” Apathy is the opposite of the ardent Aikidoist. A good Aikidoist is mindful, efficient, and economical with not only their resources but their time and opportunities. Rev. Kensho Furuya Sensei always used to say, “Training is a privilege.” It is a privilege because not everyone has the time, money, or opportunity to train. Thus, it would be a waste to not capitalize on the opportunity that we have been given. Aikidoists make the most out of their lives or situations regardless if it is ideal or not.

Pretense is about being inauthentic. In Aikido, we often talk about hara (腹) or our “center.” Most think of this as being something anatomical or metaphysical. But one’s center can also be about finding one’s authenticity. Lots of times we are “Faking it until we make it.” The more we train, the more “we” come into focus, and we begin to understand just who we are. Once we have found our true authenticity, we will have also found our true “center.”

"If it is the last thing I do" is an idiom that means “for someone is absolutely determined to do something, no matter what, even if it requires extreme effort or is the very last thing they manage to accomplish before anything else.” Every day, 150,000 people die and don’t get a tomorrow. As Gabriel Garcia Marquez said, “Tomorrow is never guaranteed to anyone, young or old. Today could be the last time to see your loved ones, which is why you mustn't wait; do it today, in case tomorrow never arrives.” Tomorrow never comes because it is always today.

As the year comes to an end, what will be the last thing you do be? Aikidoists strive to be examples of how studying a budo makes you a better person. A better person doesn’t engage in revenge or hatred - they are people of character. A person of character strives to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving. At the end of Willy Wonka, Charlie gives back the candy instead of trying to sell it, upon seeing his gesture, Willy Wonka says a quote from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: “How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” As an Aikidoist, if it is the last thing you do, strive to be a good person. Have a safe and wonderful New Year’s Eve and a Happy New Year!

Today’s goal: Begin with the end in mind and truly live every day as if it is going to be your last - you won’t regret it.??

This post appears in a slightly different form @ www.aikidocenterla.com/blog

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