excerpt from another......
I rarely raise my hand when Sensei asks questions, but once when he asked why we were sitting there in his dojo, I raised my hand and replied in a clear voice, "I don't know." "Ah," Sensei said. "Finally someone with an honest answer!"
"If you don't know why you're here, why waste your time?" he asked.
"Well," I replied, "studying Aikido helps me understand that a lot of what I think I know doesn't hold up when put to the test, and a lot of what I do in life, I have no idea why I do it. Aikido is a mirror that helps me look at myself and realize my inadequacies as well as my strengths."
Sensei smiled and said, "Not a bad answer. It's good to realize there's so much you don't know, as long as you're confident in your ability to learn."
"Everyone comes to class wanting something," Sensei said. "Few students come with the idea of giving. When you're filled with wanting, you feel empty inside, and don't want to give away the little you sense you have. A hungry man hoards what is his, and doesn't share it with others. On the other hand, if you're already feeling full from all the knowledge you have, you won't have the hunger to learn something new."
Are you comfortable with not knowing? You need to pay attention, while understanding you won't know exactly what to pay attention to, until after you've found it."
by Charlie Badenpop
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