Aikido in Everyday Life [antikvár]

ntroduction It would be relatively easy to write a book about harmony, singing the praises of cooperation and talking about the marvels of pacifism. We could all soothe one another and be thankful that conflict had been banished from our lives. No more squabbles with our children about going to bed, no more rages at the person who squeezes ahead of us in line, no more arguments with our friends about who did what to whom and why. In the blink of an eye we'd transform our existences into idyllic frolics on some pearl-white beach, attended by adoring friends who want nothing more than to share our peace and tranquility. (If we were travel agents and knew where this fantasy picture could be realized, we wouldn't have to write a book at all.) But our lives are not like that. No one's is, regardless of social standing, financial leverage, or talent. Every day brings us painful conflicts, and there are days when we are the architects of other people's conflicts. We scold our children when they refuse to eat dinner, we swear at the other driver who claims he had the right of way, our bosses yell at us because they're mad at somebody else, we tell our wives or husbands they did this and that wrong, the cop claims the light was red, not yellow, and by the time we're ready to pack