lost message from the european universe ... teachers, univ. courses, etc (fwd)
Kim A Taylor
Hello Kim,
> Someone from Europe just sent me a response to repeat to the list minus an
> email return to prevent spam replies, but I just got distracted by my kids
> for a second and have deleted it (and on my system that means gone) so
> could you re-send it to me please.
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I would like to give my 2 (euro)cents to the discussion, but last time I
wrote to the list I received masses of spam of the most offending type
(at least for a decent european woman), so I contact you directly. Feel
free to put this on the list without my email adress.
---
I see your point, but your arguments miss some aspects:
1. "Do you need an instructor to learn martial arts? Do you need one to
learn
History? Do you need one to learn Basketball?"
There is a difference: Basketball is (usually) just technique and
history is (usually) just knowledge. This you can get without a teacher.
But most MA are not just technique or knowledge, but education in the
sense of developing the personality of the student or help him to
develope himself. This is obvious for all Aikido-related sword arts, but
as far as I understand for koryu and kendo (if it is not "just sport")
too. For this you always need a teacher, i.e. a trusted person with
knowledge and experience, looking at the student from a certain distance
(which you can never do yourself), criticising and encouraging.
* After reading the discussion on the list, I would add, that humans are born as
* "social animals". Learning from parents and teachers in your "horde"
* is the most natural way. Every child does it. Everything else (books
* is just cultural decorum. Humans are biologically made for social
* exchange with other humans and not with books, videos or computers.
* Forget about "direct transmission". It might be just biology.
2. If I look at the seminar invitations and on the websites of american
equipement stores on the list I'm always wondering how people in America
are able to pay these prices. Not to mention how they look like if you
take into account the miserable exchange rate of the euro. And if I have
a choice where to spend my money, I will always choose a lesson on the
art itself - and buy a book for the rest.
3. "Why an accrediting agency (ie college or university)? Would the
senate of
the University have a clue about the legitimacy of a course of study on
the lineage of MJER?"
This is probably not the point. Even people who don't want to spent
money on MA history courses would do so if they have to spend the money
anyway - to get credit points. At least, if the educational system is
not free of charge. If you have to pay for a history course anyway - why
not budo history? In fact, I have already seen university courses about
MA-related topics - at our department of Sinology. The teacher didn't
practise any MA herself - she's an academic.
The university would never pay a martial artist for it - because there
is none with the apropriate, accredited title - and because of general
strategy: You don't need to practise yourself what you are teaching at
university, don't you? You can talk about the lovelife of bees too
without haveing been a bee before, what's the difference? People who
practise can't do research on an academic level anyway.
Please don't miss my <big grin>.
4. Why pay for a budo history/culture course? We have iaido-l for free!
;-)
And it should be free indeed, because everybody (=those active) is
contributing and everybody is teacher and student at the same time.
By the way, thank you very much for the work you spend on it. As you
said, work like that pays back, even if not in money.
Some more food for thought, probably.
Inken