With occasional exception, one of three major mind sets is most prominent in each adult in the world, for the duration of his or her lifetime. Ever-changing environments and internal thoughts ensure that few adults with standard life duration have ever permanently spent all his or her life in one state or another. These states are the fear-mind, the escape-mind, and the love-mind. Some people may switch from one to another many times each day, while one state or another tends to dominate. Alternation can be found in only the 95% who have consciences, while people who have never had concern for morality nor had consciences (psychopaths) and those who have lost concern for morality and their consciences (sociopaths) remain forever in a specific type of escape-mind. With the exception of persons in this absolutely permanent condition, Aikidoka often discover mind-state improvement through determined training.
There is little surprise when considering the existence of the fear-mind. The basic human instinct to survive is in conflict with a world and planet of danger. A hungry child with no food in sight, a farmer watching an F5 tornado approach his home, or a police officer being fired upon by a criminal, are scenarios demonstrating that overwhelmingly fearful moments occur at times in people’s lives. These isolated examples have short durations, while the fear-mind is a more chronic state. Post-trauma often manifests itself in the form of fear-mind, but the summation of enough smaller and remembered fear-inducing situations can lead to a mind trying to protect itself via premeditated avoidance of unpleasant scenarios, no matter how improbable. The fear-mind leads to speech and action intended to knowingly or unconsciously instill fear in others. Although anti-social, fear-mongering stems mostly from the seeds of real emotions such as jealousy and loneliness. Many claim they are motivated by fear, but such a statement on its own does not prove that their minds are usually steeped in this painful emotion and accompanying thought processes.
While fear-mind is a singular and specific state, escape-mind is a broader term that encapsulates three primary types. These are, in no particular order, the narcissism-mind, the drug-mind, and the schizoid or hermit-mind. These are attached respectively to the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow and their connotations.
Narcissism is associated with the color red because the consciously secure, yet unconsciously insecure person has discovered a mind state in which he or she constantly strives to portray him or herself in a way that others, strangers and acquaintances alike, see him or her as a danger, not to be trifled with. A metaphor could be a venomous rattlesnake that hypothetically feels constant threat, and thus continuously, actively warns of its dangerous bite. Such a serpent is indeed afraid of another person as much as this threat is afraid of it, but emitting vibes of “you don’t want to mess with me,” whether real or imagined, protects the narcissist from his or her own emotional fear. The sheer narcissist mind does in fact reduce feelings of fear, but at the cost of delusion. With his or her grandiose thoughts, superiority attitude, and spending most of his or her energy towards establishing dominance over others, it becomes clear how a fear-mind can be overcome in such a way, yet the individual’s energy is misplaced and wasted. As Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse writes in his famous novel, Steppenwolf, depending upon the translation, “[sheer egotism and self-hate are really one and the same, as they result in the same misery.]” Many such people do have a conscience and some regard for morality, while sociopaths and psychopaths fit neatly in the narcissism-mind forever. The self-absorption that accompanies this method of escape, even for those with consciences, might become so overwhelming, that – for alleviation of guilt – a narcissist deludes him or herself into believing that he or she is the only person with feelings, or even free-will.
Another escape-mind that can result in misery is the blue-hued, chronic-drug-mind. The association with blue is the inevitable melancholic state of what at first often feels wonderful, even ecstatic. While nicotine, caffeine, and other over-the-counter psychoactive drugs ingested properly are relatively mild, prescription psychoactives such as the opiates as well as self-medications like alcohol and marijana, if used, must be done so with careful measure, ideally only when crises necessitate it. Even though some euphoria-inducing prescriptions, alcohol, and marijuana might be mild if taken on occasion, they can each be drawn into the body in excess. Relying too heavily upon any escape-chemical or a combination can be harmful physically, and more pertinently, mentally. While narcissism can be viewed as an elaborate cobweb among thoughts, certain drugs act chemically to offer an initial escape-mind. Some begin to sample illicit drugs that are even more hardcore and addictive. With the human body’s eternal longing for homeostasis, not much time passes until these chemicals no longer act as escape, but rather necessity, even at increasing doses. Suddenly, life away from excess drug use feels worse than it had felt before use. Therefore, the chronic drug user’s mind may feel euphoric early on, but dysphoria is sure to set in, whether use continues or ceases.
The third and final major escape-mind is similar to what the psychiatry handbook, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, calls schizoid personality disorder. The specific criteria outlined in the DSM for this diagnosis aside, there is a general mind state shared among those who seek physical habitat along with mental isolation, or strictly mental isolation even in the midst of a populated community. The form of such hermits’ escape-minds in either situation can provide the somewhat peaceful illusion of total self-reliance, as fear of potentially upsetting direct influences from others might seem evaded. While the narcissism-mind feeds on others and returns negativity, as does a chronic-drug-mind, the hermit-mind takes and gives nothing back. Occasionally conscious, but usually buried in the mind is the knowledge of the parasitic nature of one’s own escape-mind. Even if deep in the unconscious, this painful self-knowledge of assault upon society, active or passive, manifests itself in various unhealthy, unhappy thoughts. A person attempting to trick his own mind, even with chemical assistance, does not enduringly succeed. Yellow is the color of the hermit-escape, even though it would be quite an undertaking to successfully judge one as a total coward. Yet there is a sense of forfeiture of courage involved, often understandable considering our world is a far cry from paradise.
The separation from modern society and utopia begins to pleasantly grow nearer for the precious few who – while surmounting obstacles far beyond physical “achievements” such as mountain climbing – have discovered a relatively stable love-mind. Never once in history has complete love-mind existed in a person for even a picosecond. Not even Buddha’s entire mind could have been perfectly clear on all levels for a single moment. This is because any negative connection in the mind, from conscious awareness to deepest recesses, be it a memory or present reality, inhibits ultimate satori. What may feel like satori during deep meditation probably is indeed a pleasant state, yet with a limit. Nevertheless, there exists a mind state that incorporates alternate attributes of fear-mind and escape-mind. Fear is thought more than felt, the pseudo-confidence of the narcissistic mind emerges in a much truer, pro-social understanding, the roller coaster of the drug-mind becomes a reliable state of gladness, and the hermit’s urge for escape is instead enjoyable interactions with others.
How can the study of Aikido philosophy, along with proper training, reduce the negative-minds to reveal the love-mind?
I have ideas about this, but I would like to open it up to any Aikidoka who have read this essay to help with this essential final portion. If someone contributes, I may enjoy commenting as well.
…through training it is possible to develop another mindset, undefeatable determination. Normal aikido practice stresses the undefeatable aspect. As nage, you always, however eventually, achieve “victory” – a throw. The determination aspect is particularly evident in karate, where victory may be denied but continued fighting spirit even in advanced stages of exhaustion is mandatory.
Charles, thank you much for your thoughts. This is exactly why I wanted to leave the essay open-ended. These are things I was not considering while painstakingly writing this piece. You mention achieving “victory” for nage because the simulated conflict ends in a throw by the defender.
Although there is an acceptable level for proper execution of technique, mistakes are often made by nage, even yudansha. For example, while practicing ikkyo for a shomenuchi strike, nage may not catch uke’s arm until it is already forcefully on its way down. This makes ikkyo full of resistance, therefore not properly effective. A seasoned Aikidoka may be able to change techniques spontaneously and still end up with a throw. What began with nage’s error, through determination, might still work out in his or her favor.
Seeing the comments here from both of you, it brings back my mindset to a younger age.
Try remembering when you were a kid. There will be always be a winner and a loser this we cannot neglect it is a simple fact of life, the truth you seek to reveal call it a mind-set call it ki, call it zen (dear child has many names). Is that you must learn to accept your defeats in a way where you keep evolving even though you will lose from time to time.
The reason why some people escape or delusional escape (yes the same thing yet 2 different mind sets) is because they have trouble assuming the role of the “losing” part. But what is a victory and what is a defeat?
I have been attacked unfortunately a couple times in the nightlife, and has refused to strike back, though people will say I lost the fight, I will say rather that I won in life and self growth.
My English is not so good but please I hope I put my point through else feel free to ask anything and I will try to clarify it…
Some of what you are saying, ?, is comprehensible to me. Both our usages of English have their grammatical and structural mistakes. I don’t give the reader enough of a breather among all my complex sentences with enough simple sentences. Also, early on, I used singular pronouns when “their” was in order. I misspelled marijuana once, even with spell checker on!
You seem mainly to have missed a few punctuation marks. As far as victory and defeat, masakatsu agatsu are the most essential words to me in all Aikido philosophy.
Drew: I didn’t take on you language as it seemed just fine.
As “masakatsu agatsu” this is not exactly my point. Thinking about what you stated in your very lovely article I was thinking about the mind-sets.
If we assume that there is the mind-sets that you list “fear-mind, love-mind, escape-mind” then we must also assume that one can gain control of these three.
Therefor the victory over one self may not be in a martial way, but rather in a philosophical way. Meaning that by gaining a victory over your self in a mental way on perhaps even a day-to-day basis, will make you better off in a fight situation. What I try to state is the fact that by defeating your self mentally you will be able to take a defeat in a fight which may be what the attacker need because he feels a victory only by aggressive approach.
So once you have taken the defeat you will then be able to positively approach the attacker as you took a defensive defeat and therefor, in theory, should be fine and so should the attacker without suffering defeat.
So one will win and one will lose, though the one who loses is the one who actually wins if this makes sense?
An Aikidoka feels victorious in a martial situation by physically immobilizing one attacker or more, ideally through natural flow of technique, with, in order of an Aikidoka’s preference: inducing pain, injuring, maiming, and killing.
Dear Anonymous,
If you are going to post here again, please use your real first and last name. Otherwise, I will ignore your posts as most others do.