the art of peace

This blog is to showcase a demo we did May 28th at the world premier showing of the dvd "Sounds of Peace". But there are a couple of other things I'd like to comment on.
Something that has been in the news a lot both locally and nationally is the injury to the Giants young catcher Buster Posey. There has been a lot of give and take in the press and on the radio talk waves as to whether or not the injury was intentional or not. Posey was run over by the Florida Marlins' Scott Cousins, suffering both a broken leg and damage to an ankle. It is quite unfortunate for Posey, a bright young local talent who in the eyes of many is the main force on the field for the World Champion San Francisco Giants. And it appears that Posey was not blocking the plate leaving a lane for Cousins to slide and score what proved to be the winning run. Thus this incident has brought up a lot for fans of the local team.
Of which I am definitely one.

One thing is certain. I don't believe Cousins hit Posey with the intent of hurting him. I do believe he hit him with the intent of hitting him hard. Often times when you are in that sense that you must do all you can to win things like this do happen.
This is something that this particular culture and sports in general must look at. Sports are entertainment for most. For those playing this is not entertainment or even work. Often times this represents a dream that they are living and it where a lot of passion surfaces. And a lot of emotion. I do believe this is one reason that Ueshiba Osensei made aikido a non-competitive martial art. That if there is a competition it is an inner one leading to a sense of inner development.

One thing about the Giants this year. Last year they WON the championship. This year they get to BE champions. They have been severely tested by injuries to Posey and Sandoval. Nothing has come easy. So that for me will be the real test for the team and its fans. So the tests will probably continue to come. And I hope we all grow through all the "torture".

So here is the video of the demo. We will be doing a repeat showing of the dvd at the dojo Wednesday June 22nd at 7:30pm. The video is available at the dojo.It features jazz legend Eddie Gale and me on trumpet with Dennis Kyne on electric guitar. The video is available for a recommended donation of $15 of which the dojo gets $5. A $20 donation would give $10 to the dojo. It is professionally done and is quite beautiful. The experience of playing with Eddie is one I will never forget.
I hope you enjoy the demo: