This is not an uncommon thing, it seems that many symbols are unsearchable, but this one in particular is kinda cool and wanted to know what it was about.

Alas, Google has let me down.

WE MUST HELP THE GOOGLE!

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He said something along the lines of “there’s gotta be something more to it than just the self-defence. If you’re worried about self-defence, you could just buy a 9mm and be set.”

I found this fascinating, probably because I’ve never heard this idea put this way before. Why practice any martial art if self-defence is what you’re truly concerned with. Buy a knife, buy a gun – these are far more practical than studying an in-depth system for 3 to 30 years. It brings up a lot of points, really. My sensei, himself, wrote a small article on why he trains Aikido. You can read it here.

What this also makes me think of is an old Aikido proverb.

2 elderly masters are sitting on a park bench when the one asks the other, “have you ever used aikido in a fight?” The other responds with “No.” And the first man says, “you’re aikido is better than mine. I have.”

This small story leads the reader to believe that Aikido is not about fighting, in fact that it’s about not fighting. To master aikido means to never fight, why is that? It is because the nature of aikido is not to learn how to fight with one another, but how to avoid fighting with one another. As I’ve said before, aikido is a physically metaphoric system for how individuals should live their lives.

It has also been discussed how people take up a martial art for goals and contradict those goals by changing direction later on. In this article by Stanley Pranin, he explains how people often join a martial art to avoid injury and harm, only to compete when they’re competent to injure and harm others. Quite deceptive, really.

So what should the goals of aikido be? Are there a set number? If not self-defence, what could a martial art possibly provide?

For me, the first application of Aikido is mind and body wellness. In this short article by Bruce S. McEwen, as cited by Dr Neil Bossenger, many regular activities alter brain and body function due to elevated stress levels. He states that “the social environment has enormous impact on the individual through the brain.” So in order to repair this negative alteration, a form of therapeutic activity can be done, my choice of this activity is Aikido. Aikido provides the trainee with the understanding of a deeper life lessons, but you do have to either think or stumble on it. Example: In Aikido we are uke about half the training time. Uke translated actually means “the one who suffers”. In life we are not always doing the awesome stuff, about 50% of the time things will be good, and 50% of the time things will be bad – the difference is in that 50% of badness, the energy is absorbed portrayed in a different light, kind of like a conversion into good energy.

Before I go all hippified on you, let me just explain. Uke means the one who suffers, but how does aikido solve the pain of suffering? Simple, ukemi. Ukemi is the teachings of how to take blows and punches and techniques (suffering) and still being able to stand up later on, it teaches us to redirect and channel energy. Kind of fascinating, really; hence its therapeutic nature.

The second reason is that Aikido gives a bit of discipline. Have you ever done something you love for a few years? You know there are those nights or days where, even though you love doing it, you don’t feel like it right there and then? Those are the type of nights that training is especially important – those are the nights where you build your mind and spirit into the training. And, for the record, ever notice how when once you’re at the training right until you’re finished, you feel so much better. The lack of enthusiasm was for 5 minutes before you left the house, and you feel good because 1, you didn’t spend the night watching The Kardashians, 2, you did something stimulating to your mind and body and 3, you did something that you didn’t want to but knew that it was beneficial in the long run. That’s discipline! And a true Aikido master can only manifest when you put in the hours, even if it’s not always the most convenient; there are lessons inside the lessons.

The third and maybe final reason for me is the social aspect of the training. I personally don’t think I would have really gotten into Aikido if my teacher wasn’t who he was. Really, all martial arts have their pros and cons and I think all are enjoyable, but it’s the teacher that really makes it special. I’m speaking from a socialistic point of view (even though my Sensei is technically sound) but to have someone who is down to earth and real is a very good thing. The people you train with are also there to occasionally talk to, as well. It’s a community, where people talk and laugh and train. I don’t feel this way about everything, example: the gym, but aikido is a study that has to involve other people, why not make it something you can do to meet new people and enjoy. It’s all about networking.

Through aikido we’ve met and befriended people who is a chiropractor, someone who can give advice on your body and wellbeing; an insurance dealer, someone who has given us deals when looking for travel insurance; a design publisher, who gives deals when it comes to design and printing; nutritionist, who’s always willing to give advice. The world is full of people, believe it or not, and stepping just that small inch out of your comfort zone will allow you to meet those people.

So that sums it up for me in a very short, concise understanding. There are 2 or 3 more minor points that I could talk about, but I try to keep my blogs under 1000 words (which I’ve already surpassed). Remember, do something you love. Aikido (or even martial arts) is not something everyone enjoys, but some of these ideas can be applied everywhere in your life. Anything you do should have a goal or a focus, even if it is to better yourself in any respect. Do it as best you can, don’t do it half arsed or you’re just wasting your time, and possibly others. Give 100% and you will succeed, whatever that word means to you.

What if I had said, “Gravity comes from God”? That would be merely to stifle her intelligence—and to teach her to stifle it. What if I told her, “Gravity is God’s way of dragging people to hell, where they burn in fire. And you will burn there forever if you doubt that God exists”? No Christian or Muslim can offer a compelling reason why I shouldn’t say such a thing—or something morally equivalent—and yet this would be nothing less than the emotional and intellectual abuse of a child. In fact, I have heard from thousands of people who were oppressed this way, from the moment they could speak, by the terrifying ignorance and fanaticism of their parents.

Ten years have now passed since many of us first felt the jolt of history—when the second plane crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. We knew from that moment that things can go terribly wrong in our world—not because life is unfair, or moral progress impossible, but because we have failed, generation after generation, to abolish the delusions of our ignorant ancestors. The worst of these ideas continue to thrive—and are still imparted, in their purest form, to children.

What is the meaning of life? What is our purpose on earth? These are some of the great, false questions of religion. We need not answer them—for they are badly posed—but we can live our answers all the same. At a minimum, we must create the conditions for human flourishing in this life—the only life of which we can be certain. That means we should not terrify our children with thoughts of hell, or poison them with hatred for infidels. We should not teach our sons to consider women their future property, or convince our daughters that they are property even now. And we must decline to tell our children that human history began with magic and will end with bloody magic—perhaps soon, in a glorious war between the righteous and the rest. One must be religious to fail the young so abysmally—to derange them with fear, bigotry, and superstition even as their minds are forming—and one cannot be a serious Christian, Muslim, or Jew without doing so in some measure.

Such sins against reason and compassion do not represent the totality of religion, of course—but they lie at its core. As for the rest—charity, community, ritual, and the contemplative life—we need not take anything on faith to embrace these goods. And it is one of the most damaging canards of religion to insist that we must.

People of faith recoil from observations like these. They reflexively point to all the good that has been done in the name of God and to the millions of devout men and women, even within conservative Muslim societies, who do no harm to anyone. And they insist that people at every point on the spectrum of belief and unbelief commit atrocities from time to time. This is all true, of course, and truly irrelevant. The groves of faith are now ringed by a forest of non sequiturs.

Whatever else may be wrong with our world, it remains a fact that some of the most terrifying instances of human conflict and stupidity would be unthinkable without religion. And the other ideologies that inspire people to behave like monsters—Stalinism, fascism, etc.—are dangerous precisely because they so resemble religions. Sacrifice for the Dear Leader, however secular, is an act of cultic conformity and worship. Whenever human obsession is channeled in these ways, we can see the ancient framework upon which every religion was built. In our ignorance, fear, and craving for order, we created the gods. And ignorance, fear, and craving keep them with us.

What defenders of religion cannot say is that anyone has ever gone berserk, or that a society ever failed, because people became too reasonable, intellectually honest, or unwilling to be duped by the dogmatism of their neighbors. This skeptical attitude, born of equal parts care and curiosity, is all that “atheists” recommend—and it is typical of nearly every intellectual pursuit apart from theology. Only on the subject of God can smart people still imagine that they reap the fruits of human intelligence even as they plow them under.

Ten years have passed since a group of mostly educated and middle-class men decided to obliterate themselves, along with three thousand innocents, to gain entrance to an imaginary Paradise. This problem was always deeper than the threat of terrorism—and our waging an interminable “war on terror” is no answer to it. Yes, we must destroy al Qaeda. But humanity has a larger project—to become sane. If September 11, 2001, should have taught us anything, it is that we must find honest consolation in our capacity for love, creativity, and understanding. This remains possible. It is also necessary. And the alternatives are bleak.

Before I post the article, here are the steps of recovery:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs

12 Step Program of AA – Thoughtful Critique & Analysis

Excerpted in part from Get Sober Stay Sober

Most people are unaware that the 12 step program of AA that has become the treatment model for all addictions has its roots in an evangelical cult called The Oxford Group. In spite of the fact that we have overwhelming scientific evidence that tells us that addiction has its roots in the neurotransmitters of the brain, we attempt to treat alcoholism and other addictions with a religious, cult-like, shame based support group, instead of an effective treatment approach for a serious medical condition.

Additionally, most people are not aware that Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12 step program, was still actively addicted to nicotine, caffeine and sex and engaged in destructive addictive behavior his entire life. He had not discovered a cure for alcoholism or addiction, he had only switched his addiction from alcoholism to sex, nicotine, caffeine, women and fanatic religious practices. He also fought intense cravings to drink right up to his deathbed.

Bill Wilson was a sex addict who used his position of power in Alcoholics Anonymous to take advantage of and use vulnerable women in the AA community. His sexual behavior was the cause of great controversy throughout Alcoholics Anonymous, but was kept secret so that it wouldn’t have a negative effect on the movement. It created a lot of conflict between him and other members as well as himself. The Big Book and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions are filled with references to the struggles he went though with his sexual obsession. Bill’s insights were not divinely guided by God, they were the result of his struggles with deep shame and powerlessness.

AA has contributed to saving the lives of many people, including myself, however, we need to be honest about what AA does and does not achieve. We need to recognize its limits and be realistic about its effectiveness. Although the 12 step program of AA may provide people with a variety of benefits like social networking with similar people, emotional support, others who understand your plight, validation, hope and awareness, it is not an effective or complete approach for dealing with the true physiological roots of alcoholism.

The 12 step program of AA is essentially a support group. However, unlike other support groups, it demands that you attend for the rest of your life and engage in a variety of religious practices to be an accepted member. Like other support groups, attendance in AA should be voluntary and used as a transitional phase for early stages of recovery, not something you’re sentenced to for the rest of your life. AA should be like a parent — teach and raise the child and then release them into the world.

When Bill Wilson was still drinking, he was repeatedly treated for alcoholism in a hospital called Town’s Hospital by a Dr. Silkworth. Dr. Silkworth shared with Bill that he believed alcoholism was the result of an allergy to alcohol, not character defects or weak will. It was the allergy that resulted in uncontrollable cravings to drink and that to avoid the cravings you must never touch alcohol again. Bill W. felt that Dr. Silkworth was right and this is how the “alcoholism is a disease” concept came about. What we know today, is that Dr. Silkworth was headed in the right direction, allergy to alcohol is actually one of the crucial components involved in the addiction process.

Bill tried repeatedly to not touch the alcohol again, but was not able to succeed. His drinking progressed rapidly and grew so out of control and destructive that he was faced with the possibility of being committed to an insane asylum. Around this time Bill met another alcoholic who had obtained some sobriety by joining the Oxford Group, an evangelical Christian cult. He tried to convert Bill, but Bill was resistant. However, as Bill’s drinking grew more out of control and he became increasingly distraught, hopeless and desperate he began to be swayed by the principles of the Oxford Group, which included admitting defeat, taking personal inventory of sins, confession, making restitution, helping others, prayer and passing the message on. (Don’t these look strikingly similar to the 12 step program of AA?)

Once again Bill was hospitalized, enduring severe delirium tremors and being sedated with a cocktail that Dr. Silkworth used on alcoholics that contained a mixture of morphine, psychoactive drugs and a hallucinogen called belladonna. Shortly after his friend from the Oxford Group paid him a visit, Bill had what he described as an intense religious experience that convinced him God was now his higher power. The reality of the situation is that Bill was probably experiencing hallucinations, not having a divinely guided experience.

The Oxford Group’s primary belief was that humans were completely powerless and that all our problem were the result of sin. The only way to solve any of our problems was to completely submit our will over to God. Members consisted of the educated and elite and held meetings in hotels around town or in the member’s homes. It’s message was spread by the elder members teaching the newer members. This was the philosophy that Bill now adopted as a way to stay sober.

He then convinced another alcoholic, Dr. Bob, who became the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, that this was the necessary path to remain sober. The two of them then proceeded to preach this message to other desperate and broken alcoholics. The very first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous consisted of a group of alcoholics who were members of the Oxford Group that Bill had managed to convert.

After a while the Oxford Group didn’t want the alcoholics in their meetings because they didn’t fit in with the elite and educated crowd they were targeting, so Bill W. and Dr. Bob took their alcoholics and formed their own Oxford Group, which they called Alcoholics Anonymous. They took all the principles of the Oxford group and presented them as the 12 step program of AA. They replaced the word “sin” with character defects and shortcomings.

Most people are also not aware, that the 12 step program of AA is not very successful, as a matter of fact, the 12 Step program of AA is pretty much a failure. Statistics that are reliable and consistent are difficult to find, because they are heavily influenced by an unwillingness to share the truth about drinking behaviors and who conducts the research. However, the most reliable research reveals that the success rate ranges somewhere between .01 and 2.5 percent for long-term sobriety. Long-term sobriety is defined as more than five years. Other research teaches us that approximately.05 percent of all alcoholics quit drinking without any type of treatment, so this means that the 12 step program of AA is not even as successful as spontaneous remission.

Alcoholism is a physical disease. Even traditional treatment centers acknowledge this fact to some degree; however, they continue to treat it as if it were a spiritual or psychological disease. Why is that? We don’t send people with cancer or heart disease to meetings and suggest they work on their character flaws as their primary method of treatment. We may suggest a person with cancer or other chronic health conditions attend a support group or get some psychological counseling to help them cope and provide emotional support throughout the treatment process, but that would be in addition to treatment, not in place of it. To use a support group or psychological counseling as the sole source of treatment for a physical disease is absurd.

We don’t tell anyone with cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis or cardiovascular disease to get right with God or blame their condition on the state of their morality or spirituality. When was the last time anyone with one of the aforementioned conditions or any other physical disease besides alcoholism or addiction was told they must give their will and life over to a higher power, make a list of their sins, confess them to a group member, make restitution and engage in community service if they want to heal their health issues? When was the last time any of them were told the treatment protocol did not work because they are incapable of being honest, just not sick enough or in denial?

When the 12 step program of AA does work, which is rare, it is largely because it always feels better to have others who are like you to support, accept and encourage you. This is true of any challenge or hurdle in life. We can overcome many things with love and support from others who understand us. However, like any physical disease, since the physiological aspect of addiction has never been addressed, relapse is almost certain.

Additionally, the 12 step program of AA sometimes works because it provides someone whose life has been shattered by alcoholism with structure and direction. It’s similar to the placebo effect, in that it doesn’t really matter what the program consists of, it could be 3 steps, 2 steps, or whatever, it’s simply a matter of being given a clear-cut path to follow that instills a false sense of protection and certainty in an unsafe and uncertain world.

People who are in severe emotional distress, personal or physical crises, or an extreme state of desperation will radically change their belief systems and grasp at straws by adopting views they normally consider irrational or ridiculous and may experience a religious conversion. However, once the immediate crises pass and the desperation weakens, it’s difficult to continue to justify their participation in the activity and they drift away. Which is why we see so many people come into the 12 step program of AA who initially look like they will make it, or “get the program,” but then walk out the doors. Some people are able to be shamed and guilted into staying sober for a period of time, but since shame is also at the root of perpetuating addiction, this method does not work in the long run.

Powerlessness is Counterproductive

In the 12 step program of AA, you admit you’re powerless, you give your power to God, list your sins, confess your sin, make restitution, engage in prayer, meditation and service to the program. We’re very clearly talking about a religious conversion here — not a treatment for addiction. The sole purpose of the 12 steps is to induce guilt and shame in attempt to change and control behavior; which is another contributing factor to why so many people can’t succeed through 12 steps. Shame and guilt only produce low self-esteem and encourage self-destructive behavior like drinking and drugs rather than healthy, loving behavior towards self.

The whole powerlessness concept came from two places. It was a core concept of the Oxford Group that Bill had internalized and, therefore, it became one of his core feelings. There is no scientific evidence or even common sense that says admitting we’re powerless is effective in healing any physical health disease.

Quite the contrary — It is counterproductive. The powerlessness concept was what the Oxford Group (cult) used to control, manipulate and retain members by making them completely dependent upon the group and that’s what it ended up doing in the 12 step program of AA as well.

Instilling a sense of powerlessness in an individual is destructive to self-esteem, teaches and perpetuates learned helplessness, perpetuates hopelessness, prevents one from taking personal responsibility and encourages a self-fulfilling prophecy that in the case of alcoholism or addiction often leads to binge drinking and justification for the binge. “If I’m powerless, I guess there’s nothing I can do about it, so I might as well drink myself to death,” is what the alcoholic mind concludes. Some studies indicate that the powerlessness concept actually increases binging behavior and relapse.

It is completely disempowering, which is insane, because what the alcoholic or addict needs more than anything is to feel empowered. They need to feel capable of changing their life. Not only that, it’s a complete lie. When the alcoholic understands that the true root of alcoholism lies in biochemistry and there are ways to correct it, they are given all the tools needed to overcome their addiction and the shame so often associated with being an alcoholic. Being an alcoholic is no longer a moral issue, a character flaw, a spiritual illness, a defect in spirit or a personality disorder. It frees them.

Does an alcoholic have to admit they have a problem? Absolutely, but there is a very big difference between admitting you have a problem and submitting to complete powerlessness. It’s impossible to overcome any problem if one does not admit it exists, so yes it is a crucial first step. However, powerlessness is not an essential component of that first step.

Another important point is that there is a very big difference between spirituality and religion and even though AA and 12 step treatment centers deny it vehemently, the 12 step program of AA is a religious program, not a spiritual one. Religion involves practices and beliefs that include a higher power or God, while spirituality is focused on finding purpose and meaning in your life, the relationship you have with yourself, those around you and the Universe. The 12 step program of AA is clearly categorized in the category of religion.

Cult-Like & Brainwashing Behaviors

Then there is the cult issue. “A cult typically refers to a cohesive social group devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture considers outside the mainstream, with a notably positive or negative popular perception.” They engage in a variety of behaviors like mind control and intimidation, they thrive on creating a sense of powerlessness in the member, the operate as a closed system with, they are rigid, dogmatic and authoritarian, believe their way is the only way, require complete submission of the will to God, are built on a charismatic leader that is revered and worshipped and engage in elaborate religious rituals with a strong emphasis on prayer, to name a few. The 12 step program of AA fits this definition like a glove and engage in each and every one of these cult-like behaviors.

We also have the brainwashing aspect. Brainwashing (also known as thought reform or as re-education) consists of any effort aimed at instilling certain attitudes and beliefs in a person — beliefs sometimes unwelcome or in conflict with the person’s prior beliefs and knowledge, in order to affect that individual’s value system and subsequent thought-patterns and behaviors.

This is a clear definition of exactly what goes on in AA and 12 step treatment programs. The whole success of the program hinges on whether the alcoholic will buy their beliefs and adopt them as their own value system and think and behave in a particular manner. Just like prisoners of war or others subjected to brainwashing, when the alcoholic is resistant, they are confronted with hostile, angry confrontations, threats of relapse, failure, accusations of being in denial, not ready, or incapable of honesty, rejection and even death.

Although traditional treatment and the 12 step program of AA employ cult-like behaviors and practice brainwashing, I don’t believe they do so with evil or harmful intentions. I believe that at the heart of the 12 step program of AA is a sincere desire to help others. I believe they think they are doing something good, but then again, I’m sure that’s what other brainwashers and cults think. Regardless, the fact remains that whether it is done with good intentions or not, brainwashing and cult like behavior is occurring and many people are, rightfully so, uncomfortable with these methods. The problem is that it is misguided and the end result is the same. Most alcoholics and addicts end up without getting the help they need because they have been driven away by these practices that feel frightening or uncomfortable and because they’re simply ineffective for a powerful physiological disease like alcoholism and other addictions.

The other issue at hand in regard to the cult like and brainwashing behaviors and the religion issue is honesty. In a program that demands rigorous honesty, let’s at least be honest about who and what we are and the methods we employ and not attack the people who are uncomfortable with the methods and call it like it is. The 12 step program of AA is a religious program that uses cult-like practices; let’s just admit that.

It’s quite interesting that in spite of the fact that the 12 step program of AA and 12 step treatment centers claim to be an open-minded and accepting group, everyone defends this program to the death with angry, defensive, sometimes hostile, vicious and vengeful attacks against people who dare say anything negative about the program, question any of its methods or beliefs or express any doubts or concerns whatsoever. If it’s not angry attacks, it comes in the form of subtle, yet clear, rejection and disapproval. The message is very clear that if you do not believe 100 percent, you are not accepted. I have come face to face personally with this experience many times.

This illustrates one of the cult-like behaviors very clearly. Additionally, this behavior serves to protect their reality. They need to feel validated and certain that they are following the right path, so voices of the non-believers cannot be permitted because they threaten their sobriety.

Last but not least, every principle and technique used in the 12 step program of AA not only promotes but also ensures dependence upon the program. One addiction is replaced with another — alcoholism for meetings. Instead of helping the individual develop skills that they can apply to their life outside the program to live a full and productive life, they are brainwashed with fear tactics into believing they must attend AA meetings for the rest of their life or they’ll get drunk. They discourage independent thinking and, thus, the alcoholic becomes completely dependent upon the program and other members for not only their sobriety, but living in general. They look to to the 12 step program of AA for answers to managing all areas of their life.

The Truth

Scientific research tells us that the drive to self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, sex, food, etc., emerges from nutritional deficiencies, genetics, undiagnosed medical conditions and biochemical imbalances; not character flaws, mental disorders, weak will, personality disorders or spiritual deficits. Alcoholism is a physical disease with roots that lie in an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. When the alcoholic tries to stay sober without addressing the physiological roots, then relapse is almost guaranteed, as the underlying biochemistry issues will push the alcoholic to seek relief in a drink. If relapse does not occur, it is temporarily soothed by engaging in other addictive behaviors like sex, sugar, caffeine, cigarettes or even the 12 step program of AA itself.

The biggest crime in this scenario is that there are actual treatment methods that are based on sound scientific evidence that can help the body repair these physiological issues and ensure a much better chance of achieving long-term sobriety. These methods come to us from the exciting field of orthomolecular medicine and have a success rate of 74 – 80 percent, and yet are totally ignored and dismissed by AA and traditional treatment centers who continue to use an outdated and ineffective 12 step program. If you would like to learn the truth about alcoholism and achieve craving-free sobriety that lasts a life time without AA or the 12 step program of AA, then I recommend you take a look at Get Sober Stay Sober: The Truth About Alcoholism.

Alcoholics have been lied to and brainwashed. We are not powerless over alcohol or the addiction process. You do not have to be sentenced to a lifetime of meetings and the 12 step program of AA. You don’t have to struggle with never-ending cravings for alcohol or drugs. When you learn the roots of alcoholism and are given the tools to address them effectively, cravings completely disappear and drinking becomes a non-issue in your life. I can say this because I learned this information first hand. I achieved 21 years of uninterrupted and craving-free sobriety without AA or the 12 step program of AA and you can too by addressing the issue of addictive biochemistry.

Source: http://www.alternatives-for-alcoholism.com/12-step-program-of-aa.html

This blog post is about showing some holes with in the Holy Bible to postulate that Jesus Christ, son of Joseph and Mary, was not actually crucified and not resurrected.

For those of you who know me personally, I am an avid theology, mythology fan and enjoy picking apart bits of holy scripture to show a deeper understanding and meaning. That’s just in case you’re wondering why I’m posting this.

The topic is “was Jesus Christ really crucified?” Christians are the only religious group who believe in Jesus being the light and saviour of the world and believe that he died for our sins. Note that in Exodus 34.6-7 it states that the sins of the father are inherited by his sons and their sons – it is presumed that human beings are born with sin because of Adam.

Also note that in Corinthians 15:14 Paul says that if Christ has not risen from the dead then “our preaching is in vein and our faith is in vein.” That is to say that if what you believe is false, than there is no hope for humanity.

I’m going to use a small bit of logic with this post as well, I hope nobody minds but to really analyse what is being said, we have to ask questions like how and why.

So, some definitions:

Crucify: Put (someone) to death by nailing or binding them to a cross, especially as an ancient punishment.
This means that for a person to be crufified, he should die on the cross, if he does not, then he has not been crucified.

Resurrection: (the Resurrection)(in Christian belief) the rising of Christ from the dead.
Therefore, for Christ to have been resurrected, he must have died. If he did not die, then he could not have been resurrected.

The first and most important point that I must make is that nowhere in any of the gospels does it actually say Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

This might be because none of the disciples actually witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. According to Mark 14:50, all of Jesus’ disciples abandoned Jesus and were in the upper tower. Not mentioning that this is the most crucial part in the entire bible, but it sounds quite dreadful that his main followers left him to die alone. When Jesus came to them after the supposed crucifixion, they thought him to be a spirit – not because he looked like a spirit, but because they had heard from another person that he had been put to death.

What does a spirit look like, though? Ask most Christians and they will say that Jesus did not look like a spirit, he was a physical person, which is right. Jesus himself wanted to show that he was not a spirit, and in Luke 24:39-40 he says to his disciples “behold my hands and feet, that it is I, myself; handle me, see me, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, and ye see me have.” This is Jesus trying to show that he is not a spirit and therefore a person. Further on Jesus asks for some honey comb and broil fish and eats it in front of them.

Here comes the logical question, why would Jesus want food, of all things? The answer lies a little lower down, keep reading.

Mary Magdalene, who Jesus saved from being stoned, seemed to be a close friend of Jesus. On the first day of the week after Jesus’ crucifixion, Mary Magdalene was on her way to the tomb of Jesus and she saw that the stone had been moved.

2 questions come to mind here:

1. Why was Mary going to visit a dead body in an enclosed tomb?
2. Why was the stone moved?

The answer to the first question only raises more questions: According to John 20:1 and Mark 16:2, Mary was visiting the tomb to massage Jesus with ointments. It’s stated that she was on her way to anoint Jesus, anoint means to massage and in Hebrew it means Masaha (to massage, rub, anoint), in Arabic it means Misah (which means Massiah in Hebrew) which also means anointed one, and in Greek means Christos, which goes back to the English meaning of Christ.

So, in this case, the idea that he is the Messiah may just be a mistranslation and it really just means that he was going to get a massage.

The answer to the second question is, really, unknown. One has to ask why a spiritual resurrection need an object to be moved for him to leave, for a spirit hath no flesh and bones. But the answer will come below, provided you keep reading and haven’t changed the internet channel.

When she enters the tomb, she finds that the winding sheets have been unwound and placed on the side. It should also be noted that the tomb itself was very large, about 75 square feet and on private property. In the days of Jesus, a tomb that large would have been befitting for 5 people or more. The next two questions that come to mind are:

1. Why were the sheets unbound (and where was the body)?
2. Why have such a large tomb for a single dead body?

You know what I’m about to say? The answers are down below, but you have to keep reading to get there. No, don’t skip to the bottom, read on.

In John 20:15, Jesus sees Mary and says to asks her why she is crying and who is she looking for. Mary, at the time, thought that it was a Gardner that she was speaking to and says to Jesus “if you have moved the body, can you please tell me where he is and I will take him.” Jesus then says to her “Mary” and she recognises his voice. She rushes toward Jesus but he quickly says “Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended unto my father …”

1. Why was Jesus dressed as a gardner?
2. Why did Mary want to take the body away?
3. Why wouldn’t Jesus not want Mary to touch him?
4. What did he mean by “not ascended”?

Once the discples knew Jesus to be around, they asked him for proof as they did not believe it to be him or for it to be true (Mark 16:11). In Matthew 12:38, they say to Jesus “Give us a sign”. In the context of Jesus, a sign wasn’t necessarily a sign like a billboard; they wanted a miracle to prove that he was Jesus. Jesus replies to them that he will give them no such sign, except the sign of Jonah.

“Jonah and the whale” is one of the most famous stories taught in Sunday school. Little to believers actually know that the story of Jonah is a mere 1.5 pages in the entire bible. It’s one of the more happy stories where a man is swallowed by a whale and spat out and is alive in the end.

And this brings us to a conclusion. The answer to every single question is the answer to the topic in question. Jesus Christ was not crucified and not resurrected. He was alive after the attempted crucifixion, which answers all the above questions.

Mary Magdalene was one of the few to witness the burial, and must have seen that Jesus was alive. There would be no reason for a woman to want to massage a dead, rotting corpse after 3 days. She knew he was alive and wanted to tend to Jesus and his wounds. In no religion (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) do dead bodies get massaged on the 3^rd day. The stone was moved because Jesus was a physical, alive body. He could not have gotten out unless the stone was moved.

The sheets were also unbound and placed nicely because Jesus was alive; he then used some clothes to look like a gardener to disguise himself. He was disguised as a gardener to hide from the Jews; because if they had seen he was alive they would have obviously crucified him again. It is assumed he was disguised as a gardener because if he wasn’t, Mary would have seen that it him straight away. He also asks Mary not to touch him because he was in immense pain at the time; after all, he was just nailed to a cross. He also bluntly says that he had not ascended to God, quite plainly saying that he hadn’t been resurrected yet.

Other questions you might have thought of is why eat food. Jesus was obviously weak and hungry, food would have been good to have at this time. And finally, the sign of Jonah. Jonah was alive after being in the whale, and this was Jesus’ sign to show that he had not yet been killed, he was alive and wanted to prove it by eating as well as talking another person who was alive after being in a dark place for 3 days.

One of the interesting concepts beside space and time, however how the human mind perceives something that is not mathematical. Bear in mind that relativity was not a new concept when Einstein was around, classical relativity had been around for centuries, and is merely the idea that what you see is relative to the position you’re in at that given moment in time. A practical example of this would be seeing a car driving past at a constant speed of 100km/h. To a person outside of the car, the car is moving at 100km/h, but to the person inside the car, the car is practically stationary because he or she is moving at 100km/h as well. If the person inside the car threw a ball in a forward direction at 50km/h, the respectful speed of the ball is 150km/h, however only the person outside of the car would see this. The person inside the car would see the ball travelling at 50km/h because, as we said, he is perceivably stationary as he’s moving at 100km/h with the car.

That’s a basic explanation of classical relativity. Einstein took this further and showed that time is relative, as well. That is to say, if the speed of light is constant and therefore all observers must agree that light travels at a constant speed, then the time measured for the distance travelled is arguable. Slightly confusing? Basically, using the previous example, if a stationary spaceship and a moving spaceship shot a laser, the speed of the laser would not change for the moving person, because light travels at a constant speed. But if the laser of the moving ship and the stationary ship is in the same position, and the ships are at different positions, doesn’t that mean the distance of the laser travelled away from the moving spaceship is less than that of the stationary one? Yes and no. Yes in the classical sense, but no in Einstein’s sense, as the measure of time taken for the distance travelled will be different. That is to say that the time taken for the movement will differ because time is relative to the person observing it.

Physics aside, this is not what the blog is about. What I’m actually interested and curious about is how the human mind interprets data if their given circumstances are different.

Understanding the idea that something is relative to something else is a real world idea that almost falls under common sense for most people. It’s quite obvious to most people that the reaction of a person is relative to the action imposed on him or her. But is it really? Imagine a person who is abusive toward their partner because he or she spent money that they do not have. In this case, is the reaction completely relative to the action? That is to say, is the abuse justified because of the woman’s initial actions?

Most people will say “no”. But if this is the case, then reactions of people are not merely relative to the actions igniting the emotional response. To understand the way a person behaves (and reacts) there must be something that another person can quanitify and relate to. Perhaps we are looking at the wrong idea, then. Perhaps we should not be looking for the relativistic action to the reaction, but rather looking for the relativistic emotional response; what is the emotional response relative to?

Human beings are indeed all different, and this is why the reaction of one person to the same action is different to another person, therefore reaction is most certainly not relative to action, but rather, relative to emotional intelligence. This doesn’t get us very far though, to say that emotional intelligence is the basis for how a person reacts. To fully understand this we must find what emotional intelligence is relative to.

And it’s very clear, actually. Emotional intelligence and responses are relative to understanding of the environment and world around us. This understanding is, however, based on upbringing and environment of the particular person. Right from the moment the person is born, the environment plays its toll. This is not merely the idea that abusive parents will bring up children who are worse off than other children, but rather analysing why the person’s parents are abusive. To understand this, we come to the conclusion that a person’s life does not start when he or she is born, but rather at the beginning, to when the environment started (the beginning of time).

This could almost absolve any human being of morally and ethically unjust actions, because those actions are not only a reaction of the present moment surrounding them, but the reaction of their parents upbringing, and their parents’ upbringing, and their parents. There is no end to the idea because everybody’s actions has a reaction, and those reactions are almost never directed at the initial person, therefore it’s past on.

Apologies for this blog entry, it’s a quick one and a lot of ideas coming out in one go.

Wikipedia describes Endnote as a program which “groups citations into “libraries” with the file extension *.enl and a corresponding *.data folder”. What I would describe it as is the most useful tool in any university course to-date. It basically allows the user to input data into fields (such as Title, Author, Date, etc) and get an output of a professional looking reference. The program also integrates with Microsoft Word which then enables the user to input the list of references into their assignment directly.

Sounds pretty fancy, yeah?

It is a small learning curve to learn and master, though. This is the reason for this tutorial which will enable anyone interested in doing professional-looking references in a fraction of the time.

Download and Install

Endnote is easiliy available to download from AUTonline within the downloads section. This can be accessed under My Organisations, by clicking AUT Students Software Downloads (click this link after you have logged in). If you are having any trouble with the download, feel free to contact me.

Once downloaded, installing is straight forward, click on the application and it will run its course, as far as I’m aware, this install is completely automated and the user does not have to enter any data.

Beginning usage

Endnote doesn’t set itself up and doesn’t really teach you how to use it. This is why there are uni courses dedicated to it and the purpose of this article.

So firstly, when opening endnote, click “Do not integrate with Endnote Web at this time”. Then Finish. This will save you a whole lot of time with something that isn’t necessary.

Once done, click Create a new Library. This is where the information you put in will be stored on your computer. Think of it like when you make a word document, you have to save that word document to your computer so that if you want to use it anywhere, you can just copy it over to a USB stick and transfer it around.

After this, you’ll see your Endnote window. The first thing we need to do is change the referencing type. At the moment it’s on Annotated. At AUT we use APA 6^th, so that’s what we’ll be changing it to.

Click Edit, followed by Output Styles, then Open Style Manager.

Scroll down through the list of references styles and find APA_6th_AUTX4 and select it. Close the window and you should see a change in the main window from Annotated to APA_6th_AUTX4.

Creating a Reference

Now that the settings are done, we want to create a new reference. Click on the green plus button to do this.

You will be fronted with a screen where you have to enter details. The first thing to do here is to select the type of reference type, by default this is on Journal Aritcle, simple change it to suit what recourse you’re using. Note that when there is more than one Author, push enter to make a new line and put the second author there.

Once you press the top right “X” button to close the window, you’ll be asked if you want to save the changes. I always hit yes, so I tick the box that says “Do not display this message again“. Now when you close the window after inserting / editing a reference, it’ll save automatically.

Note that when creating a reference for a Journal Article, you must insert the DOI which is listed on the journal article. This is a quick number that can be inserted if your journal article is being checked by someone.

Once you close the window you’re using, you will see the main window again with your reference listed.

Integrating with Microsoft Office Word

Keeping the endnote window open, and the reference you want to use selected, you can now open Microsoft Office Word. When you’ve written what you want to in your essay, you need to reference it appropriately.

Here you can see a sample of the work which I’ve done.

Very good and well but … this statement needs to be backed up (preferably by 3 doctors who’ve written a conjoint book about that matter). So, after finding the reference and inserting it in endnote as we’ve done, we can insert it into the essay.

Notice that there is a new tab in your word processor, Endnote X4. Click on it, then Insert Citation, followed by Insert Selected Citation. Because the reference you want to use is already selected in endnote, Word easily puts it in the place your cursor is.

And that’s it. Once you’ve done that, the reference will be inserted into your post and the citation is inserted at the end of your sentence, where the cursor was.

Following this tutorial, I will be making another showing some simple steps and advice for formatting your essays correctly according to AUT and APA 6^th referencing system. If you have any questions or issues, feel free to email me or use the contact page on this blog.

Special thanks to Aimee Simpson, Robin Schoss and Alexis Fletcher for editing.

 

FAQ

Q: The endnote tab doesn’t show up in Word. Why is this?

A: Make sure you closed word when you installed Endnote. Updating the program with the included updater has been known to solve this issue.

Q: Is there a simple way to import an online database into Endnote as a reference?

A: Yes.

When in AUT Library, click database list on the left column. Choose your database and select it (I’m using Web of Science).

Once the new window is open, type the search that you want (I typed evolution as topic) and results will appear — select which ever one you want. On the top right of the article, there is a button that says Save to Endnote, Refman, Procite

See here: http://www.chadmaestro.com/images/dbimport.png

A new window will pop up from your browser, select “Open”.

See here: http://www.chadmaestro.com/images/dbimport2.png

This will automatically open up Endnote and insert the reference in the section Imported References.

See here: http://www.chadmaestro.com/images/dbimport3.png

You would insert this reference into word the same way you do it as noted in the tutorial.

Q: My version of Endnote is not from AUT but rather from Thomson. Can I get the same referencing output style?

A: Yes, simply select APA 6th in the style manager rather than APA_6th_AUTX4. These two are the same.

Q: I study law and hence do not use APA as a referencing style. Can I still use endnote?

A: Yes. If you want to use Endnote for your referencing, which I highly recommend because it’s a lot easier often more accurate, simple download the NZ Law Style from here:

http://digital.liby.waikato.ac.nz/endnote/

This was designed by UoW and is free to download and install.

I would also recommend that you have a read of http://law.waikato.ac.nz:8080/lrs/uploads/Main/EndNote%20for%20law.pdf to gain a good understanding of how to use the style.

Q: How can I enter an institution or corporation as an author?

A: When entering corporate authors, put a comma after the name:

U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Apple Computer Inc.,

This ensures that the entire name is treated as a first name, so no name manipulation will be applied.

If your corporate author name includes a comma in the name itself, use two commas in place of the first comma:

University of California,, Irvine

EndNote treats this as a last name followed by a blank first name. Then, everything after the (blank) first name is appended, including a second comma in the name. The formatted result is the corporate name with the comma in place.

What Aikido is To Me

Aikido has been given many titles and explanations to me over the past few years which I have been training – from the generic “way of harmony”, to 1 hour lectures at seminars to illustrate that particular sensei’s understanding, to YouTube user flamers stating the rubbish it is and how it’s the most useless idea in the 21^st century. From my perspective it’s probably the most useful practice in the 21^st century – because we lead such modern and busy lives – we don’t take that time to stop and think about what we’re doing and the effect it has on ourselves and the people around us. The modern man is impatient like this and wants everything right now, without the realization of consequences which could follow.

When Aikido was developed, it was made with the idea of a metaphor in mind. O Sensei created a martial arts system which anthropomorphized the way he wanted human beings to live their daily lives. This is why Aikido is very unique in its training and practice, because it’s much more than what happens on the mat.

Way of Harmony

The most common expression used to explain what Aikido is that you’ll often find on sites like Wikipedia to gain a general understanding is the direct translation – “the way of harmony”. Several institutions adapt this one step further with translation such as “the way of harmonious energy”. Besides this being quite airy fairy, it’s actually quite cryptic to the outsider’s understanding – and was so to me until, quite recently, I got an explanation from my sensei. The way of harmony is directly related to the nature in which we train – which is cooperatively. By the first sounds of this, when you think about it, to train cooperatively is what most skeptics will point out about the art. It can’t be used in a real situation because your attacker won’t be cooperative. But think about it a little harder and note other martial arts – I can’t think of many where, when learning basics, your partner isn’t somewhat cooperative. This allows us to learn the technique so that if need be, we can successfully use it.

Aikido techniques have a lot of opportunity for atemi, which are strikes and other movements done to take the mind of your uke. O Sensei, himself, said that atemi is 70% of the effect; technique is the other 30%. Note that atemi is not solely a physical strike; it can be various movements that take the mind – ki-ai being one of these ideas. It’s important to remember that, although we are nice to each other on the mat (to allow us to learn), a kick to the groin and a gouge to the eyes is easily possible and will allow most Aikidoka to perform their technique with great ease.

Self Defense System

As mentioned earlier, O Sensei didn’t develop the Aikido system purely for self-defense, but rather to personify how human beings should live. With that in mind, I feel it’s important to reiterate that Aikido shouldn’t be taken up if you’re looking to beat people up, or show off what moves you can do. In order to become a true practitioner of Aikido, your energy must match the energy of the universe – and to do this, one must let go of his or her ego. In saying that, though, I feel that the principles of Aikido can easily be applied to a self-defense situation, in that there are various movements, ideas and techniques which can help neutralize an opponent. But more importantly than that, Aikido offers principles which help defuse a situation before it turns into situation — a life lesson much more valuable than disarming an attacker.

Principles over Technique

As just mentioned, I think it’s more beneficial for someone to be able to defuse a situation than disarm an attacker, because in life, situations don’t always come in the form of a person starting a fight. Situations can come in the form of a business deal, relationships, and 1 to 1 contact with other people. O Sensei didn’t want his pupils to go home thinking they had a way to defend themselves, he wanted them to go home knowing that they had the power resolve issues without conflict. Aikido is about stopping something before it starts, about blending with your life partner so that you and he/she live a happier life. This is where the harmonious practice comes into play. Aikido is about knowing that when life knocks you down, you don’t fall flat on your face and submit, it’s about learning to roll out of those situations and stand back up on your feet – the purpose of Ukemi.

Metaphor upon metaphor

As you can see by a lot of the explanations I’ve given, there’s a lot more to Aikido than simple techniques – and it’s a lot to take in. This is also why Aikido is not a 1 week course you can take and get the certificate for, it’s a lifelong practice which is about forever growing, learning and letting go of your ego. When you accept that you are not in control of the universe around you and can take a hit but still get back up — that will allow you to be happier.

O Sensei taught Aikido as a way of life, he wanted the world to treat each other with respect and learn to get back up when being hit to the floor.

The world as we know it allows us to believe that we have much freedom, much understanding of ourselves and, hence, it gives us the belief that we are able to change things with our choices, we have the freedom of choice. Choice is something that we all perceivably have, will is something that we all perceiveably have. It’s interesting to analyze what we do, and don’t, have on levels beyond and deeper than simple yes and no questions.

If we assume that we came from a big bang, an explosion which cause random things to collide and cause things to grow and develop, then technically everything since then has been set into motion. Everything that happens is really a sequence of events which are meant to happen because there was a starting point. When we assume that something has a starting point and therefore begins a sequence of events, one has to assume that everything up until this very moment and beyond is unavoidable. What we are and the world around us is not merely a set of choices by us or the people directly around us.

You and I are the sum total of all the causal influence that is now, and has ever been in the past.

This would then mean that, if we are indeed the effect consequence of everything else, then it would be right to say that our influence and cause on ourselves and others is so minute that it is almost non-existent. And if we think about it on a slightly deeper level — because we are consiquencial machines and not causal, what we perceive as our cause is therefor, also, non-existent.

If these statements are true that we don’t influence the universe around us on a direct level, then our illusion of free will is laid to rest. If we do not influence the world, or even what we do then, really, we do not do much to change each other and ourselves. It is the factors around us which, not only allow us to be who we are, but also have dictated us to be who we are.

Many people who are reading may be thinking at the moment, what is the point of living if we are unable to do as we please, what we want? To that I would say, what has been keeping you alive all this time, so far? If you said your job, your kids, anything else, that doesn’t change. The point of our life, which is truly the greatest accident, ever, is to b happy. And when you realise that what happens to you is not a fault of your own, you can realise that there is no need to become emotionally distraught over it, but rather move forward quickly and swiftly onto the next event which is, hopefully, gratifying.