"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility"

"You think you are tough?  Let's see who is tougher -- you or the stick in my hand!"  

That was what my father often said to my defiant brother who refused to apologize after he was caught being mischievous.  From what I can remember, my brother never really did anything so terrible that deserves such severe punishment.  What got him beaten up, was that he made the ultimate authority of the household -- our father -- feel challenged.  The man of the house felt the need to put his foot down to demonstrate to my brother who was in charge.

In many ways, I think it is the same mentality that drive law enforcement officers to misuse or even abuse their power.  As Trump puts it, "Dominate."  

I have seen many video footage of incidents of police abusing their power.  When people questions their actions, many times, the police officers' response was: "I AM THE LAW!"  I find that extremely troubling and scary.  Somehow, they forget what their original mandate was.  They are no longer public servants.  They have become rulers . . . 

Power corrupts people.  It is not news.  Power gives people a false sense of superiority.  Power makes people mistakenly think that everything they do is right and justified.  It does not only happen to police officers.  It can happen to anybody anywhere.  Teachers in schools, bosses in the workplace, religious leaders in places of worship.  Sempais and senseis in Aikido dojos are no exceptions.  I have seen and experienced a lot of that myself.  I am not surprised.  After all, if people can beat their kids just to demonstrate their power and control, what is stopping them from doing the same to others who are not related to them?

[Watch Chief Garcia and Pastor Jason Reynolds speak with SJPD Academy #37 recruits]

"It is not about training.  It is about what is in your heart.  If you have malice in your heart, it does not matter how you train."  These are the words that Chief Garcia shared with the San Jose Police Department recruits after the murder of George Floyd.  Chief Garcia's speech really touches my heart.  Once again, I am reminded of why we practice Aikido.  

Aikido techniques can be strong and effective.  Some people jumped on the Aikido band wagon for the slogans of love and harmony.  Yet, all they ever get are the mechanics of how to throw or pin somebody.  Aikido, to them, is nothing but a fancy means of domination.  The unfortunate thing is that they may not even be aware of what they are doing because, by definition, "Aikido is not violent".  Everything they do is easily justified.

The truth is: Aikido is not about throwing.  Nor is it about pinning.  It is beyond physical movements.  The true goal of Aikido is self purification.  Aikido offers us a chance to take a close examination of ourselves and strive to become a better person.  We come here to weed ourselves of undesirable tendencies and behaviors.  It is misogi for our spirit.  The physical training is just a process that helps the transformation to take place.  The only questions is: Are you ready for it?

As a society, we definitely have to address the problem of police brutality and abuse of power.  By the same token, we need to hold all public officials accountable for their actions.  Nobody is above the law.  Nobody is above anybody else.  It is what a democracy should be like.

How do you behave when you are in a position of power?  What kind of leader are you?  Please remember: Respect is not something that you demand.  It has to be earned.  Be a fair, kind and compassionate person.  Clenching your teeth, holding tight fists and putting a heavy foot down is the prelude to one's downfall . . .