Aikido means "the way of harmony or union with the life force."
Through Aikido, one masters the art of influencing people and
life in positive directions by flowing with the energy one encounters.
One don't change one's intention, but melds it with the intentions
of others, so that one's motion becomes effortless, like a sailboat
in the wind, exquisite alignment with no domination.
After mastering nearly all the martial arts and still being unsatisfied,
Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba retreated to the mountains to sit
with a Zen master. He emerged with the deep insight that the ultimate
warrior discipline was love, a giving of life to all that exists.
One needs to get close enough to one's erstwhile opponent -- both
metaphorically and physically -- to see through their eyes, to
enter the world of their needs, feelings and perspective. Then,
instead of opposing their will and motion, "you must honor
it, blend with it, and cocreate an outcome at a higher level of
relationship than previously existed." Even the most violent
attack is transformed thereby into a sort of dance.
One can only do this from a very centered place. One needs a clear
mind and excellent connection with one's body, intentions and
emotions. Enroute to self-mastery in Aikido, one learns that beneath
one's fear lies aliveness.
Aikido is an excellent metaphor for collaborative
intelligence.