Teaching the art of peace

I recently read a statistic that stunned me. According to the Pocket World in Figures 2008 published by The Economist, 49 per cent of Maltese 15-year-olds claim to have been in at least one fistfight during the past year - the highest percentage of teenage brawlers in the world.

For those of you, like myself, who hitherto believed that Malta is a paradise of safety in a world of increasing alienation and violence, stop and let that statistic sink in.

Now reflect, as I have, on what that means to your son or daughter, and to Malta of the future. Think of the environment your children are having to cope with, one that is probably as alien to you as it is to me.

Like me, you may be asking yourself questions such as what caused this, how we can fix it, and how we can ensure our youth are protected from harm and intimidation.

I am no expert in youth psychology or socialisation, and can only offer an educated guess as to the cause. I would point to the complexity, speed and competitiveness of modern life and to the nature of relationships, which are as transient and virtual now as they were once nurtured and valued.

Young people growing up in today's virtual world are searching, suffering, and struggling to connect probably more now than ever before. In an age of 24-hour inane television and non-stop advertising, the young, with their underdeveloped minds, are encouraged to rely on the false promises of advertising to make them feel good and to soothe their emotions. Everything is a commodity. Including relationships.

I am sure people with some expertise in this area will smile at my oversimplification of what is undoubtedly a complex issue with, I suspect, multiple causes. But while I can do little than speculate on the causes, as an adult educator, I can confidently offer a solution to the question: how can we ensure children grow up with a calm, friendly, non-violent, connected disposition and without fear of bodily harm or intimidation, no matter how aggressive the environment he or she is presented with?

I can say this because I experience it personally every day, and because of the experience of Morihei Ueshiba, a great Japanese man, now deceased, and the knowledge that has been passed on by his hundreds of thousands of devoted disciples around the world.

Ueshiba was born in 1883 and though he had a somewhat privileged upbringing he was a rather weak, bookish and sickly child. Young Ueshiba's first experience of fear and intimidation came when he saw his father being attacked by followers of a competing politician.

Several other intimidating events in his life caused the young Ueshiba to search for a system with which he could vanquish his and his family's enemies. Despite his naturally frail body, he pursued studies in a number of martial arts and eventually, through hard training (and undistracted by TV, mobile phones and the Internet), he excelled in them. Eventually, Ueshiba came to be recognised as one of the greatest martial artists ever to have lived in Japan.

Notwithstanding his greatness as a martial artist Ueshiba would have soon forgotten if it was his only ability. Instead he has become famous for developing a system of martial arts that has achieved the paradoxical: a highly effective method of self-defence that uses neither violence nor aggression; it protects the attacker as much as the attacked; it promotes love and co-operation, not competition and exclusion.

As a great warrior during the worst fighting of World War II, Ueshiba experienced a series of spiritual awakenings which culminated in the following vision of 'the great spirit of peace': "The way of the warrior has been misunderstood. It is not a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek to compete and better one another are making a terrible mistake. To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst thing a human being can do. The real way of a warrior is to prevent such slaughter - it is the art of peace, the power of love."

As a result, Ueshiba evolved his fighting expertise and created a new martial art which he called Aikido, meaning the way of harmonious spirit. Aikido is sometimes referred to as the 'gentle' martial art for its emphasis on controlling aggression by guiding energy towards harmless dissipation.

Instead of responding to aggression with more violence Aikido focuses on leading an attacker's movement by using entering and turning movements. Students of Aikido neutralise an attack or several attacks by utilising various throws, pins or joint locks.

Among the martial arts, Aikido is unique in many ways. It is co-operative not competitive. It does not feature punches or kicks. It is not a sport.

There is no competition in Aikido. Instead, there is co-operation in an environment of mutual respect, courtesy and caring for others. Aikido teaches students how to handle violence, both physical and verbal, without becoming violent themselves.

Aikido training is a microcosm of real life: students are presented with challenges that can be overcome with assistance from others. Slowly, and with perseverance, participants become stronger, more powerful and more confident. With growth in self-confidence comes a realisation that limitations are often self-imposed. This realisation alone allows students to celebrate in being alive and liberates them from all kinds of negative attitudes. It allows a world of unlimited possibilities to open up.

From my experience teaching Aikido to youngsters, I have found they tune themselves very easily to Aikido's co-operative martial arts exercises. This is because they are natural even when faced with a potentially intimidating attack.

I have also found that teaching women Aikido is sometimes easier than teaching men. Women seem to perform Aikido movements and techniques more easily and fluidly. This is perhaps because they are forced to rely more on technique than physical strength.

They are also less imbued with the domineering 'aggro' male factor.

If you are wondering how effective Aikido is as a self-defence system, consider this: Aikido is one of the few martial arts sanctioned by the elite Tokyo police.

Aikido's martial arts framework is an internal journey, where a person can discover their true human spirit and develop a calm, relaxed and centered mind that is not easily distracted or manipulated.

This is why I confidently say that I know the right solution to the fear and intimidation that our young in Malta experience every day.

Anyone interested in learning more about Aikido can come to the Aikido Yamato Club at Maria Assumpta School in Hamrun or visit www.aikidomalta.net.

Mr Bonanno is an Aikido teacher and founder of the Aikido Yamato Club.