The Aikidiot

(Yes, we know this is a horrible way to start the chapter notes. Nobody likes a smart-ass...) What we mean is also what we don't mean / Give the people more placebo / Toddlers can and will behave like toddlers / Buying a house in a crazy market / Special text box: "Ignoring the opposing view does not make it go away / Some absorbing examples / Monica seals it with a summary, not a kiss.

The book of Leviticus is not a fun read / Monica will not be mocked / The Aikidiot's "Extra" side/ Meanie and Slobby / Do instaed of fight / Absorbing as the part of the conflict we don't have to fight over / Meanie has a go at it / Slobby has a go at it / Make it, don't fake it / About the Butt / Monica has a go at it.

Confused? So are we. Visit www.theaikidiot.com for more examples and illustrations. Losing is not always optional / Still fighting with the driver / Uncle Harvey doesn't have all the answers / Method 1: Situating by describing / Situating cuts the scene short / Method 2: Situating by navigating from opinions to facts / Monica's friend is building weapons of mass destruction as a side gig/ What do...

An army of Aikidokas / 3 is the magic number of components in an Eastern thought system / Inductive vs. Deductive/ Simple not Easy (again) / Situating, absorbing, redirecting. That's all / Situating is describing / The principles of Situating / Meet your opponent where they are, not where they are not / The smell of NAPLAM in the morning / Monica cleans up. Questions? Gripes? Fat donations? Visit...

As promised, a recap / The importance of being able to fit one's ego in something smaller than a football field / Wyatt Capulet vs. Hunter Montague / Billy Montague vs. Tammy Capulet / A gunfight at the Saloon / The artificial cannot be discarded / Thanks, and check out the additional materials in theaikidiot.com

The comic aspect of the Dao / Apologies to the listeners / From single cell to "Mom! I have consciousness!" / A better description of "Natural" and "artificial" / Drifting toward the artificial / Meeting a man in a dark alley

Monica plans a prison break with Dr. Simon / When in doubt do Aikido / Stanislav Petrov saves the world (Really, he does. Twice) / Natural vs. Artificial balance (Not Tom Cruise!) / Life is complicated /

Monica stages a coup. When we encounter ideas we dislike, we tend to stretch them ad-absurdum. Can Aikidoing deal with real bad people doing real bad things? Buying a gun in a very bad neighborhood. Why drug lords and and murderers find it difficult to switch occupation. The cycle of escalation in our bad neighborhood. The "rabid dog" - senseless, contextless violence. Moderate, not soft.

Let's talk about "the other guy", the opponent. / Tori and Uke in Aikido. / The high prices of disrupting the common space (even in self defense). / Learn the attack, control your defense./ Why screaming at a call-center representative (something the Aikidiot never, ever did) is not a good idea. / Wiley E. Coyote has no choice about chasing the Roadrunner. / Violence is predictable. For more infor...

Let's call everything we talk about here "Aikidoing". Is life a flowing river? Aikidoing is very simple - just not easy. Why People don't like hearing about Aikidoing. The inward drive vs. the outward drive. The suggestion of moderate reaction as an existential threat.

A little bit about the Aikidiot's unprofessional background. Why make a podcast about Aikido and conflict resolution.

Monica refuses to be bullied / When somebody becomes abusive and calls us names / Running away is usually an excellent idea / The three spaces when dealing with a verbal attack / The three spaces in Aikido, dealing with a strike to the head (Shomen Uchi) / WHAT?! We're actually supposed to do nothing?! / Minimum occupation of the common space - in Aikido and in other things.

The Jackson 5 and their methods of conflict resolution / The tragic tale of a middle-aged, overweight man, taking up Aikido / O-Sensei and the invention of Aikido / The three spaces of thoughts and ideas / Why pretending to know things make people nervous / Why not being arrogant jerks is actually good for us.