The “New Coronavirus” is spreading worldwide. This unknown virus has no established preventive or therapeutic methods. It presents a particular risk for elderly people, and those who may have pre-existing illnesses. There is no convergence prospect at the moment, and no one knows what the future will bring. Every day, as information develops, so our decisions are influenced.
Under such circumstances, we decided to postpone the international events, scheduled in fall this year, to next year (2021). Many of the participants had already begun planning their trips to Japan, so the decision must be disappointing and costly. We also have a big financial loss. There were various opinions. Some people said, “Your decision is too early.” Since nobody knows about the future, it’s really difficult to make this kind of decision.
In fact, “no doing anything” is the easiest way to avoid risks. But this is the same as “If you don’t use your body, your body will be weak.” Just avoiding risks, we will make our organization weaker. On the other hand, if we just move forward, without considering the risks, this is the same as “If you use your body interfering the law of nature, your body will be broken.” In this way, we could make serious mistakes. In particular, possible failures involving human lives are irreversible. Clearly, it is insufficient to judge only by analyzing advantages or disadvantages.
In such a case, I consider “what is most important”. As the president of our organization, I value people the most. Before making the decision, we first interviewed the chief instructors overseas. There were a variety of opinions, but what I saw was “their family’s face”. All the participants are studying Shinshintoitsu Aikido and they extend Ki all the time. They believe that this new coronavirus will end in the near future and would like to visit Japan as scheduled. However, their families are seriously concerned about planning a trip abroad in the current situation.
The instructors and members can continue their Shinshintoitsu Aikido activities with their families’ understanding and support. I value our relationship, not only with the instructors and members, but with their families as well. When thinking about “what is most important” in our activities, I am convinced that this is the best decision from a long-term perspective. Of course, we’ll see later if this decision was really right.
After the new coronavirus is over and you can travel abroad with peace of mind, if possible, we welcome not only instructors or members but their families as well. We would like to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Koichi Tohei Sensei’s birth together.