By Loubna Flah
By Loubna Flah
Morocco World News
Casablanca, April 12, 2012
The first thing you learn when you set your bare foot on the Tatami (flooring material) of a Ju Jitsu Dojo (training place), is that the person next to you is not necessarily your enemy. In Aikido, one of the martial arts affiliated to Ju Jitsu the concept of “foe” is totally excluded. The two practitioners who stand on equal footing perform a specific routine and help each other to reach the level of technical mastery, a compelling prelude to intrinsic harmony. Indeed, the terminology used in Aikido makes a clear cut distinction between “Uke” the receiver of the technique and the “Tori” the person who applies the technique.
The golden rule in Ju Jitsu is to blend with the motion of the attacker and to channel their force towards their own defeat. To achieve this goal, the Ju Jitsu practitioner has to go off the attack line and with less effort use the assailant’s power to supply the defense mechanism. Obviously, the Ju Jitsu does not favor the logic of direct clash which has often with hazardous consequences besides being effort consuming.
Mr. Benkirane’s government seems to adhere admirably to the harmony paradigm advocated in the Ju Jitsu philosophy. Faced with miscellaneous set of challenges, The PJD led government opts for a less provocative attitude and soothing policies liable to calm fears and deflect attention towards less compelling issues. For instance, When Latifa Ahrar’s public nudity stirred another debate about arts and Islamism; Benkirane’s government reassured the mounting dissident voices that artistic expression pertains more to freedom of expression rather than public accountability.
Similarly, as soon as the TV programs’ quality became subject to public scrutiny, the government chose to exempt viewers from the Audio visual tax. By diverting from the line of the attack, the executive is persuaded that the whole issue is locked in the closet once for all. Nevertheless, the dissatisfaction with Moroccan programs was not appeased which accounts for the growing appeal of foreign channels either for their professional news coverage or in search of more challenging forms of entertainment.
It is true that the bamboo plant is not a common sight in Morocco. But if you happen to see bamboo stems bending in awe to the blowing wind, you would expect this frail plant to break into dozens of fragments. Yet, the Bamboo, the largest members of the grass family, stands erect once the wind ceases to blow. Likewise, Benkirane’s government is always reluctant to go through the hardest debates. For instance, it chose not to contest the Mawazine festivals content or unwelcome its guest. Instead, the government withdrew the public subsidies allotted to the festival, an evasive maneuver to dodge any kind of criticism for a festival strongly backed in the highest spheres of power.
Back to the dojo, when you internalize the blending concept in Ju Jitsu, the “sensei” which means the master in Japanese, takes you into another level of practice which is the control of the attack bearing in mind that a serious assault is not a gesture of courtesy. The dazzling aspect about the current government is that is has fossilized in the deviation process instead of trying to finalize the defense mechanism through bold decisions and cutting edge politics. Many political decisions seem to lack the audacity to dissect the crucial issues. This escapist policy may not stand long time bearing in mind that major issues are still dangling above our heads and bad governance seems to be as invincible as before.
A last note on Ju Jitsu, when the master recommends that you do not confront the attacker force, they don’t mean by any token that you evade and run away. It is indeed more desirable for a dexterous practitioner to curb the attack with less effort and neutralize it at the end.
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