I’ve been looking at the ancient scriptures for guidance, and it’s been…really unhelpful, actually. There was a saying by Ginto Sensei 300 years ago, where he said that “Change is inevitable. Change is like the mighty river; you do not alter its course, you only go with flow, yo.”
I thought it was sorted, but then I found a quote from Nishikori-Sensei 600 years ago where he said “Beware of change, for tradition is like the mountain. Strong, stable, powerful, strong, soft, kind, tasty…”
Nishikori-Sensei famously lost his mind before his death, but many of his words still ring true. So I’m a bit torn as to what to do, since ancient texts tell me two different things. By my own judgement, these dry needling courses taking place in Melbourne are not actually in violation of our family code, so our adherents and family members should be free to pursue them. They DO bear some similarities to existing practices, particularly the art of trigger point manipulation. This was a popular method of healing in some cultures. My father made the case that, to survive in this modern world, the family has to continue to adapt and not be left behind. However, things then became quite tense at the meeting when my brother stood up and gave an impassioned speech about how our solidly adhering to old values has kept us sharp, and that the old ways are not yet obsolete. Trust a family of doctors to have such a lively debate about patient care.
My argument has always been that we DID make the change of moving to Melbourne. Imagine if people were so stuck in their ways that they didn’t invent electricity, or the internet. Changes have been made for the better, and a trigger point dry needling course to further our understanding of patient care might not be such a bad thing. Perhaps we should wait for the verdict of the summit before we make any rash decisions. Although it would help quite a bit with the aches and pains.
-Ashita