EthoPlay
mponent. The mental component is best
described, in the field of philosophy, by what is usually called "Socratic
Dialogue". In our environment, it is called EthoDialogue. The physical component does, on the physical or the
sportive side, what the Socratic Dialogue (EthoDialogue) does on the mental side, but using a
special form of Judo that is called EthoJudo.
Consequently,
EthoJudo is a 'new'
sport discipline created and being
developed on a continuing basis at the ARIUM. In a nutshell, apart from its
usual excellent Judo-based physical training, it teaches how to
skillfully, and possibly even joyfully, use aggressors’ own force and
violence against their own selves in order to neutralize them. This is the fundamental point of this
discipline. From this specific point of view, as a physical sport and gentle
martial art, it integrates the best proactive elements of Judo and the best
defensive elements of
Lua. However,
EthoJudo experts use the adversary force only for neutralizing
aggressors, always creating least harm possible, if any at
all, and hopefully
even turn their aggressors into new 'friends' whenever possible
after the aggression is under good control.
Whatever the aggression was, an EthoJud never offends an aggressor and always attempts serene, hopefully joyful, in situ reconciliation as opposed to an angry separation with revengeful feelings of the parties involved once the violence has stopped. From this point of view, as explained in our home page, an EthoJud is becoming a "Daemon", or better, a DEMÔNE, that is someone pursuing Decorum, Merit and Oneness [The sense of Planet Oneness Responsibility of the DEMÔNES, from the civic points of view of decorum and merit, is well expressed symbolically to the right by the proud Knight figure watching over World Wellness]. However, we are talking about a DEMÔNE figure in the good philosophical sense of the Ancient Greek word (δαίμων, dáimōn or dæmôn), and not in the bad religious sense of the modern word 'demon'. It means someone with a superior type of knowledge, discipline, skills and conduct, who can therefore play the role of a benevolent mediator between the Human and the Divine realms, that is between the platonic world of the Archetypes and the world of our daily Reality, for the benefit of all living beings, and, consequently also between the more harmonious and the less harmonious realms of human life, for the improvement in particular of all civic environments. Demône has thus the basic meaning of a capable and protective guardian angel and mediator. Their symbolic representations and idols are the Dioskouroi (Sons of God) Castor and Pollux, born of the relation between God and Leda, who became symbols of Ethics and Justice in the history of the western culture. Two Demônes, uniting formally to help each other, through a relation of love or friendship, swearing their mutual assistance in their EthoPlasìn discipline formation and in their efforts to improve civic environments, form a pair of Dioscures, be it between a man and a woman, two men or two women. These Sacred Dioscurean Unions are strongly encouraged and celebrated by EthoPlasìn. The Demônes and Dioscures are then also united between themselves like solar systems formed by EthoPlasìn Masters, who act like suns with planets and satellites, all collaborating harmoniously to maintain and improve the environment of all living beings, human civic environments in particular, but also philoecosophical environments.
EthoJudo is based on Judo, both its
physical and its philosophical components, but with an additional specialization
of skillful tricks and
twists. In case of necessity, in combats requiring more powerful defensive
means, EthoJudo also integrates the best defensive elements of Lua. In any case,
an EthoJud is
meant to be “playing”, in using an "EthoJudo" discipline, as much as it is “judo-ing”. The
EthoJud “plays”
skillfully with aggressors, makes non-offensive fun of them if possible,
flooring them continuously in odd ways, using various types of tricks, acrobatics, humor
and remarks, as best appropriate, of the kind that would normally lead a
surrounding public to laugh and, in a way “enjoy”, this side of the violent
event being put under control.
With EthoJuds manipulating
aggressors force, more than using their own force, the stronger the
aggressors, the more flooring these aggressors go through, until complete
neutralization, using more aggressive elements of Lua if and when necessary,
but only
for full neutralization. The end result should always be, and only be,
neutralization, never punishment, nor offense, nor arrest.
EthoJudo uses just the
right quantity of force needed for neutralization, not a bit more, and
always offers a smile and a handshake at the end, take it or leave it,
whatever the aggression was.
Serene, hopefully joyful,
reconciliation in situ is also always attempted by EthoJuds and, whenever
possible, with the agreement of the intended victim, the aggressor is
released without being turned in to official authorities, except if
considered still dangerous to others in the immediate future. If EthoJudo
soldiers do not proactively turn in most aggressors to police officials,
they will nevertheless be always ready to testify at related trials if and when
they take place, and they receive appropriate legal training for this purpose.
Ideally, in
the best scenario, an
EthoJud should, in the
end, be able to bring both parties to the closest bar or coffee shop,
enjoying a refreshing drink while sitting together, maybe even with the aggressors
becoming new ‘friends’, if not
EthoPlasìn
empathizers, let alone possible
EthoPlasìn recruits.
An EthoJud is not a police official but essentially a caring friend for a victim of civic violence and potentially a new tutoring PythaS (Pythagorean Soldier) for both an aggressor and its intended victim.
EthoDialogue - An EthoJudo
type of intervention and
effort of neutralization can also be of a strictly mental nature, with no
physical interaction, strictly in terms of
skillfully using the contradictions, or the weaknesses, of the arguments of
verbal aggressors against their own selves, let alone the grossness and
unfairness of their aggression. Like
Socrates used to do! Thus the nickname of "Socratic Dialogue"
often
given to EthoDialogue, which is the mental component of EthoPlay. It is, mentally, the corresponding
technique of what EthoJudo is on the physical side.
Older persons joining
EthoPlasìn
may only be able to specialize in this mental aspect of EthoPlay but, as much as they
can, they should also attempt to join in some of the physical EthoJudo training,
even if it means keeping their first white belt
indefinitely, for as long as
they cannot acquire a
higher one. This EthoDialogue is the so-called 'Mental EthoJudo'
which is also very much part of the special
TEL (TruthOcrat
Ethical Lifestyle) characterizing the Arium
life of the EthoPlasìn
Academy or the ethical meritorious lifestyle of the best members of a
TruthOcracy, where the Learning Process becomes a
Living Process that in turn
becomes a Loving Process for the conquest of all knowledge and the
concurrent
development of friendship between students: a process whereby
Instruction becomes Education
(see our separate page on the Private Arium Area system). It can be
used skillfully in the case of normal bilateral learning discussion but, in
the particular case of persons in conflict, this mental EthoJudo in general requires
attempting the start of a new triangular dialogue with special techniques
where, on the part of the intervening EthoPlayer, discussion is led in such a way
that verbal aggression between the two original persons soon starts to
melt
down, or turn into fun, hopefully joy, for the surrounding audience. This requires special
EthoPlay formation that includes studying Sophistic
philosophy, Socratic Dialogue, psychology, humor practices, and the
philosophical component of traditional JUDO, along with the mastering of the
most modern communication skills available.
EthoJuds receive EthoJudo belts of different colors, matching the colors of regular Judo belts. For the EthoPlasìn categories of Hoplites (PythaH) and Amazones (PythaZ), acquiring these belts means adhering to the EthoPlasìn rule of the same grade. For other Soldier categories, these belts can be acquired independently from the EthoPlasìn rules adhered to, or not acquired at all until reaching the Knight level of PythaK-8 or above when holding the first white belt would be a minimum and essential requirement. For non PythaH, there is no direct link between grades, rules and belts. For PythaH, there is a strict and direct link: one cannot go without the other.
In short, EthoPlay is not at all just a 'new' physical sport discipline. There is also a highly mental side to it, based on the Philosophy of Judo as it was in the old original discipline and on what philosophy calls Socratic Dialogue. From this point of view EthoJudo is not even 'new' but rather a revival of the original discipline which was quite different from modern judo. In its original version it was not only a martial art and a sport of self-defense, but also a way of life very much tied to what we call today Civic Education or Civitas Wellness.
On the other hand, the mental discipline corresponding to this kind of original judo, that is corresponding to what we now call EthoJudo, to distinguish it from its modern version, is the EthoDialogue. The best side of the original Judo, that was based on a philosophy of life, has been completely forgotten by all modern gyms. It is now being resurrected in a modern way through EthoJudo on the physical side and EthoDialogue on the mental side, to form the new EthoPlasìn discipline of EthoPlay.
From this point of view, the two parts of the discipline are beautiful tools for assisting the control of the passions of the body and of the soul, as they exist in the "Sacred Tetractys", and great assets for the harmonious development of the four parts of this Tetractys that we talk about more extensively in our page on the Pythagorean Man Emulation. One eminent philosophical aspect of the studying and mastering these two special disciplines, integrated as EthoPlay, is precisely their assistance in the harmonious development of a better and a stronger Human Tetractys.
