We all need security and power in our lives, but problems arise when we seek power in the external world, power necessarily obtained at the expense of others. Because external power can be taken from you, it must be defended and protected. This gives rise to insecurity and paranoia and so we seek even more power! The solution to this trap is to seek power within yourself.

Because this kind of power is not obtained at the expense of others, it inspires others to seek within themselves. Internal power cannot be taken from you, and so gives rise to security and confidence.

Raja Yoga is one of many paths of self-discovery and self-mastery. Mahatma Gandhi, who followed the precepts of Raja Yoga, was especially dedicated to the path of "Ahimsa," or nonviolence. Although many mistake this path as a passive state of submission and cite it to justify inaction born of fear, "Ahimsa" is an active state that is an alternative to both fight and flight when confronted with injustice. Neither attacking nor retreating, Gandhi stood firm against one of the greatest forces of the time, the British Empire. But Gandhi's real struggle for power was fought less in the political world than within himself. Gandhi learned to act not out of fear or anger, but from love and compassion and so changed the world.

Aikido is a Japanese martial art based upon this same principle of "Ahimsa." It teaches mental and physical techniques that allow the practitioner to meet aggression with compassion, not fear, and to use soft strength to redirect negative energy so that no harm befalls either person. It is said that the physical techniques of Aikido do not work until one masters compassion, at which point they are no longer necessary.

The following anecdote was first told to me by my older sister (a black belt in Aikido) who knew the author. Many years later I came across the same story in Chicken Soup for the Soul, by Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen, and have paraphrased it below.

An American was living in Japan and studying Aikido. One day, while he was riding on a train, a very powerful -- and very drunk -- laborer climbed into the carriage. As the American watched, the laborer started pushing people around, finally knocking over a woman carrying a child.

Knowing that someone needed to do something, and seeing that no one else was going to stand up to the man, the American realized that at last he was going to get an opportunity to find out whether his years of intensive Aikido training had prepared him for conflict in the real world. The American stood, attracting the attention of the drunken worker, who locked eyes with him.

Because Aikido techniques only work in response to attack, the American provoked the drunk, by blowing him a kiss. With a bellow, the man lumbered down the carriage, picking up speed as he came.

Remaining calm, the American relaxed his body as he had been trained, dropped his center of gravity, and prepared to meet the rush of his attacker.

Just then the carriage rang out with a sharp yet strangely joyful "HEY!!!" that brought the worker up short. Wheeling to confront his new antagonist, the drunk saw a little old man who sat there smiling at the worker who was shocked at being challenged by such a frail creature. "What have you been drinking?" asked the old man with a mischievous grin. Taken aback, the worker replied "Sake."

The old man, nodded. Still smiling, he said "Sake is good, is it not?" Confused, the worker nodded in agreement. The old man continued, "My wife and I like to drink sake together. Every evening we like to sit in our garden and drink sake while we watch the sun set and admire the beautiful persimmon tree that my great-grandfather planted. Every year the persimmon tree grows larger and stronger. It is so wonderful to share such simple pleasures with my wife." He looked at the worker, questioningly, "Do you have a wife?" The laborer dropped his head and replied haltingly, "My wife died... I donÕt got no wife... I donÕt got no home... I donÕt got no job. I am so ashamed of myself."

As the train pulled into the next station, the American watched the laborer, seated beside the old man, sobbing, with his head buried in the old man's lap. As he left the train he saw the old man stroke the laborer's head and heard him whisper that it would be all right. The American realized that, for all of his training, he had a lot to learn about practicing Aikido in the real world.