I came across the following quote this morning, and thought it was a nice reflection of the "forging" we go through as postpartum mood disorder survivors:
"Iron is full of impurities that weaken it; through forging, it becomes steel and is transformed into a razor-sharp sword. Human beings develop in the same fashion."
~ Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of the Martial Art of Aikido
from The Art of Peace
This is a subject I've been thinking about today (November 11). For those with sufficient life experience the quote makes transparent sense. But I've been thinking about this in relation to the martial art that the speaker, Morihei Ueshiba, himself founded, that of Aikido. The question that has occurred to me is: Within Aikido training, is there enough adversity and challenge, if not suffering, to "forge" students in the way the quote describes?