Poll: What is chi/ki to you?

[Darkpaladin]

Post your thoughts here.

Lets see where bullshido peeps stand on the subject.

To me, it's a(n outdated) chinese concept for phenomenon. No more no less. But it might be the tickle in the back of my throat I get when the season's change.

[Cassius]

Post your thoughts here.

Lets see where bullshido peeps stand on the subject.

To me, chi/ki is an eastern set of principles that are better explained using specific SCIENTIFICALLY ACCURATE terminology. This way, bullshido is avoided and concepts are clear.

Chi/ki/qi is also a word that automatically spikes my blood pressure. You should see me gnashing my teeth and digging my fingernails into my palms when the idiot grad student in my Exercise Psychology class spouts off about how focusing his chi improves his meditation, among other things (I am not knocking meditation here, just chi).

I'm pretty sure he's a hippie that does the non-alive version of aikido, too. One day, he will get his. OH YES, he WILL get his . . .

[blargle]

To me it's just air. If you can improve your breathing, you'd be better off in various physical activities than an ordinary person. Perhaps.

[Torakaka]

When people say "chi means breath, or breathing" that makes sense to me. When people talk about it being energy and shit, it gets into that whole "magic" department (magic being the all encompasing thing used to describe anything that can't be properly explained)

[kungfujew]

Oh jesus, this is going to be fun...

But what the hell. Chi is body mechanics, it's that feeling of "aaah" when you get every portion of your body in correct allignment, keepin' them precious bodily fluids pulsing unhindered. It have been proven that human beings are capable of some strange stuff with the proper amount of single-minded (or no-minded, if you ask the Zen folk) focus, "chi" is just what happens when those dormant synapses in our brains and bodies fire up.

But what the fuck do I know.

[Cassius]

Oh jesus, this is going to be fun...

But what the hell. Chi is body mechanics, it's that feeling of "aaah" when you get every portion of your body in correct allignment, keepin' them precious bodily fluids pulsing unhindered. It have been proven that human beings are capable of some strange stuff with the proper amount of single-minded (or no-minded, if you ask the Zen folk) focus, "chi" is just what happens when those dormant synapses in our brains and bodies fire up.

But what the fuck do I know.

What strange stuff is that, if you don't mind me asking? I would be REEEEAAAALLY careful about using "proven" when talking about this sort of thing.

[Omar]

Qi is an untranslatable term for a subjective phenomena. It is "that which animates". It is the difference between dead or alive. It can not be reduced to physics because machines don't have it. You may as well just call it "life force" and be done with it.

To say that you don't believe in qi, essentially says that you don't believe that there is an essential difference between living things and dead. To put it another way, it means that you subscribe to a mechanistic view of the universe and implies that if we look closely enough, eventually we can pinpoint and measure what it is that makes a person dead vs. alive. So far, no luck with that, therefore, no way to define "qi". Nevertheless, most of us accept that the dead can not be brought back to life no matter how carefully we try to put humpty dumpty back together again.

Maybe eventually this will change. For now though. . .

[Shadowdh]

Term to describe something that could not be explain, kinda like humours, but also has to do with biomechanics and the like... (I couldnt choose two...)

[KnuckleMeister]

Well I voted for "bs" because I've seen Ki in action and that's what I thought it was.

And I don't believe anything unless they can be proven logically or scientifically.

Dosen't mean I'm right, doesn't mean Ki exists or not, but that's where I draw the line.

Cos if we don't draw a line somewhere then we're open to all sorts of claims, like little green aliens and shit :)

[Leonidas]

You didnt put breating per se in the poll, so I opted for The tickling sensation at the back of my throat...then again, said tickling sensation could be semen, which would then raise the question as to why its tickling the back of my throat. I mean, IM pretty sure that chi=\=jizz, but what do I know?

[Locu5]

Chi is a metaphor.

[Dralion]

Well to me it may be another term for a concept that seems common to many religions, that of a "Thought Energy".

[Locu5]

Let me check...




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...nope, still a metaphor.

[Kengou]

In the context of martial arts, Chi is bullshit. Anywhere you talk about chi, try just removing it from the sentence and it should still be ok. Example: "Focus your chi on your abdomen" becomes "focus on your abdomen". Example 2: "move your chi through your arm" becomes "move your arms". It all still makes perfect sense, which means Chi is basically meaningless in this context.

In general things, though, it is used to explain the unexplainable, and I like Omar's description too.

Generally it's a word we all need to get rid of for the BS it causes.

[A.D.D]

Chi is the reason that there is so much debate over Stem Cell research.

If you saw that episode of South Park where Christopher Reeves eats all those fetuses then you know what I am talking about.

:eatbabies