Have you read 'Zen and the Art of Archery'? If not I recommend it. It is all about what you're asking, mostly in relation to archery but it also includes some discussion of swordsmanship.
YOu can bring a zen mind to anything assuming you have one. Or so I understand. Barbarity doesnt really have anything to do with it.
In the past I have taken classes in tae kwon do (pardon the spelling). It was, as I look back, part of what lead me to an "Eastern" path spiritually. More than the combative fighting techniques, it started to focus me inward. The chi or ki energy, when used properly is very powerful stuff. To me, it became the focus of what it was all about. It wasn't winning or losing, just building and releasing energy I didn't even know I had. Maybe some sort of meditation will help students to go deeper than mock murder with a sharp object.
I have drawn thirteen students to a introductory fencing class which will be starting in a week. These students have told me in response to a quick email survey that they were attracted to the class primarily out of curiousity about fencing. The first task I will have is to remove their Hollywood preconceptions about fencing, and then get them to understand how fencing should be an inner game as much or more than a game of conflict with the opponent. The central theme for my class is the question "Who am I fencing?". To me, this question has many possible answers that, if I am a successful teacher, will evolve in the minds of my students over this semester. Two other questions of great importance are "What is victory?" and "What is the sword?". I also want them to understand the ways that an anachronistic sport like fencing related directly to their everyday lives. I hope I don't scare them off when they realize that my course is more about hacking and slashing, winning and losing. I appreciate all the responses I have gotten - I would like to introduce students to meditation - we'll have to see what kind of reception that brings. I have read Zen and the Art of Archery, and I think it has much relevancy to fencing, but again it may be difficult to try to shift the students' thinking too much without confusing them. Again, we'll have to see. As far as martial arts and injury is concerned, the great thing about fencing is that it is quite common for fencers to continue into their sixties and seventies in the sport. If proper care is taken, it does not lead to joint injuries. Upon reflection, what prompted me to begin this thread was a discomfort not with the violence of fencing per se, but with the all-too-common arrogance and egotism that seems to come with it. This is common to sports in general, of course, but it is something that I want to restrain as much as possible in my class.
