Marcus wrote:
man all that work Bill ....and would of got more mileage if you just belted him upside the head and put it on you tube !!!
Highly amusing, for sure.
However...
First, I will not use the gentleman's name. My point is not to disparage. Rather what I want to do is to separate fact from myth.
So in regard to shedding light on the subject, the gentleman in question was a physically imposing figure. No "normal" person in his right mind would think to smack him upside the head. Embellishing the point a bit further, his meaty thigh - visible because he wore shorts - had a scar on it which was the result of being shot at point-blank range while pursuing a common thief.
Dr. Morenski and I worked online with The Amazing Randi to challenge him to a test. We had never met him before, but our academic intent was sincere. Randi did a little bit of baiting and saber rattling as he often does to flush such figures out into the open. Dr. Morenski and I worked together to design the experiment. George invited him to camp.
I'll never forget when I first met him. It was one of the first evening get-togethers, I believe. People where shaking hands and introducing each other. I was talking with a couple of people who were trash talking about "the test." Then someone came up to me with this imposing character with massive biceps. It was the "Empty Force guy." One person who had been doing the trash talking disappeared faster than I could turn my head.
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
Amazing...
Now do you understand the "power" of "Empty Force?" It is very real. But it doesn't work on you if you have a well-developed brain and a set of stones.
He really was a nice guy, and I think he believed in what he was doing. But what he wasn't able to see is how his imposing presence could cause involuntary physical responses in people around him. Meanwhile I've gone out of my way to get to know, work with, and teach elite athletes. I grew up in a rough neighborhood, and chose to get to know the boys in "the 'hood." I grew up in the drug generation, and chose to sit in on a few acid parties (without participating). I bought a motorcycle and rode it every day for two years - rain or shine. I got to know members of the varsity football, basketball, and swimming team, and invited them to come train with us. I got to know the world champion power lifter (who once lived and coached at UVa), and invited him to help my students develop their weight training program. You see the thing is that I have "normal" fears just like the next person. But I choose to innoculate myself against my fears by acquainting myself with the unknown, the intimidating, and the uncertain.
So... this was just another lovable beast to me. We connected without problem. The test went as it should have.
- Bill