Lonnie and George

Years back I came across a website by the group. As I perused the site, I had the feeling it was run by the group alone. I don't think Mike was around. The site had a friendly feel to it. As if it was run by regular people who were advertising and looking to reach out to others.

Part of the site that made me think it was run by the group and the part of the site that gave me a friendly feeling was the photo section. There were some photos of people demonstrating Yin Fu Ba Gua.

Later on, 1 or 2 or more years, I went back to the site and it had changed. It had a professional and cold feel to it. Interestingly to me, the photo section was gone.

To me that meant one thing and one thing only. Mike was back in the picture. ;) Mike had made an appearance and taken control of the group or the website. Mike's natural paranoia, reticence and secretive nature would demand that anything that was real information about the group or about Ba Gua would have to be hidden.

The website now is a sterile, cold, uninviting place that is rarely even updated. Also interesting to me was that before, there was an address for a school where lessons were given. After Mike showed up, the address was removed. Now it is necessary to call to find out where the school is.

More of Mike. More checking and controlling. He has to control who he allows to come to the class. Instead of being friendly people who want interested parties to come and meet them, now it is an exclusive club where, only if your shit does not stink, are you even allowed to go to the school to view a class.

-----------------------

My harsh language in that last sentence is motivated in part by writing this blog. As I have written down more and more of what happened, Mike's true nature has been hard to ignore.

As a student, I heard what I wanted to hear. Dignity, Loyalty, Pride, Family Style. All good things that make a person feel good and are considered good by human culture at large.

Mike was about hiding, secretiveness, lying, paranoia, tricking, controlling, manipulating.......all things that are considered negative by most individuals and most human cultures.

Mike would tell you that all of it was for good. He manipulated to help people. He controlled to help people. He lied to help people. That is possible I suppose. Telling white lies, leading people to do what is best for them could all be construed as good acts.

What I saw though was manipulation and lies for selfish ends. Manipulation and lies for money, sex, and control of a group of individuals.

------------------------

Hmmmmmmmm. This post changed quite a bit from my original intent. My original intent was to post this photo.



This is Lonnie and George demonstrating a Ba Gua stance. Lonnie is on the left, George is on the right.

This photograph is very illuminating for those of you that are observant and have keen minds. Some of the goals of Yin Fu Ba Gua can be seen in the stance. Some of the effects on the body of Yin Fu Ba Gua can be seen in Lonnie and George. It is possible to tell who is more skilled and who is less skilled by looking at the photo without knowing anything at all about the two men.

If you don't care, that is fine. If you want to be a ring fighter that gets paid to let other people try to hurt you, then do what is good for you.

But if you are a kung fu man who wants to be a scholar warrior, a man who knows physical kung fu and wants to practice it for health and strength, but you are more interested with elevating your mind and living the life of a moral and proper human being than with fighting or doing bad things, then study that picture. Save it and look at it every 6 months or so. It will teach you something.