Hello Van,
Rory Miller has left us today, five days after his arrival…. Today was a lonely day and a day full of many unanswered questions… a good thing because I am confident no one who participated in Rory’s program wanted him to leave and we were filled to capacity…
Not sure where to start…
Rory has “It” and you and I having spoken privately of “It” and we have discussed it on these very pages…
Rory has “It”; I am not sure how to articulate what “It” is Van… you just to know you’re in the presence of it… I have only met a few of these gifted individuals in my lifetime and some are our mutual friends…
Rory has exceptional speed, power & explosiveness... Rory is a tactician, playing, observing, processing all the time…
Rory has a unique ability to deliver an honest and accurate presentation explaining violence. And not the kind you see on movies or read about crime novels… Violence that happens because bad people are skilled at violence, it’s what they do, it’s what they train for and it is part of their everyday existence… it’s easy. Not so much for the good guys and girls.
Rory masters an unprecedented approach to physiological and sociological aspects of violence through his presentation style leaving participants with a heightened depth and understanding of the difficult subject matter of self preservation. And maybe more so for martial artist who may have previously concluded they had all the information they needed…
We played, we broke bread, and we became friends… Sometimes you bump into Kindred Spirit and these are gifts.
Quote:
Kindred Spirit
From Wikipedia; an Unexplained Supernatural Unmanifested Energy.
A small section from Rory’s blog a few months back and the blog is a gift for those who have not discovered it...
SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2011
Quote:
Perspective
…. Not everyone does things for the same reason. Some people will get what I do, some won't. Some won't get it because they have no frame of reference and are simply incapable of truly understanding certain experiences. It's not a matter of intelligence or taste or opinion or anything internal. I will never understand childbirth. Seen it, trained to assist, I know all the words... but I don't get it. Not the way that K does.
And I will do everything in my power to make sure that she never 'gets' some of the things that I do.
Others won't get it because it threatens a piece of their identity. This isn't a bad thing or a good thing. We all get our identity from some pretty weird places. For entirely too long my identity was completely tied to three strips of cloth on my arm, just as an example.
What we train to do is one thing. As long as it stays abstract, as long as you never actually break a human being, there's no real identity in that end state. Whether you break a person with a kick or a body slam or an axe handle, it's imaginary until you do it. But how you train, that's real. Something you tangibly do, every day. That's where the identity lies. And if we pretend or believe that the end state (a broken threat) is the real reason, our training must serve that, right? So our training must be correct, right? To challenge that is to challenge identity….
.
In closing Van, you are a good friend… Sensei “Jimmy” Maloney and the lovely Bridget send their love and best wishes. We will see you at camp. It may have been someone’s birthday today…
Rory if you find this post, thank you my brother for blessing us with your presence, your candor, your perspective… thank you for your style and courage to speak to the depths and understanding of this difficult subject matter; your work is important and you are saving lives… sleep well knowing this.
Sensei Maloney told us you were one of the “Good Guys”, we spoke this evening of your trip, your impact… Thank you, Sir.
Shane.
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from school and was driving home. Normally, I have a handgun on my person (at 1:30 position), but my back was killing me and I was only armed with a can of pepper spray. And, heck, it was just a few miles to the school.
