The Egotist ...

[MJS]

Some guys do have big egos. I'll say this, and it's just my impression from reading the original post. It sounds like you actually do have little respect for him and his school. Based upon your description of his school and his classes, my impression is that you kind of look down your nose at him and his instruction. As a result, I wouldn't be surprised if the lack of respect you feel manifests in some way in your interaction. In other words, it sounds like you were VERY respectful based upon your description, but I wonder what your tone and body language were saying, while you were being so polite.

I guess ultimately what I'm getting at is that there are always two sides to a story, and while you were certainly not wrong to decline the offer of a "free" seminar, I'd be inclined to give the guy the benefit of the doubt until I met him myself.

I see your point Steve, but I'm going to respectfully (no pun intended ) have to disagree. IMO, I dont think that anyone should be bullied into allowing someone to give a seminar, free or not. Perhaps the OP couldve said, "Yeah, sure, give me your contact info and I'll get back to you at a later time" that later time never happening. But the instructor in question could've been a PITA and after not hearing from the OP, taken it upon himself to repeat the lines of BS that he initially gave.

 

[Steve]

Guys, I think the point I was trying to make got lost in translation. My point wasn't that this guy is or isn't an egotistical jerk. I'm also not in a position to know definitively whether or not pgsmith handled the situation well. I really only wanted to point out two things.

First, that I try to always presume good intent and to not unnecessarily burn bridges. PGSmith is a great poster and seems to be an even keeled guy, but it's pretty clear from the way he wrote the OP that he felt pretty superior to this guy, feels his martial arts style is superior to this guy's, and also feels that his classes and instruction are superior to this guy's. I wanted to point out that ego seemed to be getting in the way on BOTH sides of the encounter. I would love to see video of this encounter, because I'm 100% sure that the body language and non-verbals on both sides were out of sync with the words being said.

Second, that I think it's impossible to draw any definitive conclusions about someone based upon a 2 paragraph description of one side of the story. But that's precisely what a lot of you guys are doing.

I understand that pgsmith is a good guy, and I am not saying that he handled the encounter poorly. He may or may not have. I'm saying that we don't know, and I don't see the benefit of presuming the worst about this guy whom we know only from a short, unflattering account. More than that, the 2 paragraphs were written by a person who admits to having prejudged the guy based upon a few snap shot impressions of his style and the quality of his instruction.

Hope that clears it up.

 

[Mark Lynn]

Guys, I think the point I was trying to make got lost in translation. My point wasn't that this guy is or isn't an egotistical jerk. I'm also not in a position to know definitively whether or not pgsmith handled the situation well. I really only wanted to point out two things.

First, that I try to always presume good intent and to not unnecessarily burn bridges. PGSmith is a great poster and seems to be an even keeled guy, but it's pretty clear from the way he wrote the OP that he felt pretty superior to this guy, feels his martial arts style is superior to this guy's, and also feels that his classes and instruction are superior to this guy's. I wanted to point out that ego seemed to be getting in the way on BOTH sides of the encounter. I would love to see video of this encounter, because I'm 100% sure that the body language and non-verbals on both sides were out of sync with the words being said.

Steve I believe you made a good point and I understood where you were going with it, and I believe PGSmith got it as well. However I go back to the point that Himura Kenshin wrote about there being a disparity between the arts. PGSmith practices and teaches an art that is in a sense a time piece, historical, archaic that has nothing in common really with a karate/TKD/and a dab of Aikido blended art. Two different purposes, two different mindsets in training etc. etc.

Having the different mindsets and no real common ground between them I can see how both parties have an ego. But I don't believe having an ego is bad, per say, rather it is indifferent really, it is what the person does with it.

For instance PGSmith I believe must feel confident, prideful in his teaching or passing on a piece of history. I'M NOT TRYING TO BE SARCASTIC OR MEAN SPIRITED HERE. I'm only going off what Himura Kenshin pointed out about the art he teaches. Why devote your time and energy to studying something you felt was inferior to other systems, you wouldn't. I believe there is something that only the classical arts fill the need of for him, nothing else will do. He has it and others don't. Of course he would feel superior.

Likewise the guy who teaches a blended system has created something he believes has value. He wants to share it with everyone (whether it is to make a buck or not is beside the point) and he offers to share it. However he should have understood the gulf between the two systems before he offered it, when his offer wasn't accepted he responded badly.

Originally I thought just like you posted, I would have liked to see the body language in the exchange etc. etc. I felt that PGSmith did come off as a ittle superior and standoffish in the OP. Knowing now that he teaches a really classical art I can see why it came across that way.

Second, that I think it's impossible to draw any definitive conclusions about someone based upon a 2 paragraph description of one side of the story. But that's precisely what a lot of you guys are doing.

I understand that pgsmith is a good guy, and I am not saying that he handled the encounter poorly. He may or may not have. I'm saying that we don't know, and I don't see the benefit of presuming the worst about this guy whom we know only from a short, unflattering account. More than that, the 2 paragraphs were written by a person who admits to having prejudged the guy based upon a few snap shot impressions of his style and the quality of his instruction.

Hope that clears it up.

I would agree totally with you here if we were talking about probably 95% (me included) of the posters here on MT who cross train, or who teach/train in blended arts etc. etc. but I do believe studying something truly classical you have a different mindset and I don't think it applies to the average martial artist. I do agree with you about assuming the worst about the "guy whom we know only from a short, unflattering account". If I posted this originally I believe you would be spot on with your assessment.

Standard Disclaimer here: I don't know PGSmith nor what particular art he studies, I mean no offense to anyone who studies classical fighting arts, in fact I hold them in much higher regards than I do for people like myself who study more modern systems. If the OP studies a more modern system and I've totally misrepresented what he studies please forgive me.