Qoèlet said:
Let's look at your proposed logic for deciding who to train with, then compare it to The Question's
Dalai Lama... spiritual leader who you assume to have good advisors (who you didn't bother to mention in your chain of logic beforehand: I did not read anything incorrectly).
US government and armed forces: superpower that's actually involved in, you know, fighting and killing people.
And yet you're privileging the Dalai Lama's supposed advisors' expertise, which you cannot actually establish aside from saying you assume he has good advisors.... over the expertise of military and espionage agencies of the world's greatest military power, which has actually been proven, and is being proven, time and time again in the real world. How in the hell does this display anything resembling a logical train of thought?
So, game point and match go to The Question.
Sadly, however, it is not only my opinion that people seek to profit from the nonsensical mysticism associated with east-asian martial arts. Remember Frank Dux? This man essentially showed up out of the blue, told a story about being trained by his old ninja neighbour fighting in secret tournaments and being undefeated... but of course that story couldn't be confirmed because... hey... the tournaments were "secret"... never mind the fact that there's no actual record of his supposed ninja teacher ever having existed. And people actually believed him. People still believe him, even though former students have come forward to reveal that some of his "feats" like breaking bulletproof glass and shattering two bottles in the air at once, were complete fabrications. Of course, then there's the "Chi knockout" already mentioned. Bottom line: try to find some modern day examples of real, legitimate, combat situations or sports fighting where ninja and "chi" tactics have proven successful outside of exhibitions and kung fu movies. Good luck on that.
Basically, people buy into it because of fiction and a genuine belief in the mysticism of "the orient"... it's really bigotry more than anything else.
I'm afraid that:
1) I am not a qualified comic reader
2) I am not a qualified martial arts master
3) I am not a qualified health-care professional (this will be made clear later on).
However, what I can offer is an anecdotal evidence of "the mysticism of the 'orient' " (please note that it is NOT related to combat).
My brother had tendinitis in his hand. It got bad enough that he was exempt from all practical exams (please note that his violin teacher didn't care in the least when his nail tore off during a masterclass... as a result, he bled all over his violin's fingerboard for the remainder of the masterclass). He took all the tests recommended by the school doctor/physician (again, I am NOT a qualified health-care professional, and I don't remember which tests he took for those of you who ARE qualified), but there was nothing that could be done. When he came back, we went to see a .. I'm not sure what the correct word for it is in English, so I'll refer to that type of professional a "Chinese doctor" (perhaps "physician using traditional methods" would be more appropriate, but I'm digressing). The "Chinese doctor" did some chi-related treatment (it might have involved acupressure, but not acupuncture). Immediately afterwards, the swelling in my brother's hand regressed, and he could move his fingers. He gave of a bad-smelling brew, and he told my brother to dip his hand in it regularly (I forgot the schedule). My brother's hand healed properly.
A few notes:
- This is ANECDOTAL evidence. It should by no means taken as something that can occur most of the time with most "Chinese doctors".
- Given what I know of my brother, this might very well have been nothing more than the placebo effect. However, I am inclined to disbelieve this possibility, since I know how distressed my brother was when he couldn't practice.
- This does NOT mean that chi can be used in combat. In fact, it's far from it: the physician took a few moments before to concentrate, and the "treatment" took several minutes. In combat, he'd have been pummelled long before any effect could possibly take place.
My point is simply that there are phenomenon not yet explained by science, and that perhaps some of the stories concerning chi are true. I must stress that it is simply contradictory with what we currently know of science, not that it cannot ever be explained scientifically. I disbelieve men who are able to fly using their chi, or again "hit" someone far away using chi (in fact, I believe that "chi" can be explained scientifically.. perhaps something related to blood circulation).
Sorry if this seems a random post, or if I was rambling.