Buyer Beware

Danger Will Robinson, Danger.

Today’s rant brought to you by Ego and Résumé.

OK, what am I ranting about now?  Well, it is about all of the people trying to move and ride on Taika’s coattails now that he has passed.  It is truly amazing to me, to see so many people throwing his name around now that he is gone.  Where were they when he was alive?  There seems to be no end to people claiming they were his live in disciple (absolute bogus claim) and his number one this or number one that.  “I am his longest living student.”  “I am his oldest student.”  “I was his first.”  “I was his favorite.”  Might as well add "I was his tallest student" or "I was his shortest."  It holds about as much relevance.  I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Quite frankly it makes me sick.  Mathematical skills at fudging one’s résumé go back thousands of years, probably back to the first cave man trying to get a job for making wheels.  I love how someone who maybe went to one seminar in 1989 and then didn't train again with him for 4-5 years claims a 1989 start date.  Other people claim that they trained with Taika for X amount of years and yet fail to put on their résumé that they ceased all direct training with the man in the year 2000.  Yet they still claim the 12 subsequent years as if they actually stepped foot in Taika’s dojo during that time.  One such person, would come in Taika’s dojo about once every 3-4 months for a few years until he was banished from the Association and every time he showed the rest of us would be frustrated because we knew that night, Taika wouldn't show us anything ‘special’.  So even if you count the 3-4 visits he had over those few years, he didn't learn anything because Taika didn't trust him.

So when someone’s résumé says they started training with Taika in year 19xx and that they trained till he passed in 2012, be wary.  Did this person just attend 1-3 seminars a year and rarely (if ever) get any face to face time?  Did they start their training at a couple of seminars, then not see the man for 9 years, then train for X years only to disappear due to personal matters?  Did they only show up at a seminar when they wanted to test?  Did they meet him overseas and then quit his association in the 80’s?

All I’m saying is, ask some questions.  Do the math.  Don’t just take someone’s résumé as fact.  A résumé is there for a reason, to get them hired (or at least admired).  A quality company hiring someone does fact checking, and a government entity will do a background check.  Don’t believe everything you see, there are many people out there who have a résumé built on recycled fecal matter.  Instead of looking at those things, look at the person’s ability, their personality.  Even two people that attended the exact same number of seminars over the years, with exact clock hours in training will have different skill levels because we all learn and develop differently.  

Rank doesn't matter.

Arbitrary clocks and calendars don't matter.

Skill and Personality Matter

At least those last two mattered to Taika.

Most of the people with the real Taika clock hours are not out trying to be famous and flinging their résumé around. 

Buyer Beware