Fake Tai Chi

[Beka]

There's some guy on campus that always wears kung-fu shoes and the outfit and everything (usually all white), with a hat, and looooong white hair and a beard. Every day he can be found in the lobby of one of the buildings doing his own special form of Tai Chi. Now, maybe it's real, but something in me just says it isn't. He just kinda floats around, swirling his hands around with what appears to be no rhyme or reason, mumbling to himself. He moves faster than any other Tai Chi I've seen, and he just kinda goes 'round and 'round, mumbling, making stuff up. I've seen him in the local cafe, too, and he's always talking to people he doesn't know, saying weird stuff that I can't really understand. Someone told me recently that the guy used to actually have 'students', but I can't imagine they learned much of anything.

 

Now, I'm no Tai Chi expert, but it looks nothing like the Tai Chi I saw that old Chinese couple doing in the park. It just doesn't look like anything real. It's so weird.

 

I just felt like talking about it.

[Drunken Monkey]

not having seen what you have, i can't really comment.

 

all i can say is that don't take what you see in the park to be 'real' tai chi either...

[Beka]

Well I added the park comment as a joke.

 

But I've seen Tai Chi at tournaments and stuff, and this dude ain't doin' Tai Chi. I live in Berkeley. It's crazy person central.

[Drunken Monkey]

like i said, i haven't seen what you have so i can't comment on that.

 

also, what you see in tournaments are generally forms (and also push hands), right?

 

that isn't all there is to tai chi.

 

tai chi is a fighting art.

 

if you aren't taught how it fights then i wouldn't call it tai chi.

[Beka]

okay fine, i'm sure there's more to tai chi than just what i've seen at the tournaments, but this guy is clearly just swirling around doing absolutely nothing.

[TheDevilAside]

Ask him if he's an arhat.

[Red J]

I live in Berkeley. It's crazy person central.

 

I remember some of the "characters" at my university. Just chalk him up to the unique educational experience that only an institution of higher learning can bring.

[Drunken Monkey]

so your post was just to tell us that you saw, in your opinion, a crazy guy swirling his arms about.

 

here's a little crazy thought.

 

go and ask him what he's doing.

 

you might get a surprising answer.

[turonaga]

tai chi in tournaments? does he even do tai chi? if he does what kind of tai chi does he does? do not judge and do not under estimate.

[Beka]

so your post was just to tell us that you saw, in your opinion, a crazy guy swirling his arms about.

 

Precisely. Glad to know I made that clear.

 

Is it too far fetched to think that one could tell when another's actions have no unifying theme, have no specific reason for existence, and are clearly not much of anything? Berkeley is absolutely filled to the brim with insane and homeless people. It's a huge problem we have here. If it was at all possible to talk to this guy and recieve a well constructed, intelligible sentence in return, then maybe I'd ask him what exactly he is (or thinks he is) doing. However, having lived here the past 3 years, and making daily visits for the 10 or so before that, I know when one of our fine Berkeley residents was released a little too early from the loony bin. He keeps his clothes pretty darn white, so I don't think he's homeless, he's just way past this dimension.