wow. And all this time, I've trained to outrun the Chi-Kung guy so I don't have to worry about being impervious to blows and swords. He/she can be my bullet-sponge.

Does that make me selfish?

you don't have to out run the bear, just the slowest person running from the bear. That's why I like to have fat / slow friends around

Sh.t, you got me Jay.

The martial arts in China and Japan were all conquered the moment the gunpowder was invented in 18??

So, yes, after that you could be shot by the first fool with a gun, despite the fact that you have trained all your life.
Even being capable doing the most bizar and impossible seeming things, you cannot deflect a bullet.

Note: the ultimate state of a martial-art fighter is "Shen", which means having willpower, literally.
So maybe with "Shen" one can stop a gunman to shoot or even let the gun fly out of his hand.

Or better, one feels and predicts the whole confrontation and doesn't leave house that day.....

By the way: my chinese martial art master once let me feel his willpower, standing 20 m. distance of me !
He just stared at me and I felt suddenly a punch in my stomach so hard that I knocked double screaming from pain.

No one believes this story, but I know its true.

I'd believe it.

my wife gives me that stare pretty much every day

There's a youtube video of a Malaysian Qigong master who focuses terrific heat from his hands into people and objects. The vid shows infrared vision of the white hot temps he could put out so willpower is the deciding factor. Wish I had more to stop being a wuss and do more core exercises.

Very frustrated after taking delivery of new cat. I got into the exercises in a big way, went too hard trying to row and have had nothing but pill popping ongoing back pain since.

You're avatar is causing problems...

hopefully fixed now

okedoke