Forgiving is perhaps the only way to heal an injured spirit. What is more – it not only heals oneself, but also the spirit of the injurer, as it removes the burden of guilt from him.

Victor Gutierrez has left the EWTO! But so that his video announcement is correctly understood by all colleagues and instructors, here are a few facts which Victor by no means denies, but is just as open about with ourselves as in his short but honest video declaration.
Victor had a goal in mind, and wrongly thought that he could not achieve this within the EWTO. In fact it was a task specifically suited to him, for which we brought him on board in the first place. But he did not give us the choice: "Either you finally let me do my thing (a department for full-contact WT competition) or you must do without me in future." He did not have the confidence to ask the question, and ostensibly remained our business partner. But within himself, he separated from the EWTO, his masters, partners and our common cause.
He has meanwhile admitted his error (not communicating clearly with his partners, and instead working against them behind their backs), and I have forgiven him, as this makes things easier for both of us and allows us to sleep better.
My purpose in stating the facts here is to ensure that you understand Victor‘s honest statement, which holds nothing back, and can answer any questions from your students. Because Victor‘s long-prepared advertising campaign will start in a few days: articles and advertisements in Alfredo Tucci‘s magazine.

FACTS:
Victor was and is not only an instructor/national instructor within the EWTO, but at this moment still a member of the management team and a shareholder. But for almost one year he has no longer been furthering the goals and interests of the EWTO, but secretly working against us. While we made him privy to everything and trusted him, he was planning his own organisation with the GOAL of full-contact competition etc.
At the end of January the preparation phase, which “had to” proceed in great secrecy, was completed – otherwise we would have noticed something and cut off the money supply.
It is clear to the always likeable, affable Victor that these facts might give an outsider a too one-sided impression of his character if he is unaware of the reasons behind them. 

REASON:
Victor was proud of WingTsun and himself, and wanted to show that WT is certainly suitable for full-contact and can successfully take part in the mixed martial arts scene etc. with specific training. Victor wrongly believed (for there is every intention of creating such a department within the EWTO!) – as he now admits – that there would never be a place for such a department within the EWTO. This is why he took drastic measures that have separated him from the EWTO.
In fact the creation of such a department was the main reason why we admitted him into the innermost circle of the EWTO, entrusted him with the necessary powers and allowed him to travel and teach all over Europe without restrictions. Despite previous, negative experiences and certain rumours appearing on the Internet, we did not think it possible that behind our backs, he would seek to recruit individual school-owners (or their susceptible assistants) for his own organisation secretly built up with EWTO money.
It was only when some of those he had recruited showed particular disrespect towards me that I became suspicious, started an investigation and became aware of the plot.

MORALS, ETHICS, PRINCIPLES, DETERMINATION:
So much for what has happened. One could easily dismiss this and say: a typical case of a ”the end justifies the means“ attitude. Or one might say: ”a typical fighter’s mentality, that’s how they are ".
Well, I have been on this earth too long to be unaware of what people can do. And anybody able to observe himself in certain situations knows what he might be capable of doing himself. Some have just had the luck never to have been truly tested. Perhaps the part of the Lord’s Prayer that says "And lead us NOT into temptation" should be changed to "And lead us into temptation", for it is only practice that really makes us able to do things.
So to those who now expect me to wag a moralistic finger, I must say that for most people, morals are only something that OTHER PEOPLE should keep to. I no longer have any illusions about the human condition. While I have certain cast-iron principles, I do not know to what extent I can trust myself if I am really put to the test and subjected to temptation. I can easily remember a certain crisis during which I too did things of which I am not proud.
My world image has become a more or less deterministic one (= where things are preordained or fixed) – both from experience and following  the latest brain research findings (see my book "The Last shall be First" and my various editorials about what I call the 3rd level). If leading researchers are right, and human behaviour is completely determined by biological, psychological or social circumstances, any talk of standards applicable to morally correct actions would be invalid and a waste of time.
I think that in a given situation, every individual behaves in the only way he can behave. He does not really have a choice between several options. He only has this if the whole thing is examined at the end, as a judge is able to do. Victor too now knows that he need only have said: "If I am not able to realise my vision of a WT full-contact department inside the EWTO within a reasonable time, I will leave the organisation next month." But in his situation he was clearly only able to behave in a predetermined way.

Let me end this long epistle with a few words from my very old student, Master Xaver Hörmann:

"Tu quoque fili Brute? (Victor?)" (You too, my son Brutus?)
Dear Sifu,
you certainly do not stand alone in history. I would dearly like to swear eternal loyalty to you, but the shocking example of none other than the prime apostle Peter, who first passionately declared "...I would gladly give my life for you..." and then denied his lord three times to a village maid before cock’s crow within just a few hours, is enough to make one fearful of oneself.
But what can lead someone to take a step like this in our present age, in which you are showing us a WT that can only be described as ‘ingeneous’  ??????
But as the psalm-writer once said: What is man that you should have remembrance of him?
Best wishes from your - hopefully – loyal and above all grateful student 
Xaver Hörmann

I have forgiven Victor unconditionally, and you can do the same.

But because some have repeatedly asked me about it since Master Bill‘s disappointed letter became known, I am pleased to tell you what Victor promised me during a telephone conversation today, on 18.1.2010: before the month ends, he will at last provide Master Bill with confirmation that GM Newman owns the house for which he entrusted Victor with the money years ago.
And before the end of this month he will also refund to Bello Domenico the large sum of money which the latter advanced for him and his family to take part in the Argentina trip, which Victor then cancelled at much too short notice.

Victor is leaving the EWTO at the end of this month, which is a fact we must simply accept. As for Victor‘s last sentence in the video, we will consider whether, despite the disappointments of recent years, some form of cooperation might be possible for the benefit of the EWTO, even if he is advancing his own cause outside the EWTO.

Nonetheless, understanding and forgiving does not mean entering into new risks with wide-eyed innocence. By his future behaviour and obvious regret, Victor must show us that we can rely on him. He will not be able to regain our trust from one day to the next. But if he e.g. meets his financial obligations towards Master Bill and Bello Domenico, this will certainly count in his favour.  
Some school-owners have already planned something for the future with Victor. We ask them to exercise patience and refrain from over-hasty action. Please wait for the official decision by the EWTO, which will certainly take a few weeks, and meanwhile put everything on ice that you might have planned with Victor.

Kind wintery regards from Kiel

Your
Sifu Keith R. Kernspecht  

 
VICTOR’S VIDEO MESSAGE:

I would like to state the following reasons for my decision.
 
I had a personal goal in recent years, namely to make WingTsun capable for full-contact competition, so that WingTsun regains its image as a fighting style.

I had the feeling that such a department within the EWTO was necessary, but I never really had the impression that this would actually come about, and I must admit in all honesty that I never stated my case specifically and never communicated it to Si-Fu in specific terms, which I now realise has probably given rise to misunderstandings.

It is clear to me that in some respects I may perhaps have behaved less than fairly towards people who placed their confidence in me, because in view of the feelings I had, I simply did not state clearly enough what was happening and what would happen if my wish was not met.

I therefore started to make plans behind their backs, so as to pursue my goals and ensure that I could really realise my wishes.

It is important to me that I stand fully behind what I teach, and this was not the case. I simply had the feeling that I could not realise this as things stood.

It is also clear to me that I have in some way betrayed the trust of people who placed their full confidence in me, for example Master Bill, Grandmaster Kernspecht and Andreas, Oliver and Giuseppe.

But the goal was more important to me at the time, and I had only this goal in mind, something I now regret and always felt really bad about.

Now I have to say that after things have come to this, and I simply had my personal goal in mind, which I wanted to realise personally, without the EWTO, I was invited to a clarifying discussion by Si-Fu and became convinced by Si-Fu and Oliver that I had felt forced into a situation that actually did not exist. It was just that my feelings had appeared to be the reality, and actual fact.

I am glad that I was able to talk with them like this, as I never thought I could talk with them in this way. Yes, I am glad, and we also talked about what we have in common, so to speak, what really connects us. I am happy about this, and we agreed that we would continue to work together in some way in the future. I am glad about that.

You can now watch the video with the statement by Victor Gutierrez here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FouK2XiY1xA