“We lack the most important word in the dictionary – Cooperation. Without it, we can’t do anything.”

It’s an interesting quote coming from, Andrew, a silently powerful intellectual with a path of physical wisdom behind him.

What do I mean by physical wisdom? I’ll do my best to explain.

Looking at Andrew, it is hard to believe he was once in a fight for health, being on the verge of unhealthy obesity. He humbly credits his literal rebirth to well-being not to himself, but to his teachers, telling me, “The key is to find a good trainer who knows what they are doing, and if you do, and you are in good hands.”

It took him almost two years of study, effort and consistency to loose over two hundred pounds, about ten pounds a month for twenty months. I ask him, “Was it difficult at first?” He tells me, “The first five months were the toughest, but I just concentrated on the goal.”

With this success, Andrew has transformed his life from student to teacher, now a full time physical trainer.

OK, we get it, Andrew is physically fit, and it makes sense why he is a trainer and giving back to the community.

But where does the silently powerful intellectual thing come in?

Let’s start on the dark side and move towards the light.

As I do in all my interviews, my final question is always, “Where do you see the world, or yourself in the next five, ten, fifteen, twenty or even beyond years?”

I’m sure you have read this question many times if you are a full time follower of 365, and thanks for reading it again. If not, now you know.

In it, I have received countless positive outlooks, calls to action and dark predictions.

Andrew’s answer, “It’s already become what it is going to be, and we have to accept it. The only thing that will change is the weather. We just need to keep putting the right foot in front of the left.”

From someone who has conquered a monumental physical trial, this response almost seems contrary to his character. “I’m one of the lucky one’s he says of his trek to physically fit.”

He tells me of the statistics for those who find their way to condition, it floats around one percent. That number floors me, and it forces me to take it as personal council to get my eating habits in order.

Again, an extremely positive and active comment, so why the pessimistic sounding, “It’s already become what it is going to be, and we have to accept it. The only thing that will change is the weather. We just need to keep putting the right foot in front of the left.”

It get’s even darker when Andrew tells me of the Tattoo’s on his wrists, Dark Lotus, a band that he calls, “The music of the modern day Dead Heads.”

I watched four of their videos, and if violence, sex and language are you thing, they are the band for you.

Andrew, I mean no disrespect; Dark Lotus is just a bit too heavy for me.

But in reflecting on their message and linking it to your responses, I’m pretty sure I get the message.

You state, “Society will fix itself, if we the people do something about it.”

That’s what I get from Dark Lotus, even thought their message is strikingly harsh, and I’m sure offensive to many, they are talking about standing up to do something. Howbeit in a rather anarchical way, they are non-the-less making the following statement.

“We will take control of what we will, or can.”

And in the world of art, expression and even personal-point-of-view, I will never step on, or condemn, anyone’s freedom of expression.

So Andrew, in a walking on the edge way, I see how you relate the band to your thoughts for the world. And, Readers, Andrew’s perspective is far from dark and violent.

In his words of council for us, as any self-respecting trainer would do, Andrew challenges us, “It’s all about mindset, you can’t take any loss personally. It’s all part of growth, and with a positive mental attitude you can do anything. No matter what the experience, you have to think of everything in life as the gas you need to get around. And with that fuel, you can have inner peace.”

Inner peace vs. violent band? Still confused?

Let’s work at it some more.

“Don’t rebuild, reload,” the definition Andrew uses to thumbnail his above council, it’s the mind set stuff he is talking about.

I call him a silently powerful intellectual. Why?

If you were standing in his presence during our interview, you would most likely notice, at first meeting Andrew is reserved, calm and listening; but as he opens up he reveals a very inquiring and impassioned side of his personality.

Andrew is all about unity, and possesses a deep concern for the people, and in maintaining the freedoms that we so enjoy in the United States.

He calls us to action, “You have two choices, you can live the rat race, or live off the land.”

The “land” he is talking is not our getting lost in the forests or an open fielded homestead, but rather, and I’m guessing here, “the land,” refers to each other.

“Each other,” meaning, doing our part to better our condition, physically, mentally, spiritually and politically.

Politics is a big topic, and one that I cannot fully address in this entry. Plus, it would be against the mission of 365 to promote any one party conclusion or campaign in any way. But here is what Andrew is saying.

“It is up to us, not the government to determine our future,” In this call, he is not speaking of revolution, but rather, and I’m inventing a word here, humanalution.

Humanalution, I like it, and it fits with Andrew’s, “living off the land.”

In “the land” Andrew is talking of the people as a whole: Individuals, homes, streets, communities, cities, states and beyond. “

“The most powerful word in the dictionary is Cooperation.” Andrew stands.

And “We the people,” is his course.

Yep, I think I’ve described Andrew correctly: Silently powerful, Intellectual and with a depth of Physical Wisdom.

See you at the gym buddy.