Res Ipsa Loquitur. 1. The meaning of this Latin phrase is: “the thing speaks for itself.”

Res Ipsa Loquitur. 2. This is the way my father marketed and grew his dental practice.

Res Ipsa Loquitur. 3. In tort law this doctrine allows a claim of negligence to generally carry its burden of proof without the need for additional evidence.

Res Ipsa Loquitur. 4. This phrase is how I seek to explain the life of Bob Proctor.

Res Ipsa Loquitur. 1. The meaning of this Latin phrase is: “the thing speaks for itself.”

The definition here is pretty easy right? Well, yes and no.

Yes, in that it speaks directly to the essence of its very meaning.

Here, my mind wanders back to my philosophy class during senior year with Mr. Kurth explaining Plato’s concept of “horse-ness” or “chair-ness.”

I vividly recollect Kurth’s reaching out and shaking his right, upturned hand as to wrestle with the concept:

There is an ideal that we all understand as a “horse” or a “chair.”

Because of this whenever we see one – even if it isn’t quite a perfect expression of that ideal – it’s proximity to the standard allows it to that label.

Interestingly, Bob Proctor in a couple of his programs speaks similarly with respect to the evolution of the chair and its multiple expressions by indicating that he imagines that  some cave man or woman originally came up with the bright idea while sitting on a log of putting a back to it.

Once the essence of a chair was established other manifestations came about like the stool, the sofa, the loveseat, the rocking chair, and of course the Lazy-Boy.

Res Ipsa Loquitur at this level is perhaps provides an ultimate portal to “navel gazing” by allowing one to ponder on the “meaning of meaning.”

But, that is not how I originally came to understand this term.

Res Ipsa Loquitur. 2. This is the way my father marketed and grew his dental practice.

My father was the last of 11 children who grew up on a dairy farm in northern Minnesota to parents who had survived the Great Depression.

The results of his upbringing were and remain extreme. He is a man of an extreme work ethic and equally extreme thrift.

His work ethic allowed him to scale to the pinnacle of his craft as evidenced by the fact that though a general dentist, the most difficult crown and bridge cases would come to him from crown and bridge specialists.

Hence, instead of spending money on any sort of advertising his philosophy was that his work “spoke for itself.”

So, imagine my shock when this inculcated understanding of  res ipsa loquitur was newly revealed to me while studying law.  

Res Ipsa Loquitur. 3. In tort law this doctrine allows a claim of negligence to carry its burden of proof without the need of additional evidence.

In a legal context, the situation it is so egregiously obvious that the defendant screwed up that unless having one hell of an excuse – which in legal speak is called a “rebuttable presumption” – they are liable (which is the civil law term for “guilty” ) for the harm produced.

The example I recall  is that of the discovery of a lost scalpel later found somewhere in the intestinal cavity of the patient after surgery.

Now, we may not be able to determine who “dropped” it, but unless the patient is a sword-eating, circus performer who snacks occasionally on scalpels, he sure as hell isn’t responsible for this SNAFU.

But now, by some sort of amalgamation of all of these idea, the idea takes on for me a new meaning.

Res Ipsa Loquitur. 4. This phrase is how I seek to explain the life of BOB PROCTOR.

Bob Proctor while establishing great work habits, did not become a money hoarder.

Much more importantly, he developed his own and others’ spirits along the path of wealth.

Wealth in the fullest sense. Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, Financial, and Relational.

And I feel it is the later which is most important: One’s relationship with oneself; others; and the architect of the universe – God!

On February 3, less than 48 hours ago, Bob Proctor made the transition to complete oneness with the Creator.

God Bless Bob’s soul for all the positive work he did while he was with us in this plane of existence. As to Bob’s good work:

RES IPSA LOQUITUR…!