See also: Talking with Dr. Joe

He could be brutally honest, and very impatient with people who substituted excuses for taking action. Were you fortunate enough to bathe in the warmth and tenderness that he had for people?

The year was 1995 and Dr. Joe was the facilitator for the "debriefing" experience after a ropes course in personal power and leadership at Quest Alliance. There was a young D.C. who was telling his disturbing story of being abandoned and unwanted as a baby and how it had affected him in a terrible way and continues to haunt and inhibit his potential as a doctor and a person.

Many of the D.C.s in attendance listened with profound anxiety and (even panic) knowing that Dr. Joe would "blast" this young chiropractor and tell him to suck it up and get over it. They did not know the real Dr. Joe and his love for humanity. Instead, he held this weeping doctor in his arms and placed his hand on his heart. Time stood still as all in attendance wept and held each other's hands, witnessing the true essence of Dr. Joe.

In April of 1985, the packed grand ballroom of the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco held enthusiastic D.C.s from all around the country, and world-class scientists from the scientific/medical community joining them to hear the vision of Dr. Joe.

In an electric atmosphere, impeccably attired in a black tux, he presided over the event and the featured presenters with a regal flair bordering on the majestic. It wasn't the promise of financial riches that elevated the room's mood and brought high expectations, but that of serving humanity to the greatest extent possible.

There was Dr. Joe -- the legend -- with all that energy, in that beautiful tuxedo mesmerizing the crowd that was in for the ride of its life.

The chiropractic world had never heard of a vision of this magnitude before. Humanity, for that matter, had never been witness to a vision so vast and magnificent. For while names of past visionaries -- Watts, Spandler, etc. -- danced in the minds of many that day, this vision was based on action, not words.

The vision of "Chiropractic Today for a Better World Tomorrow" could not have possibly been born of the ordinary person, and certainly not of "the second hander" as Ayn Rand would say. It had to be created by extra-ordinary people with extra-ordinary vision.

The world has been witness to the "magical" cultures of the Egyptians, the Mayans, the Incas with their mathematics, astronomy and architectural wonders. Today's society, for all of its science and technology is still at a loss to explain these feats. Dr. Joe's vision with no geographical, ethnic, religious, or political boundaries was bigger than all of them. In fact, it was as large as life itself. Limitless, it held the promise of the unfolding of humanity that had only been philosophized about in the past.

Possessing that special talent of melding science and philosophy for the greater good of both chiropractic and humanity, late in 1977 Dr. Joe delivered the stunning message of the component basis of the Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC) as a direct extension of chiropractic philosophy. For the first time in our profession, the Innate Intelligence philosophy of chiropractic had the muscle of medical science on its side, rather than in opposition to it.

Who could forget San Francisco's '85 "Extravaganza," where world-class scientists presented their research of the dehumanizing effects of the VSC on a global level affecting all of humanity, instead of the old pinched hose theory? What chiropractors had felt viscerally and in their hearts for decades and witnessed on a clinical level now had the backing of mainstream science.

Do you remember the VSC poster when it first came out and you first put it up on your walls? Remember the feeling of pride that chiropractors all over the world felt because the elusive bird called science had been captured and brought to chiropractic and the world? Thank you Dr. Joe.

VSC ... caused in the birthing process ... was the call to arms. For the first time ever, here was a visionary with the fortitude and love of humankind to introduce and successfully defend this highly emotional and controversial position that is still not universally accepted today.

Backed by medical science, the profession was elevated to global status as an integral part of the solution to the continuing downward spiral of humanity known as the "predicament of the species." Cheers rose within the chiropractic community as "wellness chiropractic" was linked to a better world, not just to healing or the curing of conditions naturally.

Since 1977, Family Wellness chiropractors have become a major force to be reckoned with because of the vision of Dr. Joe. The chart-based "new patient orientation" was his crowning jewel. Do you recall witnessing Dr. Joe for the first time giving a new patient orientation? No eyes in the audience even blinked. Everyone was mesmerized by the metaphors, the energy, the drama of the "best show in town."

The metaphors of the rabbit planet, polar bear cages, the hotel fire, and the extraordinary miracles of some of the children in his practice still live in our hearts. They came to life and were made more real with the charts, the many props, the scientific references, and the videos. Never before had a chiropractor elevated the chart-based new patient orientation into a surreal experience that would set the stage of changing the world through participation on a lifetime family wellness basis. You were either a part of the solution or a part of the problem was Dr. Joe's call to the altar.

The memory of Dr. Joe in the Roman Warrior's armor will stay with many of us always. Each presentation had more of an impact and was more forceful than the one before. If ever there was a Warrior in chiropractic who spoke such a powerful and simple truth it was our hero, Dr. Joe.

This truth had nothing to do with ICDA codes, reimbursement issues, politics, or advertising. The vision of Dr. Joe was so much bigger than all of these. His love for humanity continued to fuel him past all the frustrations he endured. He understood that he would never get to witness his driving force and dream during his lifetime. As with so many of the prophets and leaders throughout history, his mission was to save "the people" from themselves.

Dr. Joe understood that most of them did not believe the planet was in trouble and even if they admitted the problem, certainly did not see chiropractic as a part of the solution. That didn't matter to him. He was in a race with time and destiny to save humanity from itself. "Live for a cause bigger than self and live that cause with passion" is what fueled the man, and the myth known as Dr. Joe.

Some years he made up to 96 presentations -- on both Coasts, in the Midwest and the South, as well as in Europe and Japan. He was almost everywhere at once it seemed, touching the spirit of all who had ears to hear and a heart to feel. Hundreds of thousands of miles were logged and thousands of airline meals consumed in seat 2B of United Airlines.

Much has been said about Dr. Joe "choosing" chiropractic over family. He never chose anything... he was chosen. He was magnanimous in making the many personal sacrifices necessary for the sake of the vision, in order that you and I and our beloved profession would continue to grow and flourish.

History's scribes have been accused of being needlessly cruel and harsh as they omit the family and its support of our heroes. Actually, they limit their historical "landscapes" to the accomplishments of the heroes in the process of freeing humanity from oppression and giving the people a better chance at tomorrow.

Dr. Joe's wife, Dr. Katie Flesia, and Mark Flesia, one of his children who manages Renaissance, in time came to understand what burned so deep in his mind and heart.

We are told that action changes the rules. We call soldiers who lay down their lives for us, "heroes" in the name of a bigger truth. In fact, it's said there is no greater love than to give your life for others whom you will never know. What would you call a man who introduced and set the foundation for a vision many believe will ultimately tip the balance in favor of the future existence of humanity?

Now, the years of high intensity, travel and sacrifice have caught up with our Warrior and visionary. Since January 2001, Dr. Joe's health has been in a downward spiral. The specifics are not as important as the fact that he is gone from the public eye. His wishes are that all D.C.s remember him at the top of his game and not be saddened by his passing. He is not of the modern day mind set (a la rock stars and sports figures) that seeks to hold on to the embarrassing and bitter end. There is only one speed in his life -- full throttle.

In the garden of the chiropractic world there is little difference between burying and planting. Many times in our lives we need to put people to rest so that new life can grow and unfold. As painful and unsettling as this is, the person becomes the basic energy for the new life about to form. There is always grief for what is lost and always surprise at what is to be born because of that loss. This is Dr. Joe's promise to future generations of chiropractors. His vision will live on. The torch has been passed to me and Dr. Ed Plentz, its new guardians.

Dr. Joseph Flesia, the man who gave us "Dr. Joe," was overcome with a joyous passion knowing that his legacy was able to attract the Warriors capable of carrying this heritage to future generations. Few, if any, in our profession have been fortunate enough to have their vision carried, in its purity, by other Warriors into the future to grow and prosper. Dr. Plentz and I believe that humanity is thirsting for this vision of itself in tomorrow's world, although we must be ever vigilant. History teaches that for every moment of joy arising there is a new moment of struggle taking root.

Dr. Joe will be remembered as a visionary, and a pioneer in human development and personal growth who awakened thousands of chiropractors so that they, in turn, could awaken hundreds of thousands of people. We believe, as his legacy teaches, that this awakened state of humanity (free of subluxation and subluxation damage to insure that Innate Intelligence can express itself fully over many generations) has within it the possibility to stem the tide of war, poverty, crime, and the shackles of allopathic oppression and control.

Dr. Katherine Flesia, who probably knows Dr. Joe better than any of us, recently sent him a copy of the newest "Green Book" published by The Palmer Institute, a compilation of selected theses from the first LCP class -- hers included -- with a personal note that put it all together. It read: "......Joseph, you are a Green Book."

In a private conversation in January 2000, Dr. Joe told me the following:

"My life is dedicated to all of those who stand out from the crowd... who arise from the ashes of an allopathic mediocrity... who feel the calling of a greater reality than self. Those of us on this path do not sing the song of self, rather we sing the 'world song,' dedicated to lifting the billions from where they are to a more innate expression of who they could be.

"There is a certain pride, hopefully born from humility, to be told by others that I have been an inspiration to many that they may tread this path, also... and to be told that I have forged the foundation of a chiropractic legacy for future generations.