Statement by Jaime R. Torres, DPM, MS

Statements supposedly about Aesthetic Realism published on the web by Michael Bluejay, Adam Mali, and “Anonymous” are lies. For example, the idea that Aesthetic Realism discourages pursuing higher education and personal “achievement” is crazy. I have been an attending physician at a New York City public hospital for many years, and recently was promoted to Associate Director. I am on the advisory board of the National Hispanic Medical Association, and it was because of what I learned from Aesthetic Realism about the need for ethics in healthcare, and my published articles on the subject, that I was chosen to be part of NHMA’s Leadership Fellow Program in the first place. I am also the NHMA representative for the National Diabetes Education Program—a federal program sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. My study of Aesthetic Realism encouraged me to further my education even more, and I received a master of science in Community Health at Long Island University.

As to the “walking distance” lie, Dr. Torres writes: One of the strangest and most laughable lies told on those websites is the idea that everyone who studies Aesthetic Realism lives “within walking distance from the headquarters in SoHo.” If that were true I would have done a lot of walking, because when I began to study Aesthetic Realism I lived in the Bronx, NY, and shortly after, I moved to Mount Vernon, NY—17 miles from the Aesthetic Realism Foundation.

And as to the lie that “No time is spent on vacations,” Dr. Torres says: Not only do my wife and I own a weekend house in rural New Jersey—a house we stay at often and enjoy with our friends—but I also vacation in Puerto Rico, where my family comes from.

As to the family: And at this point I’d like to add that, thanks to the Aesthetic Realism education, my parents and I are closer, kinder to each other and really enjoy our conversations now.

Another big lie is the allegation that people are “pressured to contribute... monetarily.” I certainly pay for the classes I attend at the Foundation (an exceedingly modest fee), as I do for the continuing medical education classes I take elsewhere. And, though I’ve never been pressured to do so, I’m proud to give every year a contribution to the Aesthetic Realism Foundation the same way I do to the National Council of La Raza, the ASPCA, the Fresh Air Fund, Boys Scouts of America, as well as my church. I’m glad to support these organizations and, as my accountant says, they are also tax-deductible.