In These Trying Times, We Need…Bruce Lee
Master Bruce Lee’s philosophical views to acquire, in these troubled times
I remember talking to colleagues years ago when the topic of favorite philosophers came up. When I said Bruce Lee, everyone laughed. They thought I was joking. One of them wanted me to quote one of his famous lines, so I said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
They all thought I was taking the piss. Someone had to Google if I was telling the truth. Even then, they all conceded I was a clown. Well, I wasn’t pulling anyone’s leg at that time, and neither am I now. So, you’re into Nietzsche, Confucius, Marx, Aristotle, Kant, Descartes, Plato, Spinoza, Machiavelli, Socrates, and many other famous thinkers. Well, I dig Bruce Lee.
Unsure about the younger generation, but I’m pretty certain that if you’re at least in your mid-30’s, you must have heard of this magnificent gentleman. You might not be fully aware of his movies, nor have you watched any, but that didn’t deter you from posting memes of Mr. Lee being pitted against Chuck Norris – the unbeatable, the ultimate champ as some avid fans regard him.
Mr. Norris is also a martial arts expert who has created his practice – the Chun Kuk Do. He’s a film director, an actor, and a screenwriter with an abundance of significant quotes himself. Why isn’t the preferred over Bruce Lee? Well, I’ve already made up my mind, and you’re welcome to change it but, of course, not involving any backhand strikes or flying kicks.
However, even with the despised possibility of getting punched in the belly or kicked in the head, I’ll mention it again: Bruce Lee is my favorite philosopher and I believe he’s the one we all need in these times of uncertainty and borderline chaos.
Now, with our younger readers in mind, let’s have a bit of a look at his background.
Alongside Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and 12 other extraordinary actors, Bruce Lee is listed on Screenrant as one of the 16 Greatest Action Stars of All Time. On IMDB, he is among the Top 25 Action Movie Stars. As a master of Wing Chun Kung Fu and the founder of Jeet Kune Do, he didn’t need a stuntman to beat up hundreds of baddies in his films.
Just like the other top tough dudes on the silver screen, he had single-handedly knocked down hordes of bad boys. However, he stood out being the only action star who was never seen firing a gun, throwing a grenade, or brandishing a samurai or a machete in any of his fight scenes. If he had to have a weapon, it was either a stick or nunchucks. He was also the first to don a yellow jumpsuit while in a rumble with a gang of crazy pawns. Sorry, Uma Thurman.
Re-watching his fight scenes has rekindled my adoration for the man who opted for less bravado by eliminating the use of firearms, katanas, or swords; and leaving out over the top car chases and helicopter crashes. He portrayed that one doesn’t need to be gigantic, brutish, or skilled in handling lethal weapons to defeat one’s foes. He introduced spiritual philosophy, inner strength, and intelligence through his forms of martial arts to overpower enemies.
Along with my admiration for his legendary fighting skills is my respect for his philosophical views on different aspects of life. There’s too much hate, anger, one-upmanship, falsehood, and fear-mongering nowadays. How can we cope? How can Bruce Lee rescue us?
I’ve chosen these current facets of living and his reflections on them, which I try to live by, and I believe many of us would also find quite essential in these uncertain and troubled times.
On blocking negativity
“Do not allow negative thoughts to enter your mind, for they are the weeds that strange confidence.”
“Never waste energy on worries or negative thoughts; all problems are brought into existence — drop them.”
“Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own.”
“Choose the positive. You have a choice. You are the master of your attitude, choose the positive, the constructive. Optimism is a faith that leads to success.”
On anger management and staying calm
“A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.”
“Know the difference between a catastrophe and an inconvenience. To realize that it’s just an inconvenience, that it is not a catastrophe, but just an unpleasantness, is part of coming into your own, part of waking up.”
“Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick.”
“Your mental attitude determines what you make of it, either a stepping stone or stumbling block.”
On individualism and going against the herd mentality
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality, and duplicate it.”
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
“Only the self-sufficient stand alone — most follow the crowd and imitate.”
“I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach. I will not allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. I am happy because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery. I treasure the memory of past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.”
On overcoming criticisms, put-downs, and failures
“The doubters said,
‘Man can not fly,’
The doers said,
‘Maybe, but we’ll try’
And finally soared
In the morning glow
While non-believers
Watched from below.”
“Don’t fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim is the crime. In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.”
“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.”
“Remember, success is a journey, not a destination. Have faith in your ability. You will do just fine.”
On living life peacefully but fearlessly
“Do not be tense, just be ready, not thinking but not dreaming, not being set but being flexible. It is being “wholly” and quietly alive, aware, and alert, ready for whatever may come.”
“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.”
“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
I believe that after going through the above gems, one won’t contend Brice Lee’s standing as a master philosopher, or one of them if you say so. His views aren’t outdated that could only be applied in the dark ages. His ideas are appropriate and timely, given the amount of anger, frustration, and divisiveness floating nowadays.
While it requires a lot of effort to remain calm during these tensed times, I’m grateful for these perspectives to live by. So, if you choose to take any of his quotes with you while trying to cruise through life, please do not hesitate to do so.
And oh, and if you’re struggling with a lonely broken heart, remember this as well, “sorrows are our best educator. A man can see further through a tear than a telescope.” That’s from no other than the legendary kung fu expert, iconic actor since childhood, passionate dancer, most respected instructor, and one of the greatest philosophers — the Little Dragon, Bruce Lee.
May, the soul of this remarkable master Rest In Eternal Peace.
