Bruce Lee’s Philosophy: Self-Actualization And Being Like Water To Live a Better Life
Bruce Lee was not only a movie star and martial arts master but essentially a philosopher who created a way of being based on the spiritual and physical aspects of the martial arts. His coherent and rational way of living has resulted in many insightful aphorisms which are collected in the book "Striking Thoughts".
Bruce represented the attitude of the modern stoic with ancient discipline and wisdom. His conceptions, that I found the most enlightened are Self-Actualization and what I like to call "Self-Adaptation" which he famously essentializes as "be like water, my friend".
Contemporary martial artist and philosopher as a steely individualist developed a highly grounded philosophy, in which self-recognition is the highest state. He said, “A self-actualizing person is a real person”.
His philosophy is closely related and easily adapted to daily living because for him philosophy is what life is. You cannot separate these two things.
Hope you find something valuable for yourself that you can apply in your everyday life. I wish you good reading!
1. Self-Actualization
Bruce as a person highly grounded in reality encouraged people to true self-expression that comes from within. He stated: “I am what I am here and now”. The problem he found was that most people rather were being busy expressing their self-image than true self-express themselves. People waste their time and energy projecting the facade, while they should truly accept themselves to actualize their ever-growing potential as human beings.
Self-actualization is the highest state. - This achieving the center, being grounded in one's self, is about the highest state a human being can achieve.
He was the embodiment of the individualist for whom self-sufficiency and following his intuition was the highest form of creating himself and unleashing his potential. Most people follow the crowd, which makes them imitators rather than creators. They are too busy playing roles and socially conditioned concepts. The overwhelming noises drown out their own thoughts which in turn causes people to distrust their life-giving potential.
Self-actualization is the important thing. And my personal message to people is that I hope they will go toward self-actualization rather than selfimage actualization. I hope that they will search within themselves for honest self-expression.
Playing concepts not only wastes enormous resources of valuable energy but also separates us from ourselves. We create the meaning by ourselves, using what is hidden in us - pure thoughts, potential, and energy free from any social, cultural, or religious tones.
"The sacred journey is taken alone. - Each man must seek out realization himself. No master can give it to him.
For Bruce Self-Realization is enlightenment, the true freedom that we should strive for.
2. Adaptation - “Be like water”
It seems to me that the concept of Adaptation goes very well with Self-Actualization because once we know that we should realize our own potential, discovered by following our inner voice, the question arises of how to do it. Bruce answers them indirectly because he encourages us to clear the mind and be "formless", but he doesn't give any clear-cut methods. As we know "Each man must seek out realization himself".
Adapt like water. - Be like water; water has form and yet it has no form. It is the softest element on earth, yet it penetrates the hardest rock. It has no shape of its own, yet it can take any shape in which it is placed. In a cup, it becomes the shape of the cup. In a vase, it takes the shape of the vase and curls about the stems of flowers. Put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Please observe the adaptability of water. If you squeeze it fast, the water will flow out quickly. If you squeeze it slowly, it will come out slowly. Water may seem to move in contradiction, even uphill, but it chooses any way open to it so that it may reach the sea. It may flow swiftly or it may flow slowly, but its purpose is inexorable, its destiny sure.
The thought of being like water is in favor of wisdom and intelligence. Because these traits according to Bruce are strongly related to the capacity of the individual to adapt and adjust. The individual should either successfully adapt himself to the environment or adjust the environment to his needs.
It also brings to mind Bruce’s stoicism:
Firstly, having a clear mind and being “formless” allows us to approach reality in a free from all disturbing emotions way.
Secondly, “Adaptation” is about accepting reality, living in the present, and the inevitability of change.
However, all these uncontrolled aspects of life should be used to our advantage. They are nothing, but opportunities to fulfill unexploited potential and to truly grasp the meaning of living. Be like water and sustain stillness in motion all the time.
Don’t let your emotions and subjective feelings stray you from the path of uncovering your potential and genuine self. According to Bruce, on the one hand, we do not influence the world, on the other hand, we can shape it in any way. That’s why the crucial part is to accept reality and be adapted in your favor, just like water. That’s why I found his book very insightful and helpful!
“Like flowing water, life is perpetual movement. There is nothing fixed. Whatever your problems happen to be in the future, remember well that they cannot remain stationary but must move together with your living spirit. Otherwise, you will drift into artificiality or attempt to solidify the ever-flowing. To avoid that, you must change and be flexible.”
To conclude we should view Adaptation as a tool, that, in a sense, allows us to create reality on our own.
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Summary:
Stop participating in a social performance full of different roles and concepts. It’s all a facade. Instead, focus on the honest and sincere development of your potential and self-actualization.
Being an individualist who accepts reality as it is with all its qualities means to be truly free.
Having a clear mind and being “formless” are your superpowers that can be used as tools to form reality.
Don’t be a slave to any kind of patterns - from tradition to role models.
The goal of a human being is to actualize oneself.
“We live in cliches, in patterned behavior. We are playing the same role over and over again. To raise our potential is TO LIVE AND REVIEW EVERY SECOND REFRESHED” - Bruce Lee
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