The 7 Principles Of Adaptation According To Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee became famous around the world when he became the protagonist of films that crossed borders. However, this important martial arts fighter was much more than a Hollywood heartthrob. He was educated at a very young age in Hong Kong in Oriental thought and that is why he also distinguished himself as a philosopher and writer. Bruce Lee was a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Washington.

He was also one of the figures that began to arouse interest in martial arts in the West. Bruce Lee was very charismatic and was soon seen by many as a role model. Each of the interviews he gave was a true chapter of magic and wisdom.

One of his most impactful interviews was the last one he gave and which was only released in 2007. In it, he spoke about the great importance of the concept of adaptability. He summed it up in a phrase that became famous: “Be water, my friend” . Its interesting perspective can be summarized in 7 points.

1. Bruce Lee said change is the natural

In the West, we were taught to set a goal, reach it, and keep it. We are rarely prepared for the great losses that life brings. That’s why we complain when what used to be ceases to be or when what was here is no more.

Bruce Lee insisted on the importance of understanding that nothing stays the same. Everything is constantly changing and moving. Resisting this reality only gives rise to suffering. Therefore, understanding that everything changes is the fundamental basis of adaptation.

2. It doesn’t matter the beliefs, but the reality

It is the reality that is needed, not the beliefs we have about it. We are often surprised by something that happens and come to think that it shouldn’t have happened that way. This corresponds to the idea that we consider that reality should respond to our beliefs and not the other way around, that our axioms about the world must be formed from reality.

It is impossible to make a completely objective and totally true reading of reality. Therefore, the way we “translate” sensory information always has some kind of error. When something happens that we thought was unthinkable, reality proves us wrong.

3. When there is destruction, there is also creation

Reality flows with its own wisdom. When something ends or is destroyed, the seeds of the new also appear. If something has been destroyed it is because its time has run out, its cycle has ended. However, this should not be seen as a negative.

For things to progress, it is necessary for people or objects to disappear, so that new ones can appear. Affections, habits, situations. For those who know how to look into the rubble of what has ended, what emerges is a set of new opportunities and invitations to the new.

4. We are not alone in the change process

We are always influenced by our environment and, at the same time, we exert influence over it. For this reason, Bruce Lee said that every individual change involves a collective change, and vice versa. When the environment changes, so does the individual.

Therefore, every individual evolution is also a contribution to the world. At the same time, helping others to evolve also leads to our own growth. You cannot separate a person from the social group in which he develops.

5. What exists is a moving present

The present is the synthesis of the past and the seed of the future. The past, the memories, the once manifested in the now in a different way than what happened. Therefore, it no longer exists as it was, but as it is today.

There is no possible future if the present is not fully rooted in order to flow. What exists in the here and now is the opportunity to mold a seed, not to determine the future. What is to come is uncertain, so the current moment is the only true and valuable thing.

6. There are no fixed essences or realities

In the West, there is a lot of talk about the essence of things. It is assumed that there are fixed elements that are unchanging over time, a conception that gives us a sense of security. Therefore, we talk about the human essence, the social essence and all those concepts that talk about static realities.

In Bruce Lee’s philosophy these concepts do not exist. The human being’s identity can change completely. If a person is shy, for example, this characteristic is not related to an essence, but to a phase of life. In the future, everything can change.

7. Don’t try to control, but let it flow

Attempts to control one’s own or others’ reality only lead to a feeling of frustration. One way or another, everything is as it should be. And everyone is as they should be, at least for the moment. Nobody has absolute control over the course of life. Therefore, as Bruce Lee said, we must be like water, which adapts and takes the shape of what it encounters along the way.

Bruce Lee’s teachings had a great impact in the West. They represent a way of looking at reality from a different perspective than that which prevails in our society. They do not seek domination over themselves or others, but rather respect the logic implicit in reality that is always, in some way, different from our desires.