The 7 Principles Of Adaptation, According To Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee became famous all over the world when he became the protagonist of films that crossed borders. However, this prominent martial artist was much more than a Hollywood heartthrob. He was trained from a very young age in Hong Kong within oriental thought and that is why he also stood out as a philosopher and writer. In fact, he was a doctor of philosophy from the University of Washington.

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

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

1. Bruce Lee said that change is natural

In the West we have been educated to set a goal, achieve it, and keep it. We are rarely prepared for the great losses that life brings. That is why we complain when what was once ceases to be, or when what was here is no longer.

Bruce Lee insisted on the importance of understanding that nothing stays the same. Everything is in constant motion and change. Resisting that reality only causes suffering. Therefore, understanding that everything changes is the fundamental basis of adaptation.

2. Beliefs do not matter, but reality

It is reality that prevails, not the beliefs we have about it. Many times we are surprised by something that happens and we come to think that it should not have happened that way. This is due to the fact that we consider that reality must respond to our beliefs and not vice versa, that our axioms about the world must be formed from reality.

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

3. When there is destruction, there is also a creation

Reality flows with its own wisdom. When something ends or is destroyed, the seeds of the new also appear. If something is destroyed it is because its time is up, its cycle is over. However, this should not be viewed as a negative.

For everything to move forward 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 at the rubble of what has ended, what appears is an accumulation of new opportunities and invitations to the new.

4. We are not alone in the process of change

We are always influenced by our environment and at the same time we influence it. For this reason, Bruce Lee said that all individual change entails a collective change and vice versa, when the environment is transformed, so does the individual.

For this reason, all individual evolution is also a contribution to the world. At the same time, helping others evolve leads us to self-growth. A person cannot be separated from the social group in which he operates.

5. What exists is a present in motion

The present is the synthesis of the past and the seed of the future. The past, the memories, what was already manifests in the now in a different way than how it 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 established and allowed to flow. What is in the here and now is the opportunity to shape a seed, not to catch its future. What is to come is uncertain, so the present moment is the only true and valuable thing.

6. There are no essences, no fixed realities

In the West there is a lot of talk about the essence of things. It starts from the idea that there are fixed elements that are immutable over time, a conception that at the same time gives us security. That is why the human essence, the social essence and all those concepts that speak about static realities are mentioned.

In Bruce Lee’s philosophy this does not exist. The identity of the human being can change completely. If a person is shy, for example, it is not by essence, but because it lives a stage. Later on, the complete opposite can happen.

7. Don’t try to control, let it flow

Attempts to control one’s own or someone else’s reality only lead to frustration. In one way or another, everything is as it should be. And they are all as they should be, at least at this moment. Nobody has absolute control over the passing of life. Therefore, as Bruce Lee says, we must be like water, which adapts and takes the shape of what it finds in its path.

Bruce Lee’s teachings made a great impact in the West. They represent a way of seeing reality from a different perspective than the one that prevails in our societies. They do not seek dominion over oneself or over others, but rather respect for the logic implicit in reality  that is always to some degree different from our wishes.