Be Water, My Friend
I was born in Taipei, but we moved to the U.S. when I was an infant, and my earliest memories put me in the Boston suburbs, growing up, where the primary Asian male role model of our generation was Bruce Lee. Thank God. Because, Bruce Lee is dope. Right? He’s a martial artist, philosopher, Hollywood star, badass, and died tragically young. Kobe Bryant. Marilyn. Tony Hsieh. Name your Rockstar. The candles that burn twice as bright, burn half as long. Greatness. Tragedy. Immortality.
Life is short. That’s for sure.
“Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless. Like water.”
The energy of water is that of emotion. When we feel deeply, the energy of life flows through us and feels a lot like water. It is literally also released from our bodies in the form of tears, sweat, and… other fluids. How we channel that energy is the key.
Now, you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, 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.”
Bruce Lee is one of the most important figures of our generation. As I explore thoughts around being Asian American, Bruce Lee is definitely a role model, a hero. However, there is the presence of shadow around him, the racism of the times, his personal challenges, the demons that he faced. Pain as a motivator. Changing the world isn’t easy.
“You know what I want to think of myself? As a human being.”
Day 8: Bruce Lee Foundation #GivingChristmas