Artist of Life
“Art is the way to the absolute and to the essence of human life. The aim of art is not the one-sided promotion of spirit, soul and senses, but the opening of all human capacities – thought, feeling, will – to the life rhythm of the world of nature. So will the voiceless voice be heard and the self be brought into harmony with it.”
If I was to pick one person who exemplified the power of both creativity and mindfulness I would pick Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee took Taoist principles and applied them to martial arts with an unmatched ferocity. By doing this, he developed a personal philosophy and discipline. His life became a search for truth and his very being was a testament to human potential.
If you watch Bruce Lee's "lost interview" from the Pierre Berton show in 1971, you will hear incredible intelligence delivered in the coolest way you've ever heard. I mean, Bruce Lee was beyond cool and Pierre Berton couldn't be more condescending in his questioning if he tried. The way Bruce Lee is able to take in his insulting behavior and counter the conversation is a craft in itself. He is unflappable. Truth.
Bruce Lee is a testament to developing one's self through mindfulness, creativity and, of course, a shit ton of hard work. He spoke a lot about using what works for one's self and discarding the rest. I take this a bit like the Buddha's teaching experiential knowledge and promoting learning by one's own experience and not just taking someone else's words as gospel. His own form of martial arts was called Jeet Kun Do, it's a hybrid of different techniques that worked for Bruce Lee. He discarded the rest. He said of this style,"I hope to free my followers from clinging to styles, patterns, or molds. Remember that Jeet Kun Do is merely a name used, a mirror in which to see ourselves... A boat to get one across, and once across it is to be discarded and not to be carried on one's back."
Bruce Lee is an idol and I hope in time he will be recognized as much for his pearls of wisdom as he is for kicking people in the face. I could go on and on and keep adding to this post but for now I'll leave you with this.
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”