The 7 Principles Of Adaptation According To Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee began to be known around the world when he became the main character in films that crossed borders. However, this unusual martial artist was much more than a Hollywood seducer. He was trained very young in Hong Kong in oriental thought and that is why he became a philosopher and writer. In fact, he was a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Washington.

He was also one of the figures who allowed the emergence of martial arts in the West. Bruce Lee was very charismatic and he was quickly seen as a role model. Each of the interviews he gave was a true chapter of magic and wisdom.

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-Charles Darwin-

One of his most important interviews was the last he gave, which only became known in 2007. In it, he spoke of the profound importance of the concept of adaptability. He summed it up in a phrase that has become famous: “Be water, my friend”. His interesting perspective could be summed up in 7 points.

1. Bruce Lee said change is natural

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

2. Whatever beliefs, it’s reality that counts

It is reality that prevails, not our beliefs about it. Often times we are surprised at what happens and even think it shouldn’t have happened this way. This is because we consider that reality should respond to our beliefs and not the other way around. That our axioms on the world must form reality.

It is impossible to make a completely objective and completely truthful reading of reality. So the way we “translate” sensory information always has a margin of error. When something happens that we believe is essential, reality shows us how wrong we are.

3. When there is destruction, there is also creation

Reality has its own wisdom. When something ends or is destroyed, the seeds of newness also appear. If something gets destroyed, it is because its time is ending, its cycle is over. But this should not be seen as something negative.

In order for everything to move forward, it is necessary that people or objects disappear, so that new ones can appear. Affects, habits, situations. For those who know how to look in the rubble of what has ended, what appears then becomes a series of new opportunities and invitations to novelty.

4. We are not alone in the process of change

We are always influenced by those around us and at the same time, we have an influence on them. This is why Bruce Lee said that any individual change brings with it a collective change and vice versa: when the entourage changes, so does the individual.

This is why any individual evolution is also a contribution to the world. At the same time, helping others to evolve also makes us grow. You cannot separate a person from the social group in which they move.

Any individual change brings with it a collective change and vice versa: when the environment changes, so does the individual. 

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 manifested in the now in a different way than the previous one. Thus, it no longer exists as it existed, but the way it is today.

There is no possible future if the present is not completely secure and is allowed to unfold. What is in the here and now is the opportunity to shape a seed, not to capture its future. What is to come is uncertain, and that is why the present moment is the only true and precious one.

6. There are no essences, no fixed realities

In the West, we talk a lot about the essence of things. We start from the idea that there are fixed elements that are immutable over the long term, a design that gives us security. This is why we mention the human essence, the social essence and all these concepts that we talk about around static realities.

In Bruce Lee’s philosophy, this does not exist. The identity of the human being can completely change. If a person is shy, for example, he is not in essence, but because he is going through a stage. Later, it can happen completely the other way around.

7. Don’t try to control, let go

Attempts to control the reality of oneself or of others only leads to frustration. Either way, everything is as it should be. And everyone is as they should be, at least at this precise moment. No one has absolute control over the course of life. So, as Bruce Lee says, we have to be like water, which adapts and takes the shape of whatever it finds in its path.

Bruce Lee’s teachings have made a big impact in the West. They represent a way of seeing reality from a different point of view than that which is defended in our societies. They do not seek domination over oneself, if over others, but respect for the logic imposed by reality, which is always on a different plane from our own desires.

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