While I'm waiting for my laundry to be done, I've been watching a show about Bruce Lee. I'm not into martial arts, so I didn't understand what the big deal is about him. Now I see that he was a philosopher. I'm sure millions of people realized this a long time before I did, since he has so many fans, even though he's been dead for more than 30 years. What a tragedy that he was murdered, and at such a young age! I don't agree that self-actualization is the end-all-be-all, but I can see the importance of it within the context of the martial arts.
The only movie I've seen of his is Enter the Dragon, which I've seen a few times. I think the first time I saw it was in China, back in the early 90's. Or was it Hong Kong? I don't remember. But by that time, I had already spent a few years in Japan and was beginning several months of traveling through other Asian countries, thus I could see the balance that he achieved between East and West. If I had first seen that movie in the U.S. before I went to Asia, I wouldn't have appreciated it as much. If I had seen it after I got back to the U.S., it would have just been a reminder of my distant experiences. But I saw it in the midst of my Asian life, so I felt like I really saw the Asian style, and I haven't forgotten that initial impact since then.
My impression of it had nothing to do with martial arts or his philosophy or his career or anything. I didn't know anything about him. It was all about the way he was able to bring both his Asian and Western sensibilities to the big screen. I can't think of another movie that blends those so well. Awesome!
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