Identity

2011-11-15

Bruce Lee appeared in an interview on the Pierre Berton Show on 1971 Dec 9. Its a great interview, which I recommend watching in full. Recently, I've been thinking about one quote in particular [transcribed verbatim]:

…So styles tends to ah ah ah ah not only separate men you know because they have their own doctrines and then the doctrines became the gospel truth you know that you cannot change you know. And, but if you do not have style, if you just say well here here I am you know as a human being, how can I express myself, totally and completely. Now that way, you won't create a style because style is a crystallization you know. That way it is a process of continuing growth…

As is often the case, Bruce Lee seems to be talking about more than just martial arts here. He has set up an ironic tension between self and "identity". How often do we tie our identity too seriously to some doctrine, theory, or category that doesn't adequately or fully describe us, doesn't fit with our hearts, and that closes us off to many options that we might find useful and appropriate in the right time and place.