Today we visited the grave of martial arts legend and superstar Bruce Lee. As someone who practices Bruce Lee's art of Jeet Kune Do, this was something I have always wanted to do. Although Bruce Lee was a charismatic performer and a talented writer and director, many assume that Lee was just an actor who was able to convince the world that he was a prodigious martial talent.
In truth, Bruce Lee came from an extraordinary pedigree in the fighting arts. His early years were spent learning Wing Chun Kung Fu under the tutelage of Yip Man. He perfected his skills by practicing with renowned fighters like Wong Shun Leung and William Cheung. Bruce Lee was an incredibly dedicated person who continually stripped away the inessentials in order to refine what he found useful and to challenge the notion of fixed routines (what he called the 'classical mess'). The thousands of hours of training that Bruce Lee carried out included not only the exceptional conditioning of every part of his body, but also a deep philosophical approach to the science of movement, of self expression and life in general.
Bruce Lee opened doors for artists of all kinds both in Asia and in America. He used the medium of film to communicate and to entertain, but it is his indomitable spirit and self actualization that I find truly inspirational. It felt like a significant moment for me to be able to pay respect to a great teacher and practitioner during our American road trip. To remember the occasion, I picked up this hand painted artwork from a talented artist in the Pike Place Market.
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