His Name is Bruce.

The second in a project among friendblogs.

Prompt: Take a picture of something you see every day and write about it.

This poster hangs in my apartment bedroom; I've owned it for about two years.  I guess not many people know that I really like martial arts films.  My fascination started when I was young (maybe 6 or 7 years old), and my uncle was visiting us from Wisconsin.  I came home from school to find him watching quite possibly the coolest movie of all time - it reminded me of a video game I had on the NES called Kung Fu.  The game was one of the cobbled-together versions of Bruce Lee's Game of Death, and the scene I walked in on was Lee fighting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Since then I've loved martial arts movies, especially Lee's.  I remember staying up until 4 a.m. during middle school on a Tuesday night because Fists of Fury was going to be playing.  I've lost some of my fanaticism since then, but kung fu movies will always hold a special place.

Another reason I have the poster is Bruce Lee's personal philosophy.  Some may be familiar with Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee's own brand of martial arts.  The physical aspect stresses spontaneity and non-telegraphed action in fight scenarios, but since I'm an out of shape pansy, I tend to focus more on the personal philosophy of the thought.

A leading principle in the style is to be like water:

"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. That water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend"
- Bruce Lee, to Pierre Berton, 1971

I'm attracted to this way of thinking because it is completely opposite of how I usually live, in my opinion.  I'm a creature of habit, stubborn and tenacious.  I've believed that trying to incorporate this type of adaptability would improve my life.  If Lee could use this philosophy to avenge Master Huo in The Chinese Connection, maybe it could help to make me a better student, writer, comedian, friend, and an overall better person.