“Be Water, My Friend”

Part 3: Bruce Lee’s simple advice to open your mind by emptying it.

Photo by Man Chung on Unsplash

This is part three of a three-part series on Bruce Lee that examines an aspect of his philosophy of life. Part 1 focused on overcoming obstacles. Part 2 focused on adapting to your circumstances. Part 3 focuses on emptying your mind.

Bruce Lee is considered one of the most influential martial artists of the past century, especially in North America. In the early 1970s, his movies kickstarted a martial arts revolution. The martial art he developed, Jeet Kune Do, is credited with forming the foundation of mixed martial arts (MMA).

But, he wasn’t just a movie star and martial artist. He was a philosopher, too. He said:

“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. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

His words sound esoteric, but their meaning can be quite practical. When he instructs us to empty our minds, he’s not telling us to be stupid or ignorant. Instead, he’s asking us to put aside our preconceived beliefs about the world so that new beliefs, and perhaps more true and useful ones, have the opportunity to enter…