Be Like Water And Adapt To Any Situation
Make your way through the cracks.
Attain the calmness, just 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. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
BRUCE LEE
Bruce Lee quoted back then, “To be like water”.
But what does that actually mean?
Bruce Lee is a legendary martial artist, an actor and philosopher who met his tragic and unfortunate death in 1973, popularly known for being an influential person who created words fuelled with inspiration that is still being repeated today by athletes, philosophers, and more.
Starring in five movies in the early 1970s, Bruce Lee is heeded all over the world as the most influential martial artist of all time.
His performance in the movie like Fist of Fury was responsible for launching the kung fu craze in the late 1970s and the 1980s.
With the blend of prowess, this cultural icon’s appeal remains timeless.
His words – ‘Be like water’ gives insights into the depth and dimensionality of being powerful and turning the stigma of hard work into becoming effortless action.
His words had vivid interpretations of what we can relate based on our current situation in life.
For some people, it is about adapting to every situation that may occur in life.
For others, it is about becoming anything and everything by taking its shape and adapting to become your best version.
All these interpretations truly carry the essence of just three words that can change our perspective towards life.
But I think in the deeper context, he is trying to tell us to be calm and live in the composure — by focusing on the details and recognize the exact moment to act.
Imagine yourself floating in the water.
Breathe in, and the water cradles you on the surface, with its calmness in the depths below.
Exhale, and you begin to sink, just like the possibility of not being calm and drowning deep within. It is just like the saturated feeling you get when you stuck up on the tough roadblocks in life.
We constantly walk through this fragile balance between both the quandaries in our life.
Water both let you cradle and sink when the balance is lost or regained.
It’s a reminder to us.
A reminder about the profundity and entropy of existence of us as human beings.
Water forms and deforms, always changing.
Just like the changes we are holding onto with the time that passes by.
If you are water, you don’t overthink or wait for the perfect opportunity but you act in the calmness to overcome.
And then you simply move forward with it.
The knowledge gained from this action will help further to handle whatever you come up against.
It makes you adaptable.
It makes you gentle, yet powerful.
If you are faced with situations that are troublesome or fearsome, learn to adapt – but DO NOT conform!
Conforming means you will copy or mimic the behaviour of others to gain social acceptance.
So learn to adapt without conformance.
Bruce Lee was just like water: he displayed strength in his calmness attaining tranquillity whenever he fought.
This is how he learnt his lessons to succeed.
You can too.
Interpret your meaning when you look at the water.
Wanna be like water?
Then answer this question -Why?
Water is an amazing element. Learn its vivid aspects and it will lead you to become understand yourself better.
