Jeet Kun Do, ultimately, is not
a matter of petty technique but of highly developed personal spirituality and
physique. It is not a question of developing what has already been developed
but of recovering what has been left behind. These things have been with us, in
us, all the time and have never been lost or distorted except by our misguided
manipulation of them. Jeet Kun Do is not a matter of technology but of
spiritual insight and training.
Bruce
Lee
A few decades ago, a young man came
up with a rather interesting concept, somewhat a radical notion within the
martial arts traditions. He began by
questioning his own style and started looking into what fighting philosophies
were doing. He looked at what each style had in common, what was effective, and
what was dead weight carried on simply for traditions sake. From there he
filtered out what didn’t work and merged what did into an encompassing
philosophy applicable, not only to fighting, but to life in general.
This man’s name was Bruce Lee and his philosophy became
known as Jeet
Kune Do.
Why do I bring this up in a site
dedicated to growing as a man and as a Gentleman? Because it’s way past the
time that we should apply this mentality to what it means to be a man and a
Gentleman.
What set Bruce Lee apart was the
fact that he realized he might not know all the answers, but that the answers
were out there waiting for him to uncover them. He got past the egocentric
mentality that limits most martial artists as they assume their style is the
best, completely developed, and their teachers are infallible. He did the one
thing most fighting schools teach their students never to do; to question what you
are taught. He promoted the understanding of how rigid styles limit
practitioners on two simple facts. The first is there exists a style containing
all the answers or can be viewed as the best over the rest. The second is an
acceptance that every person is different; what works for one might not work as
well for another. This allowed each person to become their own master as they step
away from the rigidity of a limited style; where the teacher is simply a guide
offering “advice.” The student needs to interpret and internalize knowledge within
their own technique and body type.
And isn’t that what the modern idea
of Gentleman is? Almost every article on gentlemen starts with the typical
reference to chivalry, yet how much of what we have today comes exclusively
from the Knightly Orders? How much of it is still a rigid set of rules that has
to be followed under penalty of law? The idea of a rigid set of social rules
and regulations based on a specific cultural origin is especially questionable
when you understand the global and diverse nature of modern society.
I have mentioned several times how each culture around
the world and every historical era throughout time have its own version of the
Gentleman’s Way. We find surprising similarities between each different
versions of gentleman, yet each one has its own uniqueness as well that we can
learn from.
We all start off with what was
taught to us, usually limited by our immediate environment. It’s defined by our
culture, our beliefs, our social standing, our regional location, and our
family upbringing. That’s why, even if we all call ourselves gentlemen, we all
have our own little rule book. Yet our access to limitless information and
knowledge allows us to shatter those limitations. The world’s a big place
that’s constantly changing and evolving, so it’s only logical to do the same to
avoid being relegated due to natural selection.
We must never fall under the
assumption that our “style” is the only right “style.” No single person or philosophy
holds a monopoly over what it means to be a Noble Man. We must never fall under
the assumption that others have nothing of value to offer us in the way of
knowledge. The more we learn and understand, the more we grow as gentlemen. And
it’s a gentleman’s priority to never stop growing as a person. So go out,
expand your horizons, and Jeet Kune Do
the shit out of the gentleman you are!
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