KWR Celebrity: Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong American martial artist, film actor, martial arts instructor, filmmaker, and the founder of Jeet Kune Do. Lee is widely considered by commentators, critics, media and other martial artists to be one of the most influential martial artists of all time, and a pop culture icon of the 20th century. He is often credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films.
Much like Muhammad Ali, it can be easy to see Bruce Lee being an actor as indication of an EIA (Empowering Inspiration & Attraction) primary MDNA Profile. But again, like Muhammad Ali, a deeper look into Lee’s history and success reveals a different story.
We have assessed Bruce Lee as a KWR. This is based upon the fact his greatest legacy was not his mark in the entertainment industry, but how he revolutionized his form of martial arts.
The KWR can be recognized by the need to validate theories and claims of truth. They are analytical and passionately focused on perfection of precision in all their endeavors. This is how Bruce Lee approached everything from learning English to dancing and “gung fu” (Lee always spelled his Chinese martial art as GUNG FU, which is the Cantonese pronunciation of the more commonly spelled Kung Fu, a Mandarin pronunciation—another sign of the KWR’s need for precision).
According to his foundation, when Lee first came to America, Bruce majored in philosophy. His passion for gung fu inspired a desire to delve into the philosophical underpinnings of the arts. Many of his written essays would relate philosophical principles to certain martial arts techniques. For instance, he wrote often about the principles of yin and yang and how they could translate into hard and soft physical movements.
A particular incident accelerated his process of self-exploration and KWR validation. In 1964 Bruce was challenged by some gung fu men who objected to his teaching of non-Chinese students. Bruce accepted the challenge. The terms were that if Bruce were defeated he would stop teaching the non Chinese. It was a short fight with his opponent giving up when Lee had him pinned to the floor after about three minutes. The significance of this fight was that Lee was extremely disappointed in his own performance. Even though he had won, he was winded and discouraged about his inability to put the man away in under three minutes. This marked a turning point for Bruce in his exploration of his martial art and the enhancement of his physical fitness. Thus began the evolution of Jeet Kune Do.
Bruce Lee’s teaching style also aligns with the KWR MDNA Profile. The KWR typically exhibits a warm sense of humor and makes learning very approachable. Such was Lee’s charisma as he is known for teaching conversationally, injecting humor into his comments while at the same time demonstrating his power, precision and speed for those he taught.
Without getting into the technical intricacies of Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee constantly analyzed and perfected his techniques, along with his own body. Although Lee tragically passed away before his first Hollywood blockbuster premiered in America, nobody can argue that his knowledge and wisdom has made an impact on martial artists around the world to this day.
Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.
