Question about Bruce Lee?

Question

He was the best their ever was right. But was he happy? Was he happy going through the all the training and all the pain to be the best? He might have been miserable being the way he was. What do you think?

Answer 1

I always love it when someone makes the statement that Bruce Lee was the best ever. These comments are usually made by someone that was not even born yet when Bruce Lee died. Personally I feel pretty awkward saying that anyone was/is the best ever. Depends on your opinion which is no more valid than anyone else's.

Answer 2

he was not the best there ever was...no such thing. but by many he was regarded as the best at the time...dont think i'd argue with it (save for gene lebelle)

he did it because he loved it, and its that simple. watch some of his old interviews and you can see his passion and excitement for martial arts.

as for his overall lifestyle with movies and things....i think it started to get to him after a while. he wasnt superman...but almost.

quite a stirring question you asked...good job.

Answer 3

1- he was not the best there ever was- people can speculate about the exact level of skill he had as there is precious little real info to go on- as many people who promote him there are, there are just as many people who have negative stories about him.

ther is only one video of bruce lee sparring that seemed more of a demo than a hard contact sparring match, and it isn't very impressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeTO0kWmF...

lee- however, FOR HIS SMALL FRAME (140ish lbs) was in great shape.

also think about what bieng the best is? if two people were to get into a random fight there is no "pound for pound" designation, if lee was born with the hardship of not bieng 250lbs, then there is no "handicap" for that. just like lee choosing to take an unarmed art- so for the same reason that he could never beat mushashi or george silver in a fight (they were master swordsmen), they themselves could not beat deacon jim miller or wild bill hickock in a fight (gunmen).  it might sound unfair, but i you want to claim someone is generically "the best" you need to examine that without exception.  I for one have no doubt that sitting bull would have scalped lee and hung his scalp from his teepee right next to his rifle.  give lee respect for what he did- not for what naruto fans wish he did in animeland.

2- how the h**l should I know if he was happy, ask linda lee if she was giving him enough head and s*x and you have an indication if he was. odds are if he was getting enough- he was, but judging by her conduct after his death- I would say she is a selfish, money grubbing individual that cares less about her husband and his life, than she cares about how much money she can make to profit from his image after his death. does that sound like the kind of woman who is caring about her husband?

Answer 4

I think he was a very driven man, people who have that level of motivation enjoy the work as they know it's part of being the best.

Whether he had regrets or not, who is to say. Most people have regrets however it seems more fashionable to say you have none.

Answer 5

He was a martial artist that worked very hard.  I truly believe he did love what he did.  He spent a lot of time training and mentally working up to and including his Jeet Kun Do and knew that this was the start of a path.

He also was an actor and was on a high with that career as well.

Like any of us he was a human so I am sure there were days he was frustrated and annoyed but I think and believe he felt he was in a good place and no where near ready to go.

Answer 6

Bruce Lee was fairly self-actualized.

He was a successful actor.  A skilled martial artitist.  A college graduate (B.A. Philosophy).  A father.  And he was a great innovator (he developed a mixed martial art he called Jeet Kune Do).

As a man of great ambition and talent, how happy was Bruce Lee?  That is a very contentious question.

Answer 7

He was obviously obsessive, and never satisfied with where he was physically as a martial artist.  He was always driven to achieve more - speed, muscle, accuracy, power.  

As far as happiness, it's impossible for someone who doesn't know him to say, but his wife said he was a loving, caring husband and father even though he could be moody and anti-social at times.  She said he was attentive to his family even though he was very busy with his teaching and film career.  

In interviews you can see his calm thoughtful approach to things - he was very philosophical and practiced meditation regularly.  He believed that a calm inner-self was important to mastering martial arts.

Given all that, I'd say he was never satisfied and never felt like he reached his personal pinnacles, but he certainly wasn't miserable.  He was a driven, hard working man who constantly re-adjusted his goals and re-invented himself - not from dis-satisfaction, but from a desire to be great.