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Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee.

"Bruce Lee was an incredible man but he was also only human. Through his many writings, his daughter, Shannon Lee, has managed to compile and gather together what her father was trying to realize every day of his life. He was a constant work in progress, as we all are, and Shannon Lee helps us realize that that is not a bad thing. Bruce, and his daughter, help us realize that all we must do in this life is "flow", "be free" and that, is where our true power lies."

4 Stars

Pros: Honest, genuine and powerful. Though Shannon Lee does not remember her Father well, she has worked hard and collaborated with many people to study his teachings and do as much as she can to incorporate them into her own life, as well as all those around her, who wish to learn/The idea of "flowing", being free, seems so simple at first but it will take time, effort and courage, but Lee makes you feel like you have the power within you to do whatever you want in your life. 

Cons: As often happens with "self help" books, it can get a bit repetitive. 

Full Review: 
Shannon Lee lost her Father, the Iconic, Bruce Lee, when she was only 4 years old. But she has since made her life's goal to take all of her Father's teachings and study them, to help make herself a more well rounded "alive" person as well as those around her. 

Within this book we see so many observations of Bruce Lee and we are offered such an honest, genuine, realistic portrayal of him as a man, a martial artist, a father and most importantly, a friend. Yes, he was ambitious, yes, he was intense, yes, he had a mission in life and that was to try and make the Western World see him as what and who he truly was. But when you boil it all down, he was simply, Bruce Lee. He was not an imposter, not putting on a show. He was simply an amazingly, actively alive and genuine person. 

Lee lets us see Bruce for all that he is. She admits, he has his short comings. He had a temper. He wasn't always zen or balanced. But what his daughter wants to get across, and does so exceedingly well, is that he was human. That's all. He wasn't an icon. He wasn't immortal. He wasn't some Godhead that all practitioners of the martial arts should pay homage to. He was simply, himself. But that is exactly what made him so powerful and such an amazing person to be around. 

Lee paces out her Father's teachings, chapter by chapter. And though I put this book down for awhile, since I'm not a big fan of "self help" books, once I picked it back up, it was effortless to get back into its "flow." And if you want to use one word to describe this book and Bruce Lee's teachings as a whole, it simply is, "flow." 

What it all boils down to is you are the river. You are the ever moving, constantly flowing, strong, powerful but serene fluidity of your own life. And if you simply let yourself flow, let yourself feel what you will feel, take lessons from obstacles and constantly reaffirm and simply remain "present" and in the "now" then you will never lose yourself. 

This was a great read. Lee uses her own life as a way to show what her Father was trying to teach. She shows that she, the daughter of the great Bruce Lee, has had her fair share of troubles. And it wasn't just losing her Father at a young age, or her brother. She's struggled with things we have all struggled with. She honestly and openly admits to simply being human, with all the strengths and weaknesses that implies. When reading this book I often had an image in my head of walking along, talking with Shannon Lee, since this book is so easy and natural that to me, it was just like having a conversation with a good friend. 

And that, also, is a point that Bruce Lee and his daughter, wished to get across. Friend. You cannot truly be yourself unless you also honestly and openly accept those around you. No, you don't have to love everyone but simply accept them, for who they are, accept that they are human, that we are all human and we are all in this life together. So we might as well make it a little bit easier for ourselves and think of each other as friends instead of constantly fighting one another. 

This was a heartfelt, powerful and honest read. And I'll make sure to return to it as often as I need to when my own flow is interrupted, when life feels too hard. I'll try to remember to keep the image of a finger pointing at the moon in my mind. If I constantly focus only on the finger or the moon, I'll miss out on the beauty of all that is around me. Be free, be flowing. Be water, my friend. 

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