Lest We Forget

I found myself in the US for Remembrance Day this year. Specifically Seattle. I do not have many things on my bucket list but one that has been there since I was a kid, is a visit to Bruce Lee’s gravesite. I have many martial artist heroes, but the pinnacle of that list is Bruce Lee. His dedication to Kung Fu, the fearlessness of his drive and ambition has inspired and motivated me for my entire career. His legacy and legend have no peers.

Walking through the cemetery, looking for his gravesite, I was felt some trepidation. The rain was starting to pickup, I was getting wet, and I felt like I was in a dream. I played the moment in my head so many times over the years but the reality was not what I was expecting. Bruce Lee is buried next to his son Brandon who died twenty years after his father. Their tombstones simple, but beautiful. There was no crowd. Just a handful of fellow martial artists arriving one at a time over the course of the hour or so I was there. Everyone paying their respects to the one.

My whole life Bruce Lee was bigger than life. He died young, so he will never be old. Forty four years after his death, he continues to wield influence over the martial arts, inspiring others to follow his path. I stood there touching his gravestone, coming to terms with my new reality. He was a man, no different than me. Everything he achieved, he worked for. His success was built upon the sweat and blood of his past failures. He took his circumstances and created opportunities. Standing there in his presence, I have never felt such humility.

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” - Bruce Lee (1940 - 1973)