Imago
Image courtesy – Imago
Imago
Image courtesy – Imago
Great minds think alike, and Bruce Lee and Steve Jobs were two of the greatest minds to exist together in a century. There might not have been a lot of intersections between the lives of Lee and Jobs, but they were more similar than one would think. Or at least, their philosophies reflected certain similarities that can’t go unnoticed.
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Bruce Lee was not only a fighter, but also a thinker as well. His philosophy has inspired millions across the world. Thomas Lee, an author for TheStreet, is currently working on a book that has set out to examine how Bruce Lee’s life, his philosophy, and his anecdotes can inspire entrepreneurs and professionals. In doing so, a comparison has been made between Lee and Jobs.
Similarities between Bruce Lee and Steve Jobs
The book authored by Thomas Lee, called The Bruce Lee Code, makes a surprising juxtaposition between the practices of Lee and Jobs.?Lee was the undisputed martial arts legend, while Jobs was a wizard that created magic through his technological bent of mind. Both Lee and Jobs were innovators in their own right. Steve Jobs was responsible for the formation of an integrated ecosystem of devices. Lee combined different schools of martial arts to create his own.
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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 24: A general view of atmosphere at Madame Tussauds Hollywood Unveils New Bruce Lee Figure Alongside The Legend’s Daughter Shannon Lee, And The Bruce Lee Foundation on September 24, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Madame Tussauds)
Thomas Lee writes in his book, “As an innovator, Lee shared a crucial trait with Apple (AAPL) – Get Free Report founder Steve Jobs. They both took existing things and combined them in ways that created something unique.” Steve Jobs created a holistic environment for Apple users. The users did not need to go anywhere else, Apple was a one-stop shop. Thomas Lee writes, “The system encouraged consumers to stay loyal to the Apple brand, because they were so invested in this ecosystem.” Similarly, Bruce Lee integrated different martial arts to form a new philosophy that contained all martial arts traits but was uncomplicated.
Lee familiarized himself with Wing Chun, a form of Kung Fu, Karate, Taw Kwon Do, and Judo. But he realized that these schools of martial arts were all complicated. Thomas Lee writes, “But he eventually concluded that all of these martial arts were over-complicated and showy? long on presentation and aesthetics, but short on efficiency and effectiveness. The goal of martial arts, he believed, was to inflict maximum damage on an opponent with the least amount of energy.” And this is how Jeet Kune Do was formed, a form of martial arts that is considered to be the basis of modern-day MMA.
Lee welded together the East and the West
Martial Arts were not the only thing Lee innovated by combining different forms. According to Thomas Lee, “Bruce Lee?s greatest innovation was integrating the two sides of his identity?East and West?into an art that appealed to both cultures.” While martial arts movies were popular in the East from the beginning, Western cinema had not really explored everything that martial arts had to offer.
But Lee changed all of that. He revolutionized the way Western cinema saw martial arts movies. Thomas Lee adds, “Specifically, he fused the kinetic, dynamic action of Hong Kong kung fu movies with the characters and story-driven nature of Hollywood films in ways that elevated mass entertainment to a new level of ambition and excellence.”
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The legacy that both Lee and Jobs have left behind is a holy grail for any budding professional. Combine their ideas together, and one would become nearly invincible.
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Edited by
Anupama Ghosh