Since my Bruce Lee quote was (admittedly) poorly sourced, here's another in the same sentiment from Matt Thornton:
Some relevant parts (though the whole essay is great):
>Within the fantasy based martial arts, you wouldn’t find it uncommon to find a “streetfighting” seminar where people talk about tactics, ammunition, and serial killers, and find the room full of obese, camouflage wearing, grossly out of shape, knife carrying paranoids, all actively pretending that their main motive for being there – is to live longer.
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>The irony is telling.
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>Men are often attracted to images of what they think being capable of violence looks like, for a whole lot of reasons that don’t have anything to do with actual, real world threats.
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>The more immature the man, the more palpable this mistake can become.
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>If living longer were truly what they were after, they would proportion their energy and behavior to the risks. Almost all of us are far more likely to die of heart disease or a fatal car accident, than a knife wielding sociopath who confronts us in a dark alley.
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>The bottom line is this – if you don’t put physical fitness at the top of your list, self-preservation probably isn’t the thing that’s really motivating you.
And:
>As a functional Martial Artist, a combat athlete, being in shape, being healthy, and being smart, will help you perform better, avoid injury, and train more frequently. But far more importantly than all that, it is one of the largest factors you have control over when it comes to defeating the most likely homicidal threats, the ones that cause the vast majority of all deaths in this nation – disease and accidents.
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>If you’re not focused on staying healthy and being in shape, then you’re not yet serious about self-preservation.
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>Keep that in mind the next time you hear someone pontificating about which type of ammunition has greater knock down power, or which form of deadly “street” fighting martial art will render a more lethal strike. An overweight, out of shape, chain smoker, who rarely wears his seatbelt, is fond of driving fast, drinks a 32oz sodas, and spends his time worrying about what type of firearm he should carry, isn’t really concerned about self-preservation.
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>He’s really concerned about humiliation.
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>He doesn’t want to be beaten up in front of peo
I'm sure he'd really appreciate it. Although you might not have known him, he was the best damned guitarist I've ever met and loved his beer.
EDIT: Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. He'd appreciate this.
