Quote:
Originally posted by HungryWolf21
I can see your point Sikal. However, if one has to study Jun Fan Gung Fu in order to fully experience JKD, then doesn't that place some sort of conformity on JKD. I thought that a big part of JKD (the philosophy) is to go against conformity on the path towards freedom. I understand that Dan Inosnato is a big name in JKD, and he if anybody should get a say in as to what JKD and what it is not.
|
As I understand it, the goal isn't to rail against conformity ... it's to avoid getting stuck in conformity. A structured progression is necessary to learn effectively. You have to have a solid foundation on which to build your house. Jun Fan is the foundation upon which JKD is built. If you use a different foundation then maybe it shouldn't be called JKD. I think that the "go against conformity" is part of the misconception which has fostered many of the "jacks of all, master of none" JKD players. They get so caught up in "not conforming" that they completely bypass the structure necessary to develop effectiveness. They build a house of cards and call it a home. Personally, I think that it's more a matter of saying, "Just because everyone else is building brick ranch-style homes, I have to as well." That's the type of conformity that Bruce defied in his development of the JKD philosophy. Many people now say, "I don't want to conform so I'll use styrofoam for my foundation." I think these people are missing the boat :-)
Quote:
My next question is, why all the mystery? If JKD is so simple to understand, why are all the answers to the questions as what it is so cryptic.
|
Not to add to the mystique ... but JKD is different for each practitioner. Therefore, each practitioner will have a different take on what it is ... and may or may not be able to express it well.
Quote:
I feel that it should be looked upon as a philosophy, and nothing more. Like Bruce said, "it's just a name, don't fuss over it."
Well, in starting this thread, I guess I am not following Bruce's advice.
Or am I......?
|
LOL ... 100% both! I have gotten the impression that Bruce was always one to question things he didn't understand. I think he would have approved of your question. What I don't think he would have approved of is the whole controversy that sparked your question to begin with. It's hard to say what would have happened if he had lived longer.
Would he have faded into obscurity? Would he have continued to skyrocket? Would he have dumped the name JKD when people began fussing over it ... or would people have fussed over it if he had lived longer? Or would he have let the fuss go because it inspired people to think?
Who knows. All we have to go on is what he recorded while he was alive and what people who knew him have to say. I've often gotten the impression (though I don't know that I've heard it voiced) that Bruce, for all his genious, was rather immature in a lot of ways. If he'd have lived, maybe he'd have matured and, over time, shifted the whole paradigm of "JKD." Who's to say that any of his students have been "wrong" in what they've done with JKD. After all, they've all been living and maturing and doing what they felt was right as time has progressed. Bruce's path (had he lived) may or may not have paralleled (sp?) the path of one of his students ... but we'll never know.
What it all boils down to is personal choice. If you think what you do is JKD and choose to call it that, then cool. More power to you. If someone else chooses to claim that what you do isn't JKD, then cool. More power to them. It's a free country and people are going to do what they choose. It's up to each person to decide what is "right" or "wrong." (This, of course, bars anything that is "illegal" which may or may not indicate that it is "right" or "wrong." :-)
Regards, Mike