Kue, Thomas. (2009). Bruce Lee on the Philosophy of a College Makeover

Bruce Lee used philosophy to apply to his martial art but if there’s one area it can also be applied, it is the college education system! Though his greatness is no longer among the living, his ideas and philosophical sayings remain to help the people of this world better themselves and their systems. The traditional system of majors and minors in universities are a problem; they are much too broad and spend too much time on irrelevant courses and not enough on the more important and specialized courses of a major. They are trying to force upon its students the knowledge of an irrelevant course; a course that the student does not need and thusly, does not want to take. I believe that Bruce Lee has something to add. Ideas of problem-based or cross-disciplinary programs have sprung up and received much criticism. There’s nothing wrong with the idea of customizing one’s major, in fact, there is good reason to implement such a system and if anyone would agree with this new idea, it is Bruce Lee.

Some may ask why we should change the current system at all. Bruce Lee, once said, “Man is constantly growing. And when he is bound by a set pattern of ideas or ‘Way’ of doing things, that’s when he stops growing” (Lee). Though he may have been referring to martial arts, there is an undeniable truth in this statement. As it applies to college majors, doing things the traditional way may not be the best way because it is bound by certain principles; following a certain curriculum that may be outdated or inefficient is one example. Following a system for a long time will cause a person to adapt to that given system, leaving no room for knowledge outside that system. What Lee is saying is that there needs to be a system that can adapt to anything that could potentially be a problem; custom majors can do just that.

What is so great about the idea of customizing a major? When talking about the philosophy of his art, Bruce Lee stated, “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own” (Lessons Learned). It is a simple yet brilliant philosophy. It tells us to take courses that are useful and do not take courses that are useless; and also add what ever is needed. In this way, efficiency will be maximized because we won’t be spending time on useless courses; one possibility is 3 years for completion of a typical Bachelor’s degree compared to the old system. Lee also stated, “When one has no form, one can be all forms; when one has no style, he can fit in with any style” (Lee). This quote expresses the idea of not expecting any one thing but being ready for everything that arrives; whatever problems arrive, there must be a system that can adapt to those problems. The unique thing about a customized major is that it can be tailored according to the problems of today; thus, giving rise to employment rates and giving meaning to a degree.

If the college system needed one word to describe a successful system, it would be: efficiency. Bruce Lee said, “Efficiency in sparring and fighting is not a matter of correct classical, traditional form. Efficiency is anything that scores” (Lee). In martial arts, form is the correct way to perform a technique. In the quote above, Lee is defining exactly what efficiency is and it is anything that scores, or hits the opponent—which is the goal. Efficiency in the school system should be as simple; it should be anything that reaches the goal. General education classes should be taken much later to give time for students to learn and focus on the core concepts of their particular major. The school system should be focused on the more important courses that relate to a given major so that it could be as efficient as possible.

The classic programs of universities simply aren’t able to adapt to the modern-day problems as quickly as a custom, problem-based major can. Change is encouraged because the old system has been implemented for quite some time now and in order to grow, things need to be changed a little bit. Variety is the spice of life and that’s exactly what the old system needs. When it comes to traditional programs, courses that will tailor to specific majors are needed in order to efficiently succeed in the real world. The system needs to be able to customize education for specific problems. There needs to be change, personalization and efficiency in higher education and custom majors can be the solution; Bruce Lee would agree.

Works Cited

Bruce Lee’s most famous quotes. 10 September 2009.

Lee, Daniel. “The ‘KNOWING IS NOT ENOUGH’ INTERVIEW This Month: Bruce Lee – Part I.” The Bruce Lee Foundation. 10 September 2009.

Lessons Learned from Bruce Lee. Sources of Insight. 3 July 2009. 10 September 2009.