Water is essential to life on Earth and can take on different forms and conform to its environment. It is constantly changing and moving, yet remains connected, just as humans must change and adapt socially while maintaining their core values. Water can be a source of both beauty and destruction in its liquid, solid, and gas forms, mirroring how humans have accomplished great feats but also devastating wars, like the force of a tsunami. In the end, we are all like water, continuously adapting while searching for peace, and should handle life's changes with flexibility, as taught by Bruce Lee's philosophy of being "formless, shapeless, like water."

1. Leavell Smith
English 1102
Dr. Frank
3 March 2014
The Quintessential Element
When calm, it is beautiful as it flows majestically; an absolute tranquil portrayal of life's felicity. It
can also rage as a ferocious and unmerciful force. It is the essence of the primordial soup from which all
life began: water. Able to conform to the shape of any container, it is also the only element that has the
ability to take on all three states of matter: liquid, solid, and gas. Toni Morrison says, "All water has a
perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was." This is an allegory that describes how
water is continuously moving and searching for a means to return to its liquid state.
To me, water is the embodiment of perfection. It is never nonextant; it simply changes form. It can
acclimate to any environment. People are very similar to water. Like water, acclimation is how we as
human beings survive. We are constantly changing internally and externally. We assimilate to the ways of

2. our society in an effort to fit in socially. This social interaction can also lead to conflict which, at times,
has led to war.
Water can be violent, much like a raging war. It has the ability to hit with an immeasurable amount
of force. Tsunamis have desolated coastal areas, valleys have been cut out of mountains, and there are
legends of entire cities being swallowed by the sea. People have accomplished very similar feats. We have
tunneled railways through mountains and with the creation of nuclear bomb, demolished entire cities. Like
water, we can encounter an obstacle and find a means of getting through. Overcoming circumstances is a
major part of life.
The quintessential element of life on this planet is water. Everything that is alive is made mainly of
water. It is the backbone of life on Earth. So then, if water is older than Man, makes up more than 75% of
every living thing on Earth, and is the most plentiful element on this planet, how can you not agree that
water is the web that keeps us connected?
In the end we are all like water, always conforming to our environment, but continuously
searching for the bliss and innocence of what we once were. The great karate master Bruce Lee said,
"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the
cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now
water can flow or it can crash, be water my friend." So, my friends, use water as an example of how to
handle life and its continuous changes. In spite of its scorn, stay true to who you are and your values.

3. Works Cited
APOCALYSE MMA.I AM BRUCE LEE- AMAZING BE LIKE WATER Bruce Lee video. Online
Video Clip. Youtube. Youtube 10 July 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2014