The basic philosophy behind the Jedi Way & Star Wars itself (Exploring The Force)
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2020
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Jedi in the Original Trilogy:
- Space ronin/ samurai
Jedi Order in the Prequel Trilogy:
- Space Templar Knight Order
Jedi in the Sequels:
I guess there aren't multiple Jedi in the Sequels at any one time.
@@inarencommander4663 Jedi in the Sequels: Mary Sue
@@inarencommander4663 jedi in the sequels: superheros
Well mandorian is a space western
Jedi in the sequels:
The Force is beautiful in how mysterious it is.
Beautiful and mysterious, the force is
MiDIchLoRIaNS!
@@joelpierce1453 I don't think anyone cares for Prequel hate here. :P
@@inarencommander4663 I like to think Midiclorians are just little bugs that gravitate towards people with the force. Sort of like Moths to light.
@@calw.9373 If you watch the Yoda/Force arc from Clone Wars, I think they're explained a bit, but they're still very mystical.
the jedi way: exist
the jedi council: we must follow the rules
but our way
Kind of akin to the Biblical pharisees, no?
@@shaneyy__ idk
@@shaneyy__
Apparently... -_-
It surrounds us, it penetrates is, it binds the galaxy together ❤️
I have always thought about that line. For example the way a fish moves through water, we move through air. So, when in Star Wars those people/ beings also have the Force that inhabits the galaxy. Force sensitives are a better conduit for the force to flow through them.
@payz hayz stop
Penetrates lol
You are one of the few CZcamsrs who actually understands how the force works. I've seen many others promote the idea that there is supposed to be a 50/50 balance between light and dark, but that's simply not how it works. Light is balance. If you follow the path of light you will be full of joy. The dark offers momentary pleasures that quickly burn out and leave you craving for more. Dark side users take from others and corrupt the system, causing unbalance.
I think this view of the force is a reflection of the modern spiritual view that has swept our world. When star wars first came out most people were christians and believed in objective good. A lot of people dont any more and believe good is oftentimes a shade of grey. Personally i believe that this is true, but instinct will often tell you what is overall more good and you can choose to ignore it and face the consequences if you so desire.
Love vs. hate, virtues vs. vices, freedom vs. control, peace vs. want, compassion vs. lust for power, humility vs. arrogance, this to me is Jedi vs. Sith. A Jedi seeks wisdom and knowledge for the benefit of all . A Sith seeks power and control with fear and hate, deceit and falsehood, lust for more and more.
These are my favorite types of your videos. Exploring balance and the nature of the force.
For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and bind us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.
Maybe my favourite quote from all of star wars
This is the correct quote to donate regarding the force. The force has something to do with life itself on the terms of life itself.
Imagine Thor Skywalker being a Jedi. He would have been in archives for hours. XD
We all would
He would be filling them with a lot of his teachings and studies
Until order 66
Jo Casta Nu: Thor, look around? The temple is attacked
Thor: wait, I need to find THE SACRED JEDI TEXTS
I imagine he'd be a consular.
For me, Star Wars is a story of belonging and of finding your place in the universe. That is the main reason why I resonate so much with it.That is also why Anakin is my favorite character.
The next character we should do in the next poll is Qui Gon Jinn.
Yes!!! Please!! I’ve seen his character nominated several times but it doesn’t gain enough traction. He’s an awesome character though and I really want to see him discussed in the battle of the heroes and villains series.
@@mckayhatch6723 I would give Qui Gon Jinn an A
Kreia would be the perfect person to hear talking about this subject
Niiiiiiicccooooooooo HUUUUULKKKENBURRRRG
No, she wouldn't. In fact, she would be the very last person you would want to hear talking about this subject.
If anything, Kreia would be the perfect person to hear talking when you want to understand what happens when someone who didn't pay attention while watching the G-Canon movies and misunderstood everything about Star Wars is tasked to make a Star Wars game and ends up ruining a character (and arguably the entire game) by using her as a mouthpiece to voice his misinterpretations about the franchise to the entire world.
@Robert Hesser
_"Chris Terrio would tell you you’re not supposed to agree with her"_
Chris Terrio would tell me absolutely nothing, since he's the co-writer for The Rise Of Skywalker and never worked on Kotor.
Chris *Avellone,* on the other hand, would be quite pretentious if he ever told me that I'm not supposed to agree with her, since she was nothing more than his mouthpiece for him to use to voice his idiotic misunderstanding of anything related to Star Wars to the entire world.
I already wrote this in my previous comment.
_"I mean, she’s the villain for a reason"_
No, she isn't. She's an antagonist.
In Avellone's mind, she was supposed to be right about the nature of the Force which, again, is a belief that is based on his moronic misinterpretations about the prequels. There was nothing in the franchise that even remotely hinted at the Force being a predeterministic and cruel god that plays around with the lives of others.
As if that wasn't enough, Lucas had declared multiple times that the force has no influence on free will.
Like I said, believing that Kreia or anything and anyone else in Kotor 2 has a point means knowing nothing about Star Wars.
@@Otto489968 Your comment is way too accurate. Kreia's entire philosophy is a fundamental misunderstanding of Lucas's message. I love the first KOTOR. But the KOTOR 2 fanbase consists of the some of the most pretentious people I've ever seen in the overall fandom.
@@awakenow7147
Tell me about it.
I've already addressed the issue of Avellone's intellectual laziness in baking such a major plot point out of his misinterpretation about the nature of the Force. It is especially ridiculous, since Lucas had already made it clear, *years* before the game came out, that the Force had no influence on people's free will. Even worse, in an interview (I think it was back in 1999) he even specified that the whole "destiny" thing, which is often mentioned in the movies, is not about following a predetermined path, but rather about expressing your potential to the fullest. Even the prophecy about the Chosen One is so vague that it is more Barnum Effect than anything, and it's even hinted at in Episode 2 that it could have been misinterpreted (even though in the end Anakin *was* the Chosen One).
But the worst part of it all is that so many people are convinced that K2 has better writing because the dialogues are less clunky compared to KOTOR. Yet, they just refuse to see that while characters in KOTOR had an actual psychology, characters in K2 were flat out cartoonish.
Thinking that the Force is behind everything that happens in the galaxy just because the armies that took part in the wars fought before were led by force sensitives is cartoonish.
Thinking, even as a remote possibility, that a Sith Lord could have retained even a shred of sanity when they came to the conclusion that to "save" the Republic they needed to backstab it and torture force sensitives to their cause is cartoonish.
The Sith in this game are cartoonish when compared even to Palpatine, who is supposed to be the epitome of evil.
But it's with the Jedi that the poor writing really shows.
The Jedi deciding to call a conclave and leak info about it because they were too stupid to realize that the most likely scenario would have been the death of those who would have come is cartoonish and insulting.
The Jedi never setting foot on Malachor after the war is cartoonish and insulting.
The Jedi deciding to cut you from the Force without even listening for a minute to whatever precious info you had for them is cartoonish and insulting.
And the rationalization for all this is that "hurr durr, the Jedi were dogmatic". And the proof of that is supposed to be the fact that they refused to join the Mandalorian Wars. Except that Avellone is also intellectually dishonest, so he changed the neutral stance that KOTOR had on that war and made a truism out of the fact that the galaxy would have surely lost had Revan not intervened, which is cartoonish, insulting and frankly retarded, especially considering that Canderous, in KOTOR, says that the Mandalorians attacked the Republic because they were instigated by the Sith and for the glory of it, while knowing they were fighting against impossible odds.
It's not like K2 is a bad game, but I'm afraid that the characters' psychology and the implementation of the lore from Star Wars and KOTOR are so bad that it's ridiculous.
Just like you, I vastly prefer KOTOR to its sequel. It's the game that introduced me to the entire franchise. And it's not like it's my favorite franchise either, but really, you don't need to be a SW fan to realize that KOTOR is phenomenal. And you only need not to be childishly self indulgent to realize that k2's characters are often cartoonish.
George Lucas said starwars was primarily about family. However, there were multiple other aspects and lessons within the main story. And the light/dark, selfish/selfless was certainly a big part of it
Thank you for delving into this. This is the stuff that draws me to Star Wars, and I always look forward to and appreciate your thoughts, whether I agree entirely or not (though I do absolutely agree with you on everything in this video!)
Yes Star Wars is not just mindless action to me it is so much more and I always love delving into the force and lore of Star Wars
@@AndreNitroX speaking of mindless action, who would win in a fight, Maul or General Grievous?
@@jasomjensai-starwars2652 if its 2003 miniseries grievous, yes. If not then i choose maul from the cgi clone wars.
Also people do live without serious intimate relationship they're called priests, monks, nuns, etc
And asexuals
When it comes to Christianity those people you mentioned have an intimate relationship with God
@@taylorvogel9665 and the Jedi would have an intimate relationship with the force.
This is somewhat unrelated, but I can't help but feel that Rian Johnson perhaps fell into that same misunderstanding that Thor Skywalker is talking about. Thinking that Jedi do deny their feelings at every turn, and that the Jedi path means not caring about other people at all
I don’t think the Jedi means not caring about anyone or being cold and unfeeling. I actually think that’s why they failed: they didn’t have universal love for all life, they were just completely detached.
@@sportsgamer8524 Exactly! I feel the same way. The Jedi at the time of the Prequels weren't acting like proper Jedi, they were putting the Jedi Code over simply following the will of the Force. Unfortunately a lot of people (including Rian Johnson) seem to think that Star Wars encourages everyone to be like the Prequel Jedi. It's like looking at the Roman Empire during its fall and concluding "yep that is exactly what the Romans were always like, that was Rome at the height of its power". And neither Rome nor the Jedi were at the height of their power when they fell
Insightful.
The Jedi have always been warmed over Buddhism with a dash of Taoism thrown in. Badly warmed over Buddhism. Lucas was almost forced to take the lack of attachment curing suffering in Buddhism to idiot levels to provoke Anakin into rebellion against the Order.
But yes, the Jedi Order under Yoda took dogma to the point of fanaticism, and other creators have subsequently latched onto that portrayal.
@@Raleyg If we shouldn't look at the prequals for what the Jedi were like then what should we look at? It's very hard to look at the originals because, like with Rome, we shouldn't look at the dark ages for what Rome was like. So what should look at for what Jedi should act like?
Aksel Lien I thought the whole point of Rian including that was because Luke was supposed to be wrong about the Jedi. I never got the idea that’s what he was actually saying
You are on the right track Thor, no matter how flawed and caught up in politics the jedi were in the PT they are undoubtely the good guys in George's story and it's dumb when people portray them as almost basically being more evil than the freaking Sith just beacause they made some mistakes
True, they were serving good in a flawed way, whereas the Sith serve evil in the way that suits them best. No matter the flaws of the jedi, they served good over evil
Not to get political, which these days always does. But the Jedi are like the police, their not soldiers they are keepers of the peace but they are too wrapped up in the government and politics to focus on the greater good.
I do agree that the Jedi are not worse than the sith, but I do believe that Jedi are fundamentally wrong, I believe that the idea that if you have nothing you will be happy is absurd, and from what I see it's not just marital, it's emotional, Yoda says to anikin do greeve, do not morn, rejoice in the passing of friends, for they are now one with the force, so if you were a Jedi and your best friend died, you should be happy, that is absurd
@@aliendilo3105 But thor did kind of debunk that in the video
@@tirkon9798 really? I don't really watch this channel
I’m surprised you haven’t commented on the Kathleen Kennedy interview yet. Seems like a topic you’d give a great perspective on.
Yeah it's really interesting with the interview I just learned that the SW universe has a inuniverse history over 25.000 years (impressive what this woman teaches us)
What Interview?
That's not so much Star Wars as petty politics in a galaxy far away from and long after Star Wars.
The Force and family is the core of
Star Wars!
"The Force is not a power you have. It's not about lifting rocks. It's the energy between all things, a tension, a balance that binds the universe together."
King ArtEmiz 2XXX Perfectly said
@King ArtEmiz 2XXX
That's one of the worth while aspects to come from that God Awful, Piss poor, fecal excreted excuse of a movie.
@@DemonicRemption It just resonated with me more, man. 🤔😐😐😐😐
Great video! I would LOVE to see deep dives into Star Wars philosophy as it's my favorite thing about Star Wars and why it means so much to me. I feel it communicates essential truth about life, and the message of selflessness vs selfishness and finding the balance between them is something we always need to strive for. I think by the end of Return of the Jedi, both Luke and Anakin found the balance between personal attachment and the good of all and simultaneously destroyed the Sith and what they represented.
what are your views on attachments for the Jedi?
The Force also teaches us not to think in extreme terms, but rather too seek a balance and to adapt to the changes that life poses.
I love these videos. From one analytical Star Wars fan to another, this channel and your content is one of the most enjoyable parts of my day
Has anyone else wondered why the Force seems to affect people’s emotions and feelings so drastically? For example, why does anger lead to the Dark Side?
That is something I wonder too. Might have something to do with anger and fear being negative emotions, but things like this are subjective
I think the force makes one more in tune with their emotions. Thus it could amplify them. Those emotions we gravitate towards are the ones that lead us. Anger leads to the dark side, knowledge leads to the light.
Other World Explorers that makes sense
Other World Explorers I can see that
The Force has a way of manifesting your will in the physical world, and even in the real world, acting out of anger can have seriously negative consequences. We say things we don't mean and can't take back, do things things we can't undo. Imagine if you had the power of a Force-sensitive.
It's not the anger itself, it's acting on it, because it ultimately is acting out of fear. Usually it's a fear that if you don't intervene, you won't get the desired outcome. With anger, it can be a righteous anger, thinking you're acting for a good cause but could be causing even greater harm in the long run. That was the prequel Jedi's problem.
Considering the fact you gonna be comparing here Star Wars philosophies to real-world ones, is there a chance you will do a comparison between Force and Carl Jungs "Shadow Complex"? I'm really interested how this could turn out
I can certainly put that on the list of video ideas.
I think you're absolutely on the right track. That was probably the best explanation of the Jedi philosophy I've ever seen. Well done, Thor!
It's odd. Thanks to Star Wars I knew about the Force _long_ before ever being exposed to real world religion or philosophy, but I don't think I ever quite understood it before watching this video. Or at least not so clearly.
"It's all about self-less versus selfish. It's about the idea that, if you spend your life giving and having nothing to lose and everything to gain, you will know joy. But if you live your life only taking and having nothing to gain and everything to lose, you will know suffering."
Well said! That really bears some thinking about. The assumption implicit in there is that the only true joys come from empathy: helping others and knowing they're happy, or at least better off than before. And there's something to be said for that. Material goods and even personal achievements tend to lose their luster over time, but the joy that comes from our relationships with others never fades.
But the catch there (at least for me) is that the Jedi do not fear losing their personal attachments. Somehow they can grow close to someone with the knowledge that they could lose that person at any time, and may even be required to let that person go when other people are more in need of help. I really like the way you analyzed that scene between Anakin and Yoda, but even knowing that Yoda is probably right I always side with Anakin when watching that part of the movie. Always.
This is EXACTLY the type of video series i've been waiting for the last 2-3 years. I can't even express how happy i am, that you have decided to do this.
For me I have always compared the force to my relationship with Lord Jesus Christ.
The light side of the force is like believing in him and doing everything in glory of him and doing my best to be like him and follow his word.
The dark side is representative of sin and the flaws of human nature. Failure is inevitable, and no one is sinless, but you cannot allow yourself to give in to sin, which is addicting like the dark side, and will only lead to self destruction of yourself and everything around you.
like the force I believe I should dedicate my life to God and put nothing else before him not even people I love. Because by loving God first everything will go good afterward.
Thanks for your comment man. I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of my favorite things to do is draw parallels between my favorite fandoms and the Gospel.
@@mckayhatch6723 I'm from the recovery church, but i consider myself simply a disciple of Christ. me and all my friends at the church always talk about star wars and point out similarities to Christianity, its a lot of fun. God bless you my brother.
AndreNitro X1000 that’s awesome dude. I consider myself to be the same. God bless you as well.
Very well said and an excellent analogy. As a Christian fan of Star Wars, I really can see and appreciate the comparisons that you've made. I also like Yoda's message of fear being the path to the dark side, which is a very true statement, as Jesus said to not fear.
@@jtcountry82 Agreed i recommend you watch this video, its one of my favorite youtubers who talks about Christian analogies found in mainstream movies. In this one he talks about batman begins and the topic of fear. enjoy
czcams.com/video/mPblfnCa1mw/video.html
I think you are not right or wrong or anything in between. Star Wars is art and can as such be interpreted in infinite different ways without any being right or wrong. And that is what makes Star Wars so beautiful
the idea of the dark side as selfishness requires some clarification. One’s frame of reference is at the core *self*, yet immoral actions can often be judged as negative *because* they are ultimately self-destructive, even if only inwardly: to do evil is irrational at the core, and defies our own objective duties, thereby transgressing *against* the self. It is only the superficial and short-sighted self-regard known as “selfishness” which can be held to be typical of Dark Side users (presumably there are exceptions), because one’s will to power *at any cost* tends to result in one’s own moral degradation, which is essentially a mutilation of self for lower goods.
To further this, the Dark Side is inherently self-destructive. An empire built by it may be strong enough to overcome any external force, but it will tear itself to pieces sooner or later, with the Jedi merely helping it along and taking care of the fallout. An alliance of Darksiders will usually result in one betraying the other to the death, or trying to and dying instead. Even the use of the Dark Side itself, at high levels, erodes your physical and mental health, resulting in shortened lifespans and reduced effective power.
I am one with the force, and the force is with me
Very nice! I really hope you continue with this kind of vids. Thanks!
Man I really felt like I wasn't watching a video about the force but actually talking the philosophy with someone
Great video bro, and may the force be with you
As much as I admire what the Jedi represent and stood for when they were numerous they focused too much on procedure and adhering to a code imo. Corrupt and evil they may be Sith like Dooku and Maul had compelling stories involving betrayal and wanting more for themselves. The Jedi allowed themselves to become complacent and unwilling to change with the times. Not to say they should have abandoned what they knew it's just that some like Mace and Qui Gon understood the need to always consider every option.
I find it very odd, and disconcerting, to put Mace and Qui Gon in the same category. They had VERY different views on the Jedi Order.
Like real world religions the Jedi became too involved with politics and the government when they should have focused on their spiritualism
@Daniel Sepulveda yes, yes they are
@@andreaswidham3607 but Windu and Qui gon (and I would add Ki-adi Mundi to the list) agreed on considering every option. Windu was willing to try assassination to end the war. Qui gon was willing to train Anakin despite his age and the council's wishes.
@@jasomjensai-starwars2652 Notably, Windu (in Legends) considered two instances of potential assassination and ultimately judged one to be right and the other wrong.
Yes! this is why I am subscribed. you understand the emotional aspects of the force. before I found your channel I thought that balance meant equal light and dark, but it makes so much sense if you look at balance as just the light. I'm super excited for the rest of this series!
I have spoken
This is the Best breakdown on this subject I've ever heard in my 20 something years of being a Starwars dork.
Thank you.
I think you are always on the right track!
Can't wait to see Thor's comments on Kathleen Kennedy's recent statements about how she has NOW realized that SW encompasses thousands of years worth of "mythology"! Basically an outright admission that she never really understood the franchise she was presiding over in the first place...
It is a finer and more adventurous story about good and evil. Where as you described good is selfless and evil is selfish. The space battles and lightsaber fights is just an amazing bonus 😉👍
I think you were on point in this video. When I was 7 years old, Star Wars made me think that sometimes we need to sacrifice what could be a personal gain (selfish) in order to do the right thing and help the others (selfless). You can call me crazy, but even nowadays SW helped me understand love. Even though our loved ones can be someone special in our lives, we must not let them become essential to make us happy like in some romantic comedy way of the sad dude that happens to date a quirky girl who brings joy to his life.
The Jedi Way has many points in common with the bushido. And whenever I have terrible things happening in my life, I remember the Jedi Code: there is no emotion, there is peace.
I love that line of the Jedi code. if I am frustrated I can quote it to myself and get back in control.
Jedi (light side) - empathetic + highly sensitive + superpower: self control necessary to maintain balance (not fall into dark side).
Sith (dark side) - narcisstic + highly sensitive + superpower: negative emotions (hate, fear, anger etc..), damaged true self (Anakin Skywalker) hidden inside false self (Darth Vader).
A thoughtful video as always man, and I particularly enjoyed the bit about that conversation between Yoda and Anakin about letting go of fear. Stay well out there everybody, and Jesus Christ be with you friends.😊
Belloq : Dr. Jones. Again we see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away.
In the old EU, Luke and Ben Skywalker took in a girl that was a Sith apprentice to retrain as a possible Jedi. They explore a world full of dark force creatures and the Sith girl pushes a Jedi padawan into a dark force creature so it would not take Ben instead. With the Jedi constantly fighting in the Clone Wars it would seem that the Jedi were constantly making this kind of decision.
Yeah, war has a way of pushing people's principles to the breaking point, which is probably why Jedi shouldn't be involved in wars. Jedi sacrifice everything, and I guess they would sacrifice their principles too if it meant saving the galaxy. They just couldn't be called Jedi after that, which seems a cruel irony.
I think you're kinda right about the selfless thing but kinda wrong about the jedi order being mindful about it. Many of the rules they implemented especially the chastity were designed specifically as a way to avoid ever exposing the jedi to feelings of attachment in the first place rather than actually teaching them how to deal with those feelings head on. It was for this reason that so many of the jedi of the old order ended up falling to the dark side especially during the clone wars where they were forced to confront those losses that they had never before experienced and many were unable to do so because of this flaw in the order's teachings. While the sith are bad the old jedi were shown to be punished for their own poor ways by anakin turning on them and destroying them because of the way they tried to force him to conform to them. Yoda had to spend years on dagobah thinking about this enough to try to teach Luke via direct exposure to the dark and it was this way that allowed him to be able to not only turn back out of it after falling into it but also to pull his father out of it.
Agreed the Jedi should have trained themselves to deal with emotion and attachment instead of downright demonizing and avoiding it
that is one of the failings of the prequel era Jedi, but you would not train yourself to let go by allowing significant attachments like marriage the same way you wouldn't train yourself to be strong by starting with 500lb weights. you have to train small. for example with the master and apprentice relationship. the apprentice is let go by the master and both must accept it, therefore teaching them to let go of attachment.
I have spoken
@@jasomjensai-starwars2652 In that case a better way of doing it would likely be to do it the GSG9 way of having each padawan raise a pet and then forcing them to slice it in half with their lightsaber without succumbing to the dark side from it.
@@coop4136 except that the Jedi are against unnecessary death. in dark disciple, Quinlan is told to kill the sleeper to fall to the dark side. earlier in the book, he struggled with killing a snake because he did not want to harm it unnecessarily.
killing their pet would cause unnecessary death while letting go of their master/ apprentice only causes grief and growth. maybe your pet idea would work if they trained a pet and then gave it to someone else, but then it's just a tame version of the Jedi leaving the master.
I have spoken
@@jasomjensai-starwars2652 Since their entire philosophy hinges upon selflessness and the greater good then actually killing their pet could easily be viewed as being necessary by them in order to harden themselves against the temptation of the dark and prevent the greater number of deaths of more sapient creatures that is inevitably caused by that.
"Be mindful of the will of the living force, my young padiwan." - Quigon Jinn.
I wrote a blog post on this in the past... Here's an excerpt. If anyone wants to read more, lemme know and I'll post it in the comments. Would love to have a discussion with Thor on this. I have a degree in Theology and have studied Christianity, Buddhism, Hindusim, Judaism, Islamism, Taosim, and more. Really interesting to see the intersection of beliefs.
*********
Let's start in the beginning. This quote is the first time we hear of the Force as Obi-wan explains to Luke:
Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.
This fits with the basic description given to us by Yoda, in The Empire Strikes Back:
Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we... not this crude matter.
Let's stop there for a moment. So the Force is an energy, or energy field, that is created and expands whenever new life enters this physical galaxy. However, it is something we can't see, taste, or touch with our physical senses, but with our "luminous" parts: our desires, our will, our emotions. That's a major point: it is spiritual in nature - and this is why it's referred to as a "religion" by Tarkin and Han Solo. At least in the Star Wars universe, we need to understand that living beings are not physical beings only, or even physical beings primarily - but rather spiritual. The "true" us, in the Star Wars universe, exists as a non-physical existence, in a physical shell. According to Yoda, the Force is spiritual, and life is primarily spiritual. He says it so quickly, it's easy to miss.
Now, this energy field is in and through every living thing - from small microscopic bacteria all the way through the largest trees on Endor - it's everywhere. However, continuing to call it "energy" or an "energy-field" isn't clear enough by itself... that could mean anything, really. Like the sun, or a magnet, or an engine. All of these are energy or provide energy. But, and this is where it clicked for me: if we think of the Force as an energy source that has wrapped within itself objective morality: it has a knowledge of what is good and what is evil, everything falls into place. We cannot separate the energy from the morality it contains.
******
Let me know if anyone wants to read more! May the Force be with you
We get this from Yoda in Empire:
"A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger... fear... aggression. The dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."
Anger, fear, aggression, hate, pride, arrogance, selfishness - these negative emotions flow from the Force, and connect to a "dark side" that also exists inside sentient beings. The knowledge of them is contained within the Force and almost as if these emotions are sentient themselves, they want to get out, have their way, be in control. They want to manifest themselves through Force users. However, it's up to each individual to decide which emotions they allow to control their actions. It is a conscience choice each user has to make. On the Millennium Falcon, when Luke is training with the Remote Seeker training device - this conversation takes place:
BEN: Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him.
LUKE You mean it controls your actions?
BEN Partially. But it also obeys your commands.
Jedis are trained to work in harmony with the Force - and the will of the Force is "good", not evil. (Put that on the back burner for now, we'll come back to that.) Jedis have learned to not always take the lead in every situation but also listen to the Force and follow its leading and prompting. They are "co-workers" with the Force, to bring the best for the most amount of life in the galaxy. How many times did Obi-wan remind Luke to "Let go"? The more one lets go of what they think they know, the more powerful the Force can be through them. Look at all of Luke's training throughout the Trilogy. The only time he is trained with a lightsaber is a lesson in feeling the Force and following its promptings. One will be a better sword fighter by feeling the Force, not only by training in proper sword techniques. Similarly, look at how Luke physically trains on Degobah - with Yoda always pointing him back to feeling the Force.
But letting go and letting something else always take over their actions - that can't always be good, can it? You may be thinking just like Luke did in Empire:
LUKE: But how am I to know the good side from the bad?
YODA: You will know. When you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.
If a Jedi is not at peace, is not calm, there's a good chance the "leading" or "promptings" from within might not be from the good side of the Force, but the dark side, that's connecting with the dark side within the Jedi. It makes perfect sense when they are angry to lash out in a physical attack. But just because it makes sense in the moment, it doesn't mean it's the will of the Force, which knows better.
I think now is a good point to bring in the real kicker, and you'll need to really throw off what you have been told about the Force to get it...
*There is no light side.* There is just "The Force" that has a dark side to it. There is no balance between light and dark. *The "light side" is never even mentioned in the Original Trilogy.* There is talk about good vs bad - but never light vs dark, and especially never any balance between two opposing sides.
(Side note here: if you accept the Prequel Trilogy as canon, then you must also accept that the prequel era Jedi were wrong about their understanding of the Force. Similarly to how many of our religions have been corrupted over time, especially if they get a taste of power or control. Whether you accept the Prequel trilogy as canon or not, Yoda in the Original Trilogy has to be our foundation for understanding the Force, or we can't trust anything.)
In terms of "balance", do you remember these lines?
LUKE: Is the dark side stronger?
YODA: No... no... no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.
If there was equal balance between 2 sides of the Force, like a yin and yang, neither would be stronger. Yoda is emphatic about this point that the dark side isn't stronger. But what about the good side? If Luke would have followed up with "So is the good side stronger?" What would Yoda's response have been? We can't say for certain. But check out Yoda's later words:
YODA: Stopped they must be. On this all depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight with the Force as his ally will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path, as Vader did, you will become an agent of evil.
Yoda believes that a fully trained Jedi Knight with the Force as his ally WILL conquer both Vader and his Emperor. It sounds like Yoda's response would have been a just as emphatic "Stronger, the Force is!"
Also note, that if the Force is just an energy source that has no will of its own and can be completely controlled by any Force user - then it would follow that the dark side is just as powerful as the good side.
Remember that thought you put on the back burner? The will of the Force is for good, not evil?
So far we've seen that the Force is an energy source that is fed and controlled by life, providing knowledge of good and evil to those that listen with their spiritual being - those that stretch out with their feelings. Since the Force is fed by life, it knows what makes life thrive - peace, hope, harmony, gentleness, and above all, love. These emotions and traits form a symbiotic relationship between life and the Force - the more that living creatures have these traits the more life will thrive, and therefore the Force also thrives. The Force wants 'life' to know what is good and what is evil - and it wants 'life' to choose (if it's capable) to do good over evil. *That's why someone using the dark side cannot be stronger than someone in harmony with the will of the Force.* When the dark side user is tapping into this energy source, they are working alone. When a Jedi is tapping into this energy source for knowledge or defense, out of peace or love, they are working in union, cooperatively, with the Force.
Think about it: was Darth Vader or Obi-wan more powerful with the Force in A New Hope? Through the Force, Obi-wan knew how to defeat Vader - and it wasn't by besting him in a lightsaber duel.
OBI-WAN: You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
Obi-wan understood this concept - sometimes self-sacrifice is the only way to "win" (ie: improve life in the galaxy, a net positive).
Yoda also understood this concept - he repeatedly calls for Luke to complete his training before confronting Vader. He knew that Vader and the Emperor, "the dark side", could not be beaten ultimately by a lightsaber duel. *Luke's required Jedi Knight training was not more lightsaber lessons...* Yoda said Luke failed in the cave even though he "beat" Vader. Why? Because the battle was not simply a physical one.
Fast forward to Return of the Jedi. When Luke was calm, at peace, he knew the will of the Force. He knew he must go and confront Vader, not in a fight, but with compassion. He knew this could work - that this was the best hope he had. Granted, he didn't know the outcome of every decision (e.g. that Vader wouldn't take him before the Emperor) but accepted it when it didn't seem to be going the way he thought. He was ready to die without fighting in order to save his father.
At the confrontation with the Emperor, when did Luke pick up his lightsaber? When he was no longer calm. He was no longer at peace. He used the Force to help him attack - not for knowledge nor defense. Luke clearly began succumbing to the dark side of the Force repeatedly - but it wasn't helping him win. Look at the fear and anger in Luke when Vader says he may try to turn Leia! Yes, the dark side of the Force may have helped him defeat Vader in the the fight, but that wasn't Luke's goal - his goal was to redeem his father and not turn to the dark side himself. *Only by refusing to fight, does Luke win the battle.*
The Force has an agenda. It's not to bring balance between two sides of itself. It's to bring balance between all life in the galaxy.
In the world of Star Wars, harmony can exist without chaos. Love can exist without hatred. Peace can exist without fear.
*********
There's more, but that's the main gist. Thanks for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed it!
@@Lex_Koncord Hey great stuff. I read the whole thing and enjoyed it quite a bit. You broke down and articulated the original trilogy in a way that makes it far easier for me to "map" out the spiritual lessons in it.
Star Wars as a whole is very easy to misunderstand if not paying attention, so thanks again.
I think you are spot on. I've tried to explain this to many people and they don't get it.
The "The Philosophy of Kreia" and several reactionary videos to comments on that video some mysterious youtube has made are fantastic explanations of the force.
Your spot on to me on this one.
Excited to be this early. Love your content, Thor.
Ah yes more amazing content
Star Wars gave me a spiritual anchor in a material world...it made me look inside myself to find peace and serenity....which is why the sequels and prequels hurt so much they lost that spiritual feel
I at least appreciate the prequels for diving deeper into how a benevolent group like the Jedi Council could still be vulnerable to corruption. It gives the idea that spirituality and religion aren't necessarily tied together.
Damn I thought I knew Star Wars but I can’t compare to what you said in this video. Well done. Never stop making cool content😁
Hi Thor, although I agree with most of what you said, when I think back on hat I understood theforce to be when watching the original Star Wars and the Empire Strikes back, the light side of the Force was tied to LIFE and its generation, as well as the bond betwwen living organisms. A concept that was developed further for example in AVATAR with Eiwa, which would be an analogy to GAIA. The dark side was akin to the destructive forces. Althoug the SELFLESS and SELFISH concepts also apply. Interestin series.
These are the videos we want to see
Keep going strong!
This is great. Somewhat what I was after. More so whats the best in universe use or view of being a jedi. Not what it is as a whole. But this does shine light on how I should view it. Great vid
I think the video on Kreia's Philosophy would be up your alley. It delves into the character from kotor 2 who wanted to deconstruct the Jedi and the Force. It's long but good.
@@krieghart5515 ohh interesting any good links for me
Anakin’s killing of Padme being the ironic ending of his attempt to save her reminds me of the story of Oedipus: both Oedipus’s birth parents abandoning him and him running away from his adoptive parents to avoid the prophecy that Oedipus would murder his father and marry his mother actually lead to the prophecy’s fruition
Spot on.
one year ago i went through a rough time. in theater you never have the same fellow actors time after time, so i soon found myself obbsessing over spending time with those friends and staying in contact with them instead of just enjoying my time with them. this doesn't mean i don't still miss some of them or wish some of them to still be in my life, but instead it means that i'm able to enjoy my time with them and when it is time for them to leave i will realise it's okay.
Thank You, Jedi Knight Thor.
Personally I have ways viewed the force as a tool.
Like a lightsaber or a blaster.
It can be used for good or evil.
Star Wars was for me about consequences of one's choices.
How we use the tools to achieve our goals.
It really sounds like how a Sith would describe the force
@@ontasbulent5709 I think the Sith would view the force as a asset to be exploited for their personal use and gain.
The Jedi look to harmonize with the force, to become one.
I tried to take a neutral approach in describing it. To allow the reader to decide how they felt influenced.
@@OtherWorldExplorers I think if a jedi could save someones live but they had to use the dark side to save them they should use it. Wouldn't it be wrong to let the person die?
@@elisabethb.7088Like Yoda said to Luke in ESB, if that is their destiny, then yes, they must die. (Paraphrased)
Using the dark side for what might be a good thing is perhaps one of its biggest temptations.
@@OtherWorldExplorers I still think it is wrong to let for example let an entire planet just because you shouldn't use the dark side and risk you could fall. Wouldn't selfless to risk your own well for the people of the galaxy
Edit: I just completed ghost of tsushima and that maybe have influeced my opionen on the force
Luke made Ankin Skywalker turn to the Dark, and Darth Vader to the Light.
“Reckless pride, limned by self-righteousness. You are master of nothing.”
-Vitiate, and my view of the Jedi in a nutshell.
While I'm opposed to Vitiate, I can't bring myself to disagree with him.
Nicely put!
this definitely describes the Jedi of the clone wars, but the Jedi were originally supposed to be humble in my opinion.
I agree with you completely.
Anakin: the Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They look inwards. They think only of themselves.
Me: and you don't? You're certainly willing to side with a tyrannical madman to save your wife from death, even if it means putting the galaxy and its trillions of beings under the heel of an insidious, psychopathic, power mad Sith Lord
That’s the point i think, Anakin represent despair, he’a caught in his past, while Luke represents hope, always looking to the future. In episode 2 George replicates the shot from episode 4 with the binary sunset, except it’s reversed to show how Anakin is stuck in his past unable to look towards the future like Luke.
@@mariusmglestue1234 but what if you could, yah know live in the present?
First, as far as Anakin knew, Palpatine was a kindly mentor/father figure who just revealed himself to be a sith lord. Then Windu went against the Jedi code by trying to kill an unarmed prisoner.
Second, Anakin does not represent the perfect Jedi. Nobody does. The perfect Jedi does not exist, although some Jedi like Yoda got pretty close.
@@aliendilo3105 That would be great, but sadly not everyone seems capable of that. Which is a problem when either the past or the future is bleak and doesn't seem worth fighting for, and especially when both are.
Well this was the fastest I’ve been here before.
Oh thank you thank you thank you. I have been trying to get rabid Jedi haters on CZcams to understand the real meaning of not having attachments. They all think it means being cold and heartless. So many Jedi haters have so misunderstood the Jedi Code when Lucas has explained it.
The one part abour KOTOR I despise. The writters went hard on making the Force nihilistic
They didn't, only Kreia did, and she's a villain
@@goodmind4940 the Jedi Code claimed the Jedi were emotionless drones, the game spent a lot of time making the jedi seem like useless/selfish/incompetent and the sith as complex and more than power hungry and eventually, power consumed evil beigns
@@WikiHL remember that the Jedi Code as of the KotOR era is not the original Jedi Code, but one of many interpretations that took shape during the generations. In context, with the fall of Freedon Nadd, Exar Kun, Ulic Qel-Droma, Revan and Malak, the Jedi were beginnig to become much more radical (paranoic) and to lost their way until they eventually became what we saw in the prequels. Then, much later, Luke was supposed to learn from these mistakes and rebuild the Order in the image of the original Jedi, the way they where supposed to be.
Jakob Renner
Well, yes and no. There is no direct line of the Jedi losing their way, but the process did eventually occur. KOTOR Era Jedi had became paranoid and increasingly dogmatic because of the Great Sith War and the Jedi Civil War, and that ultimately led to the Jedi Purge, after which the Exile rebuilt them in a way that was true to their ideals. Her Order functioned as it should have until SWTOR, due to the intervention of the great Sith Lord, Darth BioWare.
Ultimately, the prequel Jedi are primarily the product of the Army of Light after the Ruusan Reformations, sitting on their laurels for a millennium.
@@0th_Law ugh SWTOR. There are so many problems with that storyline...I have a love-hate relatiomship with that game.
Thor, in this series can you make a video on your interpretation of the oft-used phrase “a servant of the Force?” What does that really mean?
5:30 thats why a balance is important, and why balance is important through out starwars
I miss these times on the channel
One of the implicit assumptions in Star Wars, at least in my opinion, is that the following will of the force is also what is best for the sentient species of the galaxy. It could make for a very interesting story to have a situation where that is not true.
But it was Anakin's love and attachment to Luke that saved him in the end... What brought him back to the light.
Love, not attachment.
Thanks for this. I tend to explore the real world philosophies on which the Jedi were based.
The force makes all lifeforms super hypersensitive to their surroundings and makes them extra sensitive to emotions due to the nature of the force amplifying and even some cases overload the senses of the jedi. This is why jedi are forced to learned to go through rigorous tests and trials with their masters to help control their emotions and ultimately control their power and command in the force. The deciple from KOTOR 2 pointed out to the exile that a single force user can literally change the fate of the galaxy and its inhabitants. The jedi may still have connections with others but almost exclusively with their masters because the jedi understand enough that social interaction is an essential part of all sentient lifeforms but limit their interactions by enforcing their teachings of minding their emotions. Most jedi don't end up failing their teachings because they were raised with these teachings and didn't learn much else. Plus whatever small mistakes a jedi or padawan would make, they are protected by the jedi council and in some occasions even get backed by their government the galactic Republic. Anakin grew up as a poor slave on a harsh desert planet where the only money you can make as a slave is through unspeakable means or performing dangerous jobs that could get you killed. Anakin wasn't raised in an environment like the jedi where he can do nothing but appreciate life and the force. He is haunted by his experiences and worse yet he already established long lasting connections with his mother which in turn he was instantly vulnerable to fear, anger, hate, and suffering. Its not whether qui gon jinn would've been a better teacher or not, it was whether it was the right decision to try to indoctrinate a child who had already seen the harshness of reality into their academia of suppression, isolation, and moral disillusionment.
I think its very true that Lucas tried to have the Jedi embody positivity, but a Yoda who tells Anakin to let go of his loves is a Jedi Grandmaster who has abandoned compassion.
did u listen to the video? u're misinterpreting what yoda actually meant fate cannot be controlled sometimes we are powerless in front of a situation and we just cant avoid it
@@charbelbarakat3620 I watched and listened. I simply don't agree. What Yoda said may have been principled. It may have been factual. But his words and implied teachings were indifferent and unwise. I would go so far as to say that Yoda's fanaticism and the extended period of his Grandmastery allowed by his long life is the ultimate cause of the Order's fall. The fanaticism of his teachings led to Jedi blindness as to the necessities of compassion, and that blindness created a weakness that allowed the Cloak of the Dark Side to infiltrate and further deceive Jedi perceptions.
I would not be surprised if one of the Sith Masters shortly after Bane's rule subtly promoted Yoda's career for just that long game and outcome. Yoda was a plague upon the Jedi.
@@djolds1 i think ur reaching too much man. we can all interpret it our way but i highly doubt lucas tried to pass yoda as someone who is uncompassionate he just gave anakin some advice but it was too hard for anakin to follow it. And at this point in his life yoda has seen what will happen to the order (clone wars s6) and is far less blind and arrogant as he was at the beginning of the war. His exile will complete his journey to becoming truly wise. And lastly u defined him as a plague to the order which is really untrue. Amongst the council he was the wisest and the less arrogant with obi wan. The rest of the council were plagues tho especially windu luminara and ki adi mundi cause they are what u describe yoda to be and they were truly blind. And again the biggest plague of all was anakin. it was yoda's biggest error to accept to train him as he just can't let go of his attachements and thinks too much with his emotions instead of his mind. And its pretty alarming that he made his name and reputation more as a warrior than as someone who communes with the force like other jedis
@@charbelbarakat3620 Anakin was always prideful, but the Masters of the Council were always his antagonists. They didn't want him trained in the first place, and were petty when Palpatine maneuvered them into granting him a place on the Council.
Plus Anakin is a fearful child, likely The Chosen One, and Yoda et al leave the mother of the fated savior in slavery on a hell planet? As does Padme for that matter. What types of inconsiderate morons ran the upper tiers of the Order and the Republic??? When you have the savior of prophecy and/or the savior of your planet on your hands you generally want to keep that savior stable.
I will stand by my assessment - an utter failure of judgment and compassion by Yoda. A failure over decades.
And Lucas had to have an antagonist to push Anakin over the edge finally. Yoda and Mace were those antagonists.
@@djolds1 You're fully right about his mother. And yes the council were pretty cold towards anakin it never helped him but again you can't fully blame the council for not wanting to train a boy this old with this much fear they valued him more as dangerous than anything. And for them it wasnt still sure whether he was the chosen one or not but anyways they didnt want him to be put in a pedestal by giving him special treatment so he can become arrogant with his powers. He became arrogant anyways despite an attempt to keep him humble. His turn to the dark side is mainly his fault and partly the fault of the council. Anakin lacks qualities that every jedi needs to have patience, calmness and thoughtfulness.
I'm interested in what you have to say about how a Force-sensitive draws on the Dark Side. Generally, the Sith way would emphasize small-f force in their relationship with the Force, disregarding its natural flow in pursuit of power. But how does it work for a Jedi in the process of falling, one without Sith training? When Vader threatens Leia in RotJ and Luke momentarily opens himself to the Dark Side, is he doing it in a Jedi-like way, tapping into it and following its flow into aggressive action?
Another interesting question would be that of free will. A Jedi follows the will of the Force. A Sith is trapped by the Dark Side. Non-sensitives are easily overpowered when in contact with those favored by the Force. Yet it is through its entanglement with the Republic that the old Jedi Order lost its way. Are the non-sensitive people the only ones free from the machinations of the Force? Is anyone free at all? How would freedom even be defined in such a universe?
From what I understand, you can channel the Force into manifesting as light or dark, just depends on your intention. A Jedi's intention is to listen to the will of the Force and let it act through them, based on the principle of trust. A Sith follows their own will, based on the principle of fear. You either trust in the Force and let it intervene through you if it wills it, or you fear that without your intervention, you won't get the desired outcome. There's no Jedi way to use the darkside because the Jedi let the Force use them. The darkside becomes manifest because of using the Force, see?
Luke feared he would lose his sister and this fear made him angry, but he let his anger take control of his actions rather than the Force. At the end of the duel, he saw he was becoming like Vader, and the only way to physically defeat Vader and Palpatine would be to fully embrace the darkside. When he realized this, he rejected its power.
About free will, that's the Jedi's struggle. Where they think they should help, they don't because the Force doesn't will it. Qui Gon didnt go to Tattooine to free slaves, even though we would think that's right and a good use of free will. The key is, we don't know everything and what consequences our actions, even labeled good, will have. In kotor 2, the lesson of thoughtless charity showed that you turned the beggar into a target and only brought more suffering with that kind act. Or in the deleted scene where Rey wanted to save the village from the raiders. Luke said they would just come back stronger and make things worse for the village. The Force on the other hand is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. It surrounds, penetrates, and binds all things. It knows everything you know, it's everywhere life is found, and it is an inexhaustible source of energy. It's basically the Tao lol.
You should do some canon fodder, or maybe legends?
"lightside = selfless, Darkside = Selfish..." ive been saying this for years and is the first time ive ehard it on youtube. youre right people overcomplicate things almost on purpouse.
I think George really made the glorious clone wars really bad, and he did a really good job doing it. It's really good storytelling, because the Jedi weren't soldiers as Windu said, they're keepers of peace, yet the Senator and later Chancellor at the time (who we now know is a sith) i think wanted to push the jedi into war just as a humorous way of showing how he could command them to do almost anything he wanted. He then overthrew the republic easily because the jedi had strayed so far from the past. The clone wars was not glorious, it seemed like it showed the jedi in their prime, but it really showed us how far they had strayed from what they truly were. Another point, they literally had child soldiers go out and fight in a war, yet the jedi didn't see this as a problem.
I like your thoughts about the force Thor. Though i feel that your framing of it is narrowed through looking at it exclusively through Jedi doctrine. When i look at how the Sith are potrayed in the movies they don't appear to simply embody 'selfishness' as a defining trait. They appear to be following a discipline and a philosophy that results in thier daily life having a rather monastic looking lifestyle. Characters defined by selfishness are, to my mind, better categorised as hedonistic gangsters or addicts. I simply cannot see a Sith being remotely tempted by things like casual sex, alocohol, a new couch, watching tv, etc. I get the sense that they have a Way or Tao of thier own which they try to follow. From the Sith point of view, thier motto seems more like 'Be all you can be'. Surely it must require tremendous mastery of one's self in order to submit to a lifestyle committed to becoming as powerful as you can be. Think of the discipline and rigor such a life would require. Joining the Sith is a commitment. They also have a history and a philosophy that they endeavour to pass on to the next generation. If they didn't they would have quickly died out.
most of them have incredible discipline. they are ambitious and work hard to achieve their goals, but that does not change the goals. no matter how hard he works, Sidious still wants more power for . no matter how focused he is, Maul just wants revenge on enemies so can feel satisfied. It doesn't matter how disciplined he is, Vader wants security for and family. they work hard to achieve their . the sith are disciplined, but they are also selfish.
I have spoken
The Sith inherently go against the will of the Force and against people. Whatever intentions they have going in ultimately fall apart and become part of the vicious cycle of death and betrayal. Whatever rules set, like the rule of 2, are only to instill some manner of discipline. That doesn’t make them any less evil. Even cults have their rules, it doesn’t make them any less terrible.
"Only the sith deals deals in absolutes". Absolutely.
Just curious but what would your opinion of Grey Jedi or Force user's that use both sides of the force but they are neither light nor dark that they follow the will and balance of the force.
There are no grey jedi. The balance is in the adherance to the Force and only the Force, or as some may call it light side. In OT light side is never mentioned, there is the Force and the Dark Side. The Dark Side is a perversion of the Force. Qui-gon wasnt a grey jedi, he was what a Jedi should be, while the rest of the order prioritize the will of the Senate over the will of the Force, resulting in the Jedi weaker usage of the Force
@@ABadassDragon yes you are right but that's why I also said other Force user's that you both light and dark
@@mogwiawolf4354 If we are going of Lucases vision, the Force and the Dark Side cant be used together, it would be like pouring water on fire to make it bigger, it just doesnt work.
@@ABadassDragon good point but I still think there should be ones that practice both sides but they prefer to be alone. And honestly that sounds like a start to a good story.
@@mogwiawolf4354 Well, you have something similar with Dart Revan, he was a Jedi, then Sith, then he lost his memory, became a Jedi again, died, his spirit split into good and bad, good won
Do u think is was really the will of the force that brought maul and visla together or was it a huge coincidence? If it was the force then why would it want that?
I think kotor is the purest form of Star Wars philosophy, I think part of the advantage of being the chosen one is this and I’ve never seen anyone consider this, which is based on two things, one there have been multiple chosen ones anakin is not the first, but I believe only one of these chosen ones has reached his fullest potential of the power of the chosen one is revan, because while I see many say it’s dumb that revan can use the light and the dark it actually works if he is the chosen one. The Jedi and light side gain their power by following the will of the force, but the dark twists the force and bends it enslaving it to your will, both can be done, the two ways are through enslaving the force to use it to carry out the will of the force or to bend the force itself to your will aligning the force itself to your will be enslaving it. I think anakin on Mortis was arguably close to the second and I think revan may have even achieved this inadvertently due to his mind wipe and constant flip flopping he was able to always be following the forces will and yet controlling it.
I would say the force is the primordial form of energy. Which has a conscious which favors non but fuels both. It’s not a power or a skill. It’s a fuel in which we all can call on depending on ones thoughts and resolve. The Jedi and Sith are manifestations of the complete polarization of both sides. Both are malleable and absolute depending on Density. May the force be with you , I have spoken.
I think what ended up leading anakin to the darkside was his relationship with padme
Very good summary and descriptions. I would only differ with your claim that the Jedi ideal is unattainable. Many people in real life have attained the wisdom of Yoda and other top Jedi we see in the films. But this may require levels of commitment that most people would not likely find appealing or suitable. Your balanced take on using them as inspiration is well taken therefore. For those interested in attaining closer levels, it requires engaging in practices and these can be found by exploring more closely the real-world inspirations to Jedi philosophy - the most indispensable of which are (1) Stoicism, and (2) Buddhism. Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and monastic Christianity are also influences, but mostly in terms of framing and theme. Stoicism and Buddhism (especially early Buddhism and ancient Stoicism) are more central and important because they provide a wealth of detailed techniques and practices that lead to greater focus, mindfulness, and non-attachment. Without these techniques, one is just left with brute hopeful discipline - which is absolutely impossible on its own. This is why, lacking understanding of Buddhism and Stoicism, people tend to believe the Jedi ideal is impossible or impractical. It certainly is if your only tools are yelling at yourself to be more disciplined and gritting your teeth.
I’m not sure if it’s true or not but from what I heard the sequels that George wanted to make was about choice. That the force has a destiny for everyone and they chose to fellow it or not.
Thor skywalker. I just saw a book call. Star Wars and philosophy strikes back this is the way. And I was wondering if you could do a review of it cause just opening the very basics it seemed kind of insulting and biased
Between 3:18 & 4:07 - So? basically...
First Trilogy: We had everything to gain and nothing to lose which leads to joy and profound meaning in our lives.
Prequel Trilogy: Temporary satisfaction and gratification before we want more stuff.
Sequel Trilogy: Little or nothing more to gain and instead just have everything to loose which leads to fear that they'll take what we have from us leading to anger, hate and suffering.
- IRONIC -
You are correct about how the force works. And how that portion of Star Wars is meant. But you missed the portion about how Star Wars describes the fall of a democracy and the rise of a dictatorship amongst the shouts and cries of the people. Star Wars both the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy are ultimately a warning to any democracy that no longer values it's democracy.
"Before I had no power and all the choices in the world, now I have all the power but no choice at all," -Lando Mollari from Babylon 5
To me the force itself is neither good or bad. It’s the light side and the dark side mixed all together. The Jedi and Sith focused on attuning themselves to one just one side of the force. But in nature there are creatures that are naturally connected to the force and don’t attune themselves to either side but are in the middle. From what I’ve read some Jedi could use force lighting which is a dark side ability. They possibly could achieve that without being Corrupted by the dark side by just attuning themselves closer to the neutral side of the force, the natural state of the force.
To me, the Light side is the pure Force with the Dark side being a corruption of its natural state.
The Light Side is simply letting the Force flow through you, approaching it as an ally, while the Dark Side is where you use your negative emotions to enslave it, bend it to your will.
Alex Day I think saying “to me” is a pretty great way of starting a conversation about Star Wars because we all come from different backgrounds and movies will always be interpreted differently and as long as we both come into a conversation like this. We both can come away from it maybe learning something new and maybe making a friend along the way
Michael Hinojosa The joys of simply accepting that others have different opinions
Alex Day :) internet high five ✋🏼
The Force is basically the Tao in this universe.
The force is real. It’s all around us.
Yea what is weird is how The Jedi talk about "not letting emotions rule you" (which is great and 100% right) but then they say "you can't have this cause it can cause suffering". It's like, dude, yea things can go wrong but that's life, you can't let things going wrong ruin your life. You gotta move on.
I've been wondering, what are midichlorians?
microscopic life forms that live inside living beings, telling them the will of the force, but not necessarily giving them power.