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Being a Jedi
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Being a Jedi involves a commitment within the person and a devotion to higher ideals. While a diplomat may choose the lesser of two evils or a scoundrel the more profitable of the two, a Jedi is held to a higher standard, and with his greater abilities comes increased responsibility. The Goal Of Peace The Jedi works first for peace, acting without consideration of costs to themselves or with an eye toward personal power or gain. Peace is not the result of a strong emotional drive (for emotions cloud the correct use of the Force) but rather a clear, dispassionate goal for the Jedi. Peace born of anger is no peace at all, and cannot last. Individual Jedi strive for the goal of peace without emotion both within and without. The Jedi works toward his goal with unflinching devotion, untroubled by strong emotions. As a result, powerful Jedi have a cool, detached demeanor that some mistake for apathy. Situations that challange the Jedi often involve combat, particularly mindless combat for no clear purpose (this doesn't just mean physical combat). For a Jedi, peace is much more then a cessation of war. For a Jedi to meet this goal, he must look to root causes and complaints, and to deal with basic conflicts between the participants. A Jedi who wins the battle but sacrifices the ability to judge dispassionately has lost his own personal war. The Goal Of Knowledge Ignorance kills as surely as anger. A little knowledge might be dangerous, but a lack of knowledge is deadly. Ignorance of others, ignorance of facts, and ignorance of truth sets individuals apart and leads to contention and violence. A Jedi spreads knowledge that unifies, binding peoples and countries together. This knowledge begins with the Jedi knowing their own capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Pride can cloud the mind and make them blind to their own flaws, which might be exploted by others. Failure causes doubt, which causes the Jedi to be less capable of realizing their own strengths. Jedi continually test themselves to see where the limits of their abilities lie, not as a goal in itself, but as a means to the goal of better understanding themselves. The Goal of Serenity In striving for serenity, the Jedi seeks more then just remaining levelheaded in a crisis. He finds a calm place within, and then projects that inner peace outward to affect others by word and deed. This serenity grants the Jedi a firm resolve. The center of serenity is moderation in all things. Excessive emotions, whether positive or negative, upset a Jedi's touch with the Force and create an imbalance within the self, similar to an imbalance within the Force. Challanges to a Jedi's serenity are many. The forces of the dark side always encourage the Jedi to give into hate, anger, and rage, and facilitate those feelings by giving the Jedi good reason to feel those emotions. Those close to the Jedi might be targets of attacks, or the ideals of the Jedi themselves might be sullied. The seduction of the dark side is more insidious, becuase less poerful or less positive emotions might be harnessed to provoke a rash action. Concern, affection, and even love can upset the balance of a Jedi's serenity and force the Jedi to choose between personal desires and the good of the Order. The Unity of the Force The Jedi Code represents the embodiment of the universal nature of the Force. The Jedi see themselves as the guardians of society, holding themselves to a high moral standard. They are role models, leading by example. The Jedi do not desire to rule, but rather wish to instruct so that society as a whole acts with greater justice and equality. The Force is not inherently good or evil. it has it's light side and it's dark side. It is a tool, and like any other tool it can be misued. Ignorance leads to improper use of the Force; the unwise use the Force emotionally. Incorrect use of the Force can lead to death and destruction. Only through proper training can the Force be justly applied. In addition, the Force is a necessary and vital part of the universe. Think of the Force as more than merely the means by which you gain skills and power. It is a metaphor for the universal nature of life itself, vibrant, dynamic, and dangerous. All Jedi are permeated by the Force, just as all beings are, but the Jedi are most aware of it. Events in one region might affect another, as if the universe were one interconnected being, with the Force as its blood and life. The Internal Journey A Jedi grows in power as he experiences the world, gaining more proficiency in combat and in applying the Force. In turn, the Jedi affects the world around him, spreading the doctrine of the Jedi Code and making the universe a better place for all. This external growth and effectreflects an internal growth of the individual Jedi. As a person becomes more attuned to the Force, he is challanged to fully embrace the tenets of the Jedi Order. Every Jedi to the humblest student to the greatest Master has room to grow and develop. The nature of the universe is such that new challanges continually arise to test a Jedi, as he questions old assumptions and deals with new situations. When teaching Jedi, stress the internal development of the student. Often a Jedi may have to sacrifice personal desires or goals for the good of the greater number. Jedi must deal with their own self-denial for the good of others. The Challange of Temptation Temptation poses the greatest threat to a Jedi, and the fall of a Jedi Knight often begins with one rationalized decision or errant choice. The nature of temptation provides a continual challange for Jedi. Temptation takes myriad forms. The simplest urges the Jedi to provide an easy answer to a complex question. The answer might be immediately satisfying but creates long term problems. The arrest of a crim lord, for example, might be immediately fullfilling, but unless the crime lord's empire is also shut down, the arrest merely creates a situation in which another being will assume the crime lord's role. Usually after a bloody civil war within the group that almost always endangers countless innocent lives. Another form of temptation comes from power of adulation and the threat of success itself. Accepting personal rewards is dangerous for a Jedi, for it inspires belief in his own abilities that might exceed the truth. In effect the Jedi comes to believe his own hype. The Jedi should learn instead that true satisfaction comes from the sense of well-being within, not from the approval of others. A Third form of temptation is the nature of power itself. The Jedi should be a force for good, which keeps them from using their abilities to rule others. This is an extremly powerful temptation, becuase Jedi often face ignorance and folly in their daily lives. The Jedi can be tempted to deal with such folly (bureaucracy is particularly rife with it), yet once that kind of interference starts, it soon escalates to a point where a Jedi encourages the very ignorance he once fought against, in the name of ruling others "for their own best intrest." Temptation starts small - using the Affect Mind skill to deal with a petty argument, losing your temper when making a point, taking pleasure in battle. From these small blemishes the corruption grows. Rising From The Ashes Would-be Jedi must understand that failure should never be the end. The Jedi Code places a heavy load on the Jedi, requiring almost superhuman abilities for them to accomplis all it's demands. In large and small ways, all Jedi eventually fail the challanges posed by the code in some way. They might feel anger or succumb to temptation. They might work against the balance of the Force, even with the best of intentions. They will fall from the high ideals they hold. The true failure of a Jedi is not stumbling or failing to live upto the ideals of the Order. The true failure occurs if, once having fallen, the Jedi fails to rise again. Many Jedi who have failed in one of their tasks consider themselves beyond redemption or forgiveness, and in doing so open themselves to the dark side. Jedi strive to live up to the Jedi Code and the teachings of their masters. When (not if, but when) a Jedi fails to attain those goals, the only choices are to let the failure dominate his life, or to rise from the ashes of that defeat and strive to make peace with himself through the Force. That is the way of the Jedi.