Post by The Emperor on Aug 29, 2005 11:00:15 GMT -5
The Jedi and the Sith are often compared and contrasted in their various methods and principles, but does this really give us an accurate picture of the nature of the Force? Battles are fought and wars are waged to contest the competing doctrines, but the heart of the matter must always come down to this; the living Force. The question I pose is what is the true nature of the Force? Is it bound by premises of dualism, and what ramifications does this hold?
First off, to begin to have a greater understanding of the Force and to know the nature of the difference between the light and dark side of the force one must understand what each stands for.
The Light side of the Force teaches discpline and self-control. Followers of this path are used by the Force, or so they say. They preach self defense and pacifism. Conversely, the Dark side of the Force is characterized by anger, violence and malevolence. Followers of this path use the force more than they are used by it, again, or so they say. They idealize power and cunning.
The problem is that if the Force were to be dualistic in any sort of significant degree, one would logically expect that each side would have followers who were each other's opposites. Traditional conceptions of good and evil for instance. This is not the case. The Jedi follow the so-called path of the light, but the Sith do not necessarily follow the path of the dark side. For instance, a Jedi is forbidden to use those abilities that are considered 'dark', but the Sith are held back by no such labels. They do not restrict any usage of the Force.
In this we see that the Jedi's teachings of the Force cannot give one a full understanding of it. One cannot expect that an Order which refuses to embrace any part of the Force, let alone a whole 'side' of it should have any ability to comprehend its nature. Therefore, it is impossible for the Jedi to actually be instruments of the Force because they do not even acknowledge it in its entirety!
So then the greater question is: if the Sith are the only true representatives of the nature of the Force, what reason do we have to assume that it is dualistic in nature?
Therefore, we can gain some understanding of the true nature of the Force, or rather where our questions must be centered. We must abandon our preconceptions of the Force in terms of the comparison of the Jedi and the Sith, for the Jedi are foolishly bound by their limited view.
This does not, however, mean that we should discount the Jedi's influence entirely. If the Force more were balanced, there are a few things that we ought to expect. Among these would be that if the Jedi only adhere to a light side of the force and not the rest of it, then the balance would be hopelessly off. Dualism would, either be accident or design, correct the imbalance in some way, namely by granting those who are willing to delve into the darker side of the force greater power by doing so. This would account for the Sith seeming to use only the dark side, as their ability to use it would be must stronger than their ability to use those powers the Jedi have restricted themselves to.
Unfortunately, just because this scenario would make sense does not make it true. Another likely scenario is that the Force is actually a lot ‘darker’ that the Jedi care to realize.
The Force is a power that is created by all living beings and which exists throughout the entire universe. Emanating from the universe, the Force is also in no small way reflective of it. In fact, neither one can exist independently of the other, and further than that, neither one could change without affecting similar change in the other. They are linked, if you will.
Before I proceed I feel that I must point out a distinction. The ‘dark’ side of the Force is not really evil per se. Remember that the way of the Sith is to use the Force to achieve one’s ends. In this, the core of what it means to be a Sith (as opposed to a Jedi) is merely a matter of embracing the desires of the self. The selflessness of the Jedi is their greatest undoing. I will explain.
Throughout the universe the single most powerful motivator of all sentient life is selfishness. This isn’t necessarily a ‘good’ or an ‘evil’ thing, those are merely preconceptions that are held by many, backed by years, or millennia, of rhetoric. Every action that you have ever taken, from the most benevolent to the most vile has been motivated by selfishness, it is unavoidable and it is natural. When you donate money to a charity and you think that you are acting in altruism and nobility you are not, at least not when it really comes down to it. You do so for a benefit that you expect to get in return, you want the feeling that you have done the right thing, or the respect of your peers. At some level you expect to get something, or to avoid something, that is in you interest from every action to include those actions which might seem selfless. Such ideals as ‘altruism’ are a ruse, lies that are only propagated by the Jedi and their likes. Even to allow one’s own death for an ideal is not free of the embrace of selfishness. Even then, you are relinquishing your own life for the cause in which you believe, for which you have deemed acceptable to die for. Selfishness doesn’t have to be in search for physical rewards, though it is that too; completeness, fulfillment, joy, happiness and other such feelings are themselves their own rewards.
To say it another way, one would perform no action which received absolutely no benefit whatsoever.
So you see, since the Force and the universe itself are mere reflections of one another the true power in the Force isn’t through selflessness, it is through embracing your own wants and desires. In truth, though the Jedi might deny it, there is nothing ‘unnatural’ about accepting your true motivation. In fact, it is the only natural path. The Jedi’s code is out of sync with the order of the entire universe. The teachings of the Sith speak to the heart of the Force.
When you are not afraid to accept your true motivations and to uses the Force accordingly, only then may you begin to see the Force in all its glory.
So now we see that the dualism which had clouded our judgment for so long is no longer the way that the Force should be portrayed. There is no light side or dark side. There is only the Force and those who use it. The will of the user may be what it will, but do not mistake that for being a reflection of the Force itself. Users of the Force, through their will, manipulate and change the Force to be whatever they would have it, while the Force is, in and off itself, inherently neutral. There is no dualism here.
It would seem that the shroud of the ‘light side,’ or more accurately, the Jedi, has fallen.
Finally, as Sith, we must ask ourselves what can we learn from this? It becomes painfully obvious that the Jedi must be destroyed. Their teachings, if not stopped, will disrupt the harmony of the universe itself. They confuse the truth and propagate ignorance. They have no place in the Galaxy. Further, we must understand how imperative it is that we not shy from our true desires. Use them. Great power in the force lies for he who can master the power of the will.
First off, to begin to have a greater understanding of the Force and to know the nature of the difference between the light and dark side of the force one must understand what each stands for.
The Light side of the Force teaches discpline and self-control. Followers of this path are used by the Force, or so they say. They preach self defense and pacifism. Conversely, the Dark side of the Force is characterized by anger, violence and malevolence. Followers of this path use the force more than they are used by it, again, or so they say. They idealize power and cunning.
The problem is that if the Force were to be dualistic in any sort of significant degree, one would logically expect that each side would have followers who were each other's opposites. Traditional conceptions of good and evil for instance. This is not the case. The Jedi follow the so-called path of the light, but the Sith do not necessarily follow the path of the dark side. For instance, a Jedi is forbidden to use those abilities that are considered 'dark', but the Sith are held back by no such labels. They do not restrict any usage of the Force.
In this we see that the Jedi's teachings of the Force cannot give one a full understanding of it. One cannot expect that an Order which refuses to embrace any part of the Force, let alone a whole 'side' of it should have any ability to comprehend its nature. Therefore, it is impossible for the Jedi to actually be instruments of the Force because they do not even acknowledge it in its entirety!
So then the greater question is: if the Sith are the only true representatives of the nature of the Force, what reason do we have to assume that it is dualistic in nature?
Therefore, we can gain some understanding of the true nature of the Force, or rather where our questions must be centered. We must abandon our preconceptions of the Force in terms of the comparison of the Jedi and the Sith, for the Jedi are foolishly bound by their limited view.
This does not, however, mean that we should discount the Jedi's influence entirely. If the Force more were balanced, there are a few things that we ought to expect. Among these would be that if the Jedi only adhere to a light side of the force and not the rest of it, then the balance would be hopelessly off. Dualism would, either be accident or design, correct the imbalance in some way, namely by granting those who are willing to delve into the darker side of the force greater power by doing so. This would account for the Sith seeming to use only the dark side, as their ability to use it would be must stronger than their ability to use those powers the Jedi have restricted themselves to.
Unfortunately, just because this scenario would make sense does not make it true. Another likely scenario is that the Force is actually a lot ‘darker’ that the Jedi care to realize.
The Force is a power that is created by all living beings and which exists throughout the entire universe. Emanating from the universe, the Force is also in no small way reflective of it. In fact, neither one can exist independently of the other, and further than that, neither one could change without affecting similar change in the other. They are linked, if you will.
Before I proceed I feel that I must point out a distinction. The ‘dark’ side of the Force is not really evil per se. Remember that the way of the Sith is to use the Force to achieve one’s ends. In this, the core of what it means to be a Sith (as opposed to a Jedi) is merely a matter of embracing the desires of the self. The selflessness of the Jedi is their greatest undoing. I will explain.
Throughout the universe the single most powerful motivator of all sentient life is selfishness. This isn’t necessarily a ‘good’ or an ‘evil’ thing, those are merely preconceptions that are held by many, backed by years, or millennia, of rhetoric. Every action that you have ever taken, from the most benevolent to the most vile has been motivated by selfishness, it is unavoidable and it is natural. When you donate money to a charity and you think that you are acting in altruism and nobility you are not, at least not when it really comes down to it. You do so for a benefit that you expect to get in return, you want the feeling that you have done the right thing, or the respect of your peers. At some level you expect to get something, or to avoid something, that is in you interest from every action to include those actions which might seem selfless. Such ideals as ‘altruism’ are a ruse, lies that are only propagated by the Jedi and their likes. Even to allow one’s own death for an ideal is not free of the embrace of selfishness. Even then, you are relinquishing your own life for the cause in which you believe, for which you have deemed acceptable to die for. Selfishness doesn’t have to be in search for physical rewards, though it is that too; completeness, fulfillment, joy, happiness and other such feelings are themselves their own rewards.
To say it another way, one would perform no action which received absolutely no benefit whatsoever.
So you see, since the Force and the universe itself are mere reflections of one another the true power in the Force isn’t through selflessness, it is through embracing your own wants and desires. In truth, though the Jedi might deny it, there is nothing ‘unnatural’ about accepting your true motivation. In fact, it is the only natural path. The Jedi’s code is out of sync with the order of the entire universe. The teachings of the Sith speak to the heart of the Force.
When you are not afraid to accept your true motivations and to uses the Force accordingly, only then may you begin to see the Force in all its glory.
So now we see that the dualism which had clouded our judgment for so long is no longer the way that the Force should be portrayed. There is no light side or dark side. There is only the Force and those who use it. The will of the user may be what it will, but do not mistake that for being a reflection of the Force itself. Users of the Force, through their will, manipulate and change the Force to be whatever they would have it, while the Force is, in and off itself, inherently neutral. There is no dualism here.
It would seem that the shroud of the ‘light side,’ or more accurately, the Jedi, has fallen.
Finally, as Sith, we must ask ourselves what can we learn from this? It becomes painfully obvious that the Jedi must be destroyed. Their teachings, if not stopped, will disrupt the harmony of the universe itself. They confuse the truth and propagate ignorance. They have no place in the Galaxy. Further, we must understand how imperative it is that we not shy from our true desires. Use them. Great power in the force lies for he who can master the power of the will.
