Meditating on Doctrine: One Pieace at a Time

Day 11: Focus is the art of pruning the irrelevant from your mind and pouring the best of your mind into what you are doing.

Focus is the key that opens the door to knowledge. It's useful in meditation, it's important in learning and accomplishing tasks. Given that focus is required for knowledge, and that application of knowledge is wisdom, it all stems from the ability to focus. Focus is a skill like any other, practicing that skill is vital to improving it, but it can be difficult to sustain. It is also the 13th maxim. I tend to feel that things that pop up repeatedly in the doctrine do so because they are important.

When I started this exercise I said that throughout the day I would try and stay mindful of that morning's meditation. So today is the day of the week that I clean my apartment and take care of general life business during the day. So for me that means I need to stay focused on being focused on these things, not let myself get distracted and idle.

Day 12: There is no emotion, there is peace.

Emotion is the product of our endocrine system. Many cartoons and video games have explored the joyless rationality that our brains would supposedly exhibit without the burden of the glands to instill emotion that can frequently override our logic, but we can hardly shut off our endocrine system and enter a real-life version of this. I doubt any Jedi has ever taken this to mean that that is what we should emulate. The greater emphasis is on peace. Our emotions can batter us like a storm, or if we allow them lead us far and away from where, and who, we want to be. The real issue is when our emotions come, take the time to find peace in a situation before we either say something we regret, or do something foolish.

This can be especially difficult when we are close to a situation, or when we have something invested. Some outcome we would like to see. There's no trick to situations like this. I'm actually going through this right now. There is no answer I can find. Without going into detail it isn't a situation I can readily distance myself from. If I try and get far enough away to be objective I tend to agree with my own stance, but I'm not even sure how genuine that is because it's my own situation.

This is taking a very different turn than expected. I feel angry at my current situation, but I'm realizing that I can't go on and on about it without giving any details. So in this situation, I just need to accept what's been chosen, and allow the Force to work as it will. I hope the worst does not come to pass. That's as close as I'll get to peace.

Day 13: There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

I see this line comparing knowledge to heat, or light in physics. Hot and cold, light and dark, these are qualitative, and dependent on biology to create context for. Really both just represent the absence or presence of energy. The hotter the ambient temperature, the more energetically the air molecules are colliding with our skin. The brighter something is, the higher the saturation of photons coming from it. Darkness and cold are simply the absence of energy, or the absence of photons. Knowledge is the same way. Ignorance is like the cold, or the darkness. It isn't a force or an energy of its own, it is simply the absence of knowledge.

Day 14: There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is a reason that two versions of the code are given side by side, passion, yet serenity. I see this as a simultaneous call to serenity during those moments in our lives when we're feeling reactionary, and a call to balance. When something stirs our passions the impulse is to pursue it. In many cases this would be good, but it's important to do it while balancing the other parts of your life, not to the exclusion of all else. In terms of events that could lead to crimes of passion it is better to forgive, no matter how difficult, and go about your way. Like in the over-recited Christian prayer, "give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change."

Day 15 (sort of, it's been more than that but this is the 15th meditation): There is no Chaos, there is harmony.

I immediately think of the quote attributed to Morticia Addams that is floating around the internet, "Chaos is a matter of perspective, what is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly." What seems like chaos is really just the natural ebb and flow of the Force. The Force is never static. It's constantly moving, changing forms in the way creatures live, thrive, and die. The deer who is one day vibrant, with his powerful crown of antlers declaring his status and power is laid low by the hunter. Thus the Force, in the form of the deer's vitality is passed on to the predator, who dies and passes it to the scavengers and decomposers. All this could be perceived as chaos, but there is a balance to it all. And more things are interconnected than humans typically realize. A great example of this is the wolves that were reintroduced into Yellowstone. I think I may have gone on about this in my initiate journal one time. As the wolf population thrived, the rivers stablized. This carnivore, this predator altered the very landscape, something park authorities had been struggling to contain, because of the unchecked deer and other grazers, the wolves solved by their mere presence. At first glance they might have sown chaos among the prey animals, but they ultimately helped harmonize the landscape. So many things are interconnected in ways that we cannot see. Looking at bits and pieces it looks like a great swallowing chaos. Terrible and tremendous, and to contemplate it and experience it, is to feel insignificant in its presence. But we are part of this great interconnected web. We are each of us a single note in a symphony, and playing our part looks chaotic. But when we look at our lives against the cosmic tapestry, our one strange, chaotic melody fits seamlessly into the harmony of it all. I think when we can manage to glimpse that, we are moving in tune with the Force in the most powerful fashion.

Day 16: There is no death, there is the Force.

This line serves two purposes. First it brings to mind for me the law of conservation. The physical law stating that energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed, they can only change forms. This is true of the electrons flowing through our bodies, keeping our heart pumping, our diaphragm pumping, moving my fingers around these keys to type this. When my body dies, that vitality, that energy that makes this form move will not simply vanish. It will only change form. Second it teaches us not to fear death. The person who cloisters themselves behind stone walls, never venturing out, never having an adventure for fear of death, never truly lives. The stories about the Knights Templar during the crusades say that they fought like they didn't fear death. That this is part of what made them so fearsome. Living the life of a Jedi is not done on the temple website. It's out there in the world. And as we carry our message of love and peace to the people out there, we will be much less effective as instruments of peace, if we never take chances for fear of death.

Day17: I am a Jedi, an instrument of peace.

The teachings, the code, the maxims, the creed is about applying them all. The first line of the creed is the end to which they should be applied. To be an instrument of peace. To sow peace in your passing, to further peace in your life and the lives of those you touch.

Day 16: Where there is hatred I shall bring love.

It's easy to see the adaptation from Christianity here, because this is right out of Christ's playbook. In Luke chapter 6 there are several verses describing how to treat others, and it starts with "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." It expands to talk about how everyone is good to people who are good to them, so it's no credit to your character if you follow suit. Rather show love to those who show you hatred. But this statement is broader than just that. It's not "when people give me hatred I will reciprocate with love," it's anywhere you find hatred. Yes, show compassion and caring for those who mistreat you, but also show love to the downtrodden, the unloved. I'm would be shocked to discover that this act wouldn't improve your life even more than theirs.

Day 19: Where there is injury, pardon.

At first glance this appears very similar to the second line of the creed, but I feel like this references something even more specific. When I read this I immediately think of how it applies to grudges. Carrying the weight of some insult, real or imagined. There are two anecdotes of my own life that apply here in a powerful way. One was the time I forgave my mom for leaving my dad. It was something I carried with me for longer than I should have. It was something she did for the right reasons for herself at the time, and more importantly, didn't need to apologize for. It wasn't a matter of me receiving an apology, but me forgiving her, letting go of the resentment I harbored for her.

I also once worked with a man who acted like he carried his entire life with him. I worked overnight, and it was just he and I for hours on end. When he would think back to it, he could carry on for hours, and be really hurt from the death of his father 20 years prior, either of his previous failed marriages, his current marriage troubles, and decisions he made that he regretted, even ones from a decade or more earlier. He would also glow, and get super excited about people who had been a positive presence, and positive experiences in his past, but this was rarer. Through it all, he depended so heavily on me to hear him out, but would ignore or dismiss any advice I offered. His dependence on my validation became such a burden on me that for the last few months we worked together, it took over my own life away from work. It wasn't even until months after he left that I brought myself to work through my anger at him, rebuke his presence internally, and ultimately forgive what I had suffered from him.

It's not having forgiven my grudges in the past that makes this line so important to me, it's having seen first hand a life lived letting nothing go, and how miserable someone can stay as a result. So where there is injury, bring pardon.

Day 20: Where there is doubt, faith.

In Maxim 18, Morality, it says, "A jedi does not force their values upon others." So what this does not mean is that we will proselytize to people who doubt the supernatural part of our existence about the virtues of the Force. We are not to bring our faith to the doubters. So what does this mean?

To me there are really two ways to apply bringing faith where there is doubt. One is to have faith in yourself. When you are plagued by the internal voice of doubt, do better instead. Keep pushing forward. When you're ready to give up on a goal, instead, have faith. Replace your doubt with faith, and know that the Force is with you.

The other way is to have that same faith in others. When someone you know, or happen to meet and talk to feels discouraged, is despairing, demonstrate, or tell them how much faith you have in them. Obviously if they're intent on giving up you can't drag everyone in the world to the place they want to be, but maybe you tell enough people that they shouldn't give up, that you have every confidence in them, that their doubt is unwarranted. Demonstrate the faith you have in people enough, and maybe that will be the push that some of them will need to get back on their feet. And if even one person, even if it's you, perseveres through their challenges and has faith in the hard times, then haven't we lived up to enveloping life in the positivity of our thoughts and actions? Having faith when others, or ourselves, are doubting is how we are providers and beacons of hope. Do it enough, and we have done our part to create that more harmonious society.

Day 21: Where there is despair, hope.

Despair is defined as the complete loss or absence of hope. I've been tempted to despair before, and for me personally it has consistently come from considerations about things that I think will impact my life, but that I have no control over. So how can we offer hope to the despairing? I was able to pull myself out of it, but it can be a powerful sensation. I think applying Maxim 13 could be the best way, cultivate empathy. I know having worked in healthcare you can get overwhelmed, a potential precursor to despair, and I've vented to nurses, nurses have vented to me, yesterday I saw a member of the housekeeping staff venting to a nurse, and she stood by and listened. In a high-stress environment like that everyone needs someone to listen sometimes. When people are despairing, sometimes that may be the best we can do.

Day 22: Where there is darkness, light.

I don't take this literally. That might go without saying, but if not literal darkness then what is meant by this? Darkness is a very broad concept, but ultimately anything that could be called dark or light comes down to positivity and negativity. Where there is action taken that would lead to a negative outcome in my life, or the life of someone else, I will act to bring a more positive resolution. Where words are spoken designed to have a negative impact, I will speak something more positive into the situation.

I find that this is often difficult to do. We are conditioned in modern society to "mind our own business" at all times aren't we? We might often look at a situation and think we don't want to become entangled with it, we don't want to get involved, but as Jedi we are to have courage, the will to act, and we are to be fearless, to live with no self-imposed limitations. I have failed in this regard before. I have seen an opportunity to bring light into a dark situation, and walked right by it. I spent time over the next week considering what I could have done differently. It's not easy, because doing this might mean approaching people you've never met who are angry, and the average person would probably walk right by. But in these moments are opportunities. The opportunity to make an impact, the opportunity for sacrifice. And when you carry that torch into that dark situation The Force goes with you. More is happening that what we perceive with our senses, and there is no call for fear.

Day 23: Where there is sadness, joy.

This is another item I have seen in action first hand. When someone is ailing, upset, maybe even on the edge and all they want to do is focus on their misery, I will usually try and change the subject and make them laugh. This works better for sadness than it does for anger. I feel like it would be easier to make me laugh when I'm sad than it would when I'm angry. But this is one way we can also satisfy the previous line of the creed, where there is darkness, bring light. I've been shocked at the difference I've seen a little laughter make in someone's day. It may not be easy, but it's well worth it.

Day 24: I shall never seek so much to be consoled as to console.

I am skipping the line "I am a Jedi," because I feel like that is what this entire exercise is about. The second section of the creed is about sacrifice. Teaching ten is Jedi serve in many ways. Service to others ultimately boils down to sacrifice. If we are to make this world better, make our lives committed to humanity and promoting a more harmonious society, then our lives must become the sacrifice placed upon the altar of the world. It's not always going to be something big. Odds are our life will not be taken from us suddenly by acting as a guardian of peace, but it's a thousand small acts throughout the day, one insignificant sacrifice after another that ultimately add up to making the world a better place. We need to find peace with that within ourselves before venturing out into the world. We are not to stay cloistered inside on the Temple website, or feel sorrow at the fact that our lives are not leisurely, but when we see someone ailing, offer a shoulder, offer a kind word. Even if they proceed to spit on your face and tell you that you know nothing of their struggle and they don't need your compassion, never stop showing up to console the hurting in an ailing world. Everyone has issues. Everyone has issues all the time, and if we just take advantage of the opportunities to sacrifice a little bit of our time to console the hurt when the chance arises, we get the satisfaction of knowing that we have helped another in need, and our lives, our sacrifice, becomes that much more fulfilling.

Day 25: To be understood as to understand.

Forgoing the desire to be understood is another form of sacrifice. This world is not about what you get out of it, it's about the value you add to it. Understanding takes patience. I had a run-in with that recently. I'm currently working on my web development skill set, and I had a project I'd been working on for four days that had me completely stumped as to why it didn't work. Turns out there was one detail of a JavaScript toolset called jQuery that I didn't understand. Once I understood that one detail, it was easy to put the pieces I already had written in the right places to make it work. This is a more mechanical, less personal example, but the same concept is certainly applicable to people as well. Specifically, other people don't need to understand why you're willing to sacrifice your time, or whatever else, to empathize and take the time to understand them. It is in doing so that we protect and enhance their peace, and develop interpersonal artistic unity: a sense of harmony among all parts, creating a sense of wholeness and completion.

Day 26: To be loved as to love.

There are several things I could reiterate here. About Sacrifice, selflessness, living the doctrine. Except that this one is more important than the others. Do not go seeking to be loved, don't follow the Jedi doctrine to gain the approval of others, but rather in doing so, demonstrate your love to others. Love isn't something you feel for people you're close to or share substantial amounts of genetic material with. Very often love can be a choice. Choosing to behave in a way that shows someone they matter, that someone cares about them, that they are important.

Day 27: Fot it is in giving that we receive.

It's easy to be selfish. Why me? Why do I need to sacrifice? Why should it be me who sacrifices? The last few lines of the creed dig into that. It is in giving, that we receive. What do we receive? Look at Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life." The truth is we don't see the benefit of our sacrifice immediately. We might feel some satisfaction at doing something good for another. Do it enough and it certainly adds up. We starting getting a more positive attitude. We feel good. But that's not all we receive. Frank Bailey had dreams, he had goals, and when it came crunch time, he sacrificed that for the little people of Bedford Falls. It's a great illustration of this very concept, and that's a big reason why this movie has endured over generations. Then when he's at the end of his rope, all the rapport he's built, and loyalty he's gained over the years comes back to him in a big way. Every time you sacrifice, every time you give of yourself, you are making a deposit in an account for your future. Whatever you put in it will come back for you. This has been called the principle of sowing and reaping, it's been called karma, but the bottom line is what you put into life, life will come around and give back to you. So even if you don't see something immediately coming your way, other than the pride in doing the right thing, it is in giving that we receive.

Day 28: It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned.

This takes me right back to the issue of grudges. If we don't forgive someone who we perceive has wronged us, it's we who suffer, not them. In the act of pardoning them, we are released from the hold of bitterness.

Day 29: And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

This line speaks to me of sacrifice. Not necessarily physical death, but the giving of our life to others. The modern western perception of sacrifice is one of reluctance, and mourning. If we are to truly serve in many ways, sacrifice is a must. For a service to another to be genuine, it must be a sacrifice. If you pretend to act for the benefit of another, while only thinking about what you get in return, that's not sacrifice. It turns into quid pro quo. When you can make your whole life about opportunities for meaningful sacrifice, all that is gonna come back to you.

I love in Song of Ice and Fire, and I imagine its TV adaptation named after the first book of the series, the phrase Valar Morghulis, Valar Dohaeris. All men must die, all men must serve. And it should be true. Even as we look for ways to prolong our life, even unto immortality, I've always felt that we need to be able to die. We need to die some time. So if that's our end game no matter what, why shouldn't we take risks for the benefit of those around us? Live with Courage, Fearlessness? Those are maxims 5 and 8. If we walk in the knowledge of our own death, that's how we truly live for the time we've got. If we detach ourselves from our physical selves, and seek to walk in the Force, our daily activities become spiritual exercises, rather than physical tedium. Walk thus, and know that the Force is with you, and life will come in such abundance, that it's easy to make the sacrifices.

Day 30: 1. Jedi are in touch with the Force. We are open to spiritual awareness and keep our minds in tune with the beauty of the world. We are forever learning and open our minds to experiences and knowledge of ourselves and others.

To grow closer to the force we need to detach ourselves from our physical existence. Every exercise, every action we take should be done not because of physical requirement, in the realization that whatever driving forces are behind our actions it is really the movements of the Force. A spirit of gratitude, humility, and sacrifice is what I most frequently try to accomplish to maintain my connection to the Force. It is less of a bond, and more of an understanding.