Real Jedi vs Fictional Jedi

Something was said to me when I first started almost a year ago that derailed me from the get go and I heard basically the same thing from someone else recently.

It has been said that to be Jedi, you have to be well in shape and that people like myself couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper sack. I will not speak of what I know and have done in the past, I will just go by my physical looks since that seems to be what people base things off of and judge one another by.

With what has been said directly to me and to others who might look like me, it has been made clear there is no such thing as "fat jedi". Regardless of what we are doing or not doing we don't fit in because we don't look like fictional Jedi? In the Teachings and the Maxims we know we must train body, mind and spirit to truly be the best Jedi we can.

I ask the Knights and Senior Officers what say you?

Sorry to do this, but... I asked a similar question a few weeks ago

9 pages on it here: http://www.templeofthejediorder.org/forum/Jediism/107942-real-jedi-vs-fictional-jedi

I think the doctrine focuses on "healthy body, healthy mind", which is a little different from "be thin". Apart from the fact that body weight within a normal range is not an accurate indicator of health, or fitness for that matter, my interpretation of the doctrine is about the relationship between body and mind.

Physical training is good, and I believe anyone who can be physically active, should be. Its effect on health, both physical and mental is important.

Does not being physically fit exclude you from being a Jedi?

I prefer to ask it a different way.

Does the shape of ones body or its ability to perform at a particular level, fundamentally change your character or values? Are you less of a "good" person if you cannot run?

We don't all have the same vision of what a Jedi should be... I argued somewhere here recently that I think we should have aims relevant to our current abilities. I'm not overweight but I'm definitely not fit and I also have no self defence skills.. for those reasons I too don't fit into some visions of what a Jedi is.

We have to have balance within ourselves and health and fitness is just one aspect.

Silvermane, you could weigh more than Jabba The Hut and be a great Jedi. You could be in a wheelchair. And what Brenna and Edan says - right!

Br. John wrote: Silvermane, you could weigh more than Jabba The Hut and be a great Jedi. You could be in a wheelchair. And what Brenna and Edan says - right!

As this is part of my episode tonight i guess it would be fair to bring it up here.

John how is this possible? How can a person who is morbidly obease (In clinical terms) be healthy and be a great jedi?

Most everyone has limitations of some sort, and as one grows older these eventually start to increase #lookingatmyself :whistle: :pinch:

I think the trick is to be mindful of ones strengths and weakness's and work intelligently to improve the whole body/mind/spirit.

Further to having limitations, training the body often takes a long time.... and even longer if the starting point or conditions aren't conducive to training or the intended result.

I might add that some methods to train oneself could use an imagined idealized form of oneself to work towards. Perhaps that is what you ran into. These can work but I dont think they should be intended as limits on physical suitability (unless for health and safety reasons they are required for particular activity). But I'd be careful using that as an introductory exercise as it can chain down ones ego into a negative view of oneself - by comparing oneself to an ideal and feeling down as a result. Vajrayana Buddhism uses visualization of deities as an advanced training but only after the person has done other training which aims to remove the conditions where that person is susceptible to suffering identifying themselves with their appearance or physical capacity. Intent of action is key to me, and knowing ones limits is a big part of that IMO. How others might judge you will always say much more about them then you.

Some people will have medical limitations on their weight (water weight being the first that comes to mind)- but you can work around those types of issues and oddly be fit. Actually, I knew a guy that was fairly big and could outrun a good chunk of the kids he taught soccer to.

Now, with that understood- it should be interesting to note that here at ToTJO there is a woman that has a disability which renders her on crutches, and yet at the gathering she did a good job of demonstrating a martial art that actually incorporates her crutches.

There are veterans that have limitations due to injuries incurred during their service that refuse to give up on themselves. And that's even without the medical assistance (that some just cannot obtain for various reasons).

By pushing past your physical barriers you learn a great deal about what you can accomplish, even when your medical diagnosis is working against you. To me, that is one of the things that the Jedi Path hits home on. Not necessarily being fit in the sense of being a body builder, but being fit within your medical capabilities to the highest extent you can achieve (within reason, I'm not going to become a body builder despite the fact I probably could, I'm fine with the PT program outlined by the Army...though I'm looking to take on the Aviation Survival Technician program...which is pretty demanding x.x)

i am nether knight nor senior but i am JEDI and if i may,
JEDI believe in the FORCE a living breathing thing . i utelize its knowladge and wisdome to live my everyday life, i read and learn and study on a constant basis. I fill my hear with truth and wisdom so as it may flow thru me when i need it. i call myself true JEDI not role player. i know we believe in free thinking and free will and judge no one by their beliefs but this is where i lay my faith and my heart. hope this helps. pm me any time.

I think it's not about being "fat" or not; firstly it is a purely subjective term, not an objective term and especially not a scientific term. Secondly, no one judged Yoda by his size, and if they did, they were foolish.

I think that in terms of what you're asking, you should consider your body mass index (BMI), which if I'm not mistaken, is very nearly the most current method we have of evaluating obesity. But this isn't because of, shall we say, "fighting ability". If your preference is to teach, study, research, etc, a simple self-defense class should be all you need as a Jedi. If your preference does range toward the guardian archetype, I'd expect your fitness to be through the roof, but that's another matter entirely. For Jedi who focus more on the consular side, considering your BMI or any other method of measuring your health is about just that: your health. If you are not healthy, you cannot live a full life; if you are healthy, you can live a full life.

As a Jedi, I think you shouldn't ask if you're fat or not-I think you should ask if you're healthy or not, and if you're fit enough to do your duties as a Jedi and live a good life (aka be able to walk up a flight of stairs, walk into your work, lift things if you need, etc.). If your answer to these two questions is yes, I'd say you're true to being a Jedi in this respect.