Light and Dark
As far as the light and dark sides of the Force, it is open to interpretation but I don't believe that they exist. I believe that there are lighter and darker sides (as long as we know they're just metaphorical we'll stick with using them as it aides in conversation) within us. Notice that I did not say Light and Dark, I said Lighter and Darker. Light and dark are both part of the same spectrum. As such there is only lighter and darker on the spectrum rather than two solid ideas, Light and Dark. The place on the spectrum only exists in relation to other points on the spectrum. They are also relative to the individual. Good and bad for me may not be the same as good and bad for another.
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Luthien wrote: Also, different approaches to life. Different mentalities, different views. What about that middle line? Where does light meet dark? Where does one end and the other begin?
Now that is an excellent question. For that I'll include an excerpt from Star Wars: Traitor:
Jacen lowered the electrobinoculars, blinking. "That's not the dark side," he said. "A predator hunts to feed itself and its family. That's just nature."
VERGERE: "And the dark side isn't? I thought the danger of the dark side was that it is natural: that's why it's easier than the light, yes?"
JACEN: "Well yes, but—"
VERGERE: "Is what you have seen not the exemplar of the dark side? Is this not what you fear so much: aggression, violence, passion?"
JACEN: "You want to know what the real dark side would look like? If that predator had slaughtered the entire herd, just for the fun of it. For the joy of killing."
VERGERE: "Do you think this predator takes no joy in its successful kill? Kill one, it's nature, kill them all, it's the dark side? Is the line between nature and dark side only one of degree? Is it the dark side if that predator kills only half the herd? A quarter?"
JACEN: "It's the dark side if it kills more than it needs to feed itself and its family. That's the line. Killing when you don't need to kill."
VERGERE: "And how do you define need? Are we talking about the line of starvation, or simply malnutrition? Is it the dark side if they only eat half the slain animal? Does a predator partake of the dark side if its family is a few kilos overweight?"
Notice there are only more questions. I find there really isn't an answer to where the line lies between light and dark. That's kind of why I like the quote from Journal of the Whills in my signature.
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Streen wrote: ... I find there really isn't an answer to where the line lies between light and dark. ...
Do you admit that there is a definite light and a definite dark? Or, is it, as you quoted from the book, just degrees of separation -- by which point one happens to feel they belong? Is one's degree of light/dark dependent on the individual's perception, or an outsider's perspective?
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- Lykeios Little Raven
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I don't even believe that "evil" and "good" truly exist in this world. They're judgement calls made from a subjective human point of view. People generally agree on certain moral judgments but the details are very questionable. Also, just because most cultures agree on the concepts doesn't make them real, just that people from different cultures come to similar conclusions over great distances. It's like different sorts of pyramids being built in different parts of the world at different times. I don't think that's part of some grand scheme or alien intervention, merely something about the structural integrity and impressiveness of such structures. It may be that there is a "collective unconscious" at work as well, but that goes well outside my knowledge base.
“Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.” -Zhuangzi
“Though, as the crusade presses on, I find myself altogether incapable of staying here in saftey while others shed their blood for such a noble and just cause. For surely must the Almighty be with us even in the sundering of our nation. Our fight is for freedom, for liberty, and for all the principles upon which that aforementioned nation was built.” - Patrick “Madman of Galway” O'Dell
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- OB1Shinobi
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Goken wrote: I agree with Adder in that the light = good, dark = bad comparisons might be a hold over from when night was a scarier than day. But really who knows. They are both human concepts that needed words to be associated with, somewhere down the line someone decided to chose light and dark and we've been stuck with it ever since.
As far as the light and dark sides of the Force, it is open to interpretation but I don't believe that they exist. I believe that there are lighter and darker sides (as long as we know they're just metaphorical we'll stick with using them as it aides in conversation) within us. Notice that I did not say Light and Dark, I said Lighter and Darker. Light and dark are both part of the same spectrum. As such there is only lighter and darker on the spectrum rather than two solid ideas, Light and Dark. The place on the spectrum only exists in relation to other points on the spectrum. They are also relative to the individual. Good and bad for me may not be the same as good and bad for another.
i think this is all pretty accurate, and i see it much the same way, but i think that as human beings we are born on a fairly definite location on that spectrum
i think there is some variance, per individual and per culture, but there are points toward both directions where it becomes clear that one is indeed predominantly "dark" or "light" as a human being
heres an example
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu17Wuq3nI8
this isnt to say that people, generally speaking, are either bad or good and thats all there is to the story, i only want to get across the point that it is totally possible to be a "good" person or a "bad" person as a result of your general outlook and treatment of others, and that it is important to take that seriously, IMO
People are complicated.
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- OB1Shinobi
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Lykeios wrote: Also, just because most cultures agree on the concepts doesn't make them real,
would you care to define "real" ?
what does it mean for something to be REAL?
People are complicated.
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Luthien wrote:
Streen wrote: ... I find there really isn't an answer to where the line lies between light and dark. ...
Do you admit that there is a definite light and a definite dark? Or, is it, as you quoted from the book, just degrees of separation -- by which point one happens to feel they belong? Is one's degree of light/dark dependent on the individual's perception, or an outsider's perspective?
No I don't think there is a definite anything when it comes to light and dark. We decide what is light and dark. Humanity in general has decided much of this for us. One could argue that religion, or God, has defined much of it, but even those concepts differ between religions. There are the basics, like no killing, no lying, etc., but I tend to fall back on Christ's two commandments: Love God with your whole being, and Love others as you would have them love you. It makes things a lot simpler when you look at it that way, rather than trying to define black, white, and shades of gray.
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we humans are in the middle we are the gray
well most are
until you make a choice.
which is a emotion i feel i am going to do
logic anger peace are choice to do
dark things or light things
time/ experience help us make a choice
light and dark are a perfect pair for each other .
regards remo
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