- Posts: 7094
I have a very good question!
30 Aug 2016 10:03 #254571
by
Probably wouldn't use the term "darkside", but yes people have done some serious things and gotten themselves banned. No I won't tell you who or what. After some time elapses we are normally happy to have them return and continue their training here.
Replied by on topic I have a very good question!
Zeebo wrote: Has anyone of the Temple of the Jedi Order - Specifically a Jedi turned to the Darkside?
Probably wouldn't use the term "darkside", but yes people have done some serious things and gotten themselves banned. No I won't tell you who or what. After some time elapses we are normally happy to have them return and continue their training here.
Please Log in to join the conversation.
30 Aug 2016 10:34 #254582
by
Replied by on topic I have a very good question!
I'm too dark for the light side and too light for the dark side. Does that count?
Please Log in to join the conversation.
- Alexandre Orion
-
- Offline
- Master
-
- Council Member
-
- Senior Ordained Clergy Person
-
- om mani padme hum
Less
More
30 Aug 2016 10:53 - 30 Aug 2016 10:57 #254589
by Alexandre Orion
Replied by Alexandre Orion on topic I have a very good question!
As it were, Zeebo, things don't have to be all that "serious" to be what you might consider "Dark Side". We all go through our lives on the razor's edge ; the preservation of Life is dependent on the taking of Life (we all eat, don't we ?). Even for vegans, this remains true -- "how can you eat that, don't you know that it shares 86% of DNA with humans ?" At the same time, a cucumber shares about 75% of common DNA, so the argument falls apart ...
In the ethical/moral/political sphere of things, there has to be some pretty well-practised gymnastics going on in the conscience. And, like all well-practised gymnasts, sometimes we fall. The way I like to resume things pertaining to the "Dark Side" is by seeing just how prevalent the modal "must" figures into the motivations. If you want the tell-tale revelation in Star Wars, remember, in Episode VI, Darth Vader telling Luke : "I must obey my master."
Now, realise that this is all metaphor. The Master is anything that has mastery over us, as individuals, or even as a collective. "I must make that quota" ; "I must like/dislike (those people)" ; "I must buy/have (X)" ; "I must look like ..." ; "I must &c. &c. ..." As long as we are convinced that our lives are dependent on some external validation that we must procure, assure and promulgate by any means necessary - be those means honest or dishonest - then we have "turned to the Dark Side". Now, we all do that a little bit anyway, for without a little selfish shrewdness, social living would quickly become as impossible as living would be at all without eating. But what we need to do is to be aware of the concessions and compromises that we make, understanding as best we can what elements of our psychological conditioning have to be respected in a given moment and which can be laughed off in others ... Otherwise, we start getting lost in the cognitive dissonance between how we truly think/feel (provided we even know) and what our behaviour gets modelled to conform to.
How much is there of 'me-my-mine' in the urgency of our acts ? How heavy is the consideration of 'how this makes me look?' or 'what I want' ? When we are acting solely for our ego desires (the ones on which we build attractive identities -- be they authentic or not), that is when we're getting off into the "Dark Side" persuasion to obey what has us mastered.
We all do this to some degree. The approach that we take pretty sincerely here in the TotJO is to explore ourselves a bit more thoroughly, to cultivate a degree of self-knowledge - or at least self-familiarity - to the extent that we can know when we are motivated to certain ego or ipseity swelling acts which are contrary to any individual or group wellness.
In the ethical/moral/political sphere of things, there has to be some pretty well-practised gymnastics going on in the conscience. And, like all well-practised gymnasts, sometimes we fall. The way I like to resume things pertaining to the "Dark Side" is by seeing just how prevalent the modal "must" figures into the motivations. If you want the tell-tale revelation in Star Wars, remember, in Episode VI, Darth Vader telling Luke : "I must obey my master."
Now, realise that this is all metaphor. The Master is anything that has mastery over us, as individuals, or even as a collective. "I must make that quota" ; "I must like/dislike (those people)" ; "I must buy/have (X)" ; "I must look like ..." ; "I must &c. &c. ..." As long as we are convinced that our lives are dependent on some external validation that we must procure, assure and promulgate by any means necessary - be those means honest or dishonest - then we have "turned to the Dark Side". Now, we all do that a little bit anyway, for without a little selfish shrewdness, social living would quickly become as impossible as living would be at all without eating. But what we need to do is to be aware of the concessions and compromises that we make, understanding as best we can what elements of our psychological conditioning have to be respected in a given moment and which can be laughed off in others ... Otherwise, we start getting lost in the cognitive dissonance between how we truly think/feel (provided we even know) and what our behaviour gets modelled to conform to.
How much is there of 'me-my-mine' in the urgency of our acts ? How heavy is the consideration of 'how this makes me look?' or 'what I want' ? When we are acting solely for our ego desires (the ones on which we build attractive identities -- be they authentic or not), that is when we're getting off into the "Dark Side" persuasion to obey what has us mastered.
We all do this to some degree. The approach that we take pretty sincerely here in the TotJO is to explore ourselves a bit more thoroughly, to cultivate a degree of self-knowledge - or at least self-familiarity - to the extent that we can know when we are motivated to certain ego or ipseity swelling acts which are contrary to any individual or group wellness.

Last edit: 30 Aug 2016 10:57 by Alexandre Orion.
Please Log in to join the conversation.
- Alethea Thompson
-
- Offline
- User
-
Less
More
- Posts: 2289
30 Aug 2016 12:25 #254601
by Alethea Thompson
Gather at the River,
Setanaoko Oceana
Replied by Alethea Thompson on topic I have a very good question!
We have people in the community that have come in thinking they could turn others (*cough*SA*cough*), and then turned their lives around for the better.
We've had some that started out Jedi and became Sith- which was in reality the better deciaion for their life. The Sith (or Dark Aspect) philosophy is a great way to break codependent tendencies, which can be quite harmful.
And then we've had people that came into the community which just looked for a way to justify being vigilantes. (*couhh* Tothian*cough*). We've had some that looked to troll, then ended up becoming Jedi.
But there is exactly one I can think of that made Knight, and fell to his dark side hard. His circumstances were extreme outside of the forums, and he himself has held many Kefi to a very high standard that was not being met. Things happened, he turned from the community for his sanity, and but went into another area that caused his anger to well up until he lost himself.
The thing is, that same guy is back on track to getting his life in order. But for his sake, because he wants so much out of others on the Jedi Path, it is probably in his best interests he doesn't return to the path itself.
We've had some that started out Jedi and became Sith- which was in reality the better deciaion for their life. The Sith (or Dark Aspect) philosophy is a great way to break codependent tendencies, which can be quite harmful.
And then we've had people that came into the community which just looked for a way to justify being vigilantes. (*couhh* Tothian*cough*). We've had some that looked to troll, then ended up becoming Jedi.
But there is exactly one I can think of that made Knight, and fell to his dark side hard. His circumstances were extreme outside of the forums, and he himself has held many Kefi to a very high standard that was not being met. Things happened, he turned from the community for his sanity, and but went into another area that caused his anger to well up until he lost himself.
The thing is, that same guy is back on track to getting his life in order. But for his sake, because he wants so much out of others on the Jedi Path, it is probably in his best interests he doesn't return to the path itself.
Gather at the River,
Setanaoko Oceana
Please Log in to join the conversation.
30 Aug 2016 15:54 #254630
by
You could try to discuss this here
http://www.forceacademy.co.uk/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=9450
It's a little rough and tumbled but I believe they have some there that were once (and some still are) here. It's an interesting and thought provoking place.
Replied by on topic I have a very good question!
Zeebo wrote: Has anyone of the Temple of the Jedi Order - Specifically a Jedi turned to the Darkside?
You could try to discuss this here
http://www.forceacademy.co.uk/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=9450
It's a little rough and tumbled but I believe they have some there that were once (and some still are) here. It's an interesting and thought provoking place.
Please Log in to join the conversation.