What does being a member of the group "Jedi" mean to you?

@Manu

I think you miss my point. Im not asking for a definition or a set of paramaters in a religious context that all "fit into". In fact the very thing im speaking of is the idea that there is no such thing. And yet, even though there is no such thing, there are those that choose to unify themselves under a common term called "jedi". So my questions is, beyond the doctrine and the movies and the subset groups and different individual spiritual paths why is it you choose to assiciate yourself with this group of people and call yourself Jedi? What is it that draws you to this association beyond the individual action and the various doctrines and the disparite beliefs? What is the underlying unifying thing that jedi recognize in each other beyond these things that tells them they are of kindred spirit?

This is actually a really good question. I've been giving it some thought and the only thing that comes to mind is that I seek to better myself continually. I don't expect everyone to agree with my philosophy and find many that do disagree with it here. I don't even expect everyone here to be a fan of Star Wars. I think being a Jedi is, as Proteus said, about living as a hero on our journey. It's about striving to do good in the world and seeking to better ourselves. Being a part of the Jedi community means being able to get along with a diverse group of people and find common ground with them even when we disagree on details.

To me there is a joy to being Jedi. The joys I receive will never be the same as any one else's, and that is ok by me. I enjoy the view of difrent spectrum here. I take the views to my own meditation and give them value and you know what happens for me any way , I'm a little more open minded. It wasn't that I was this great thing or smart person but I simply applied my practice my own Jedi ism in my every day, as I do here. You will rarely see me argue with any one here in the forum and that's never mynownnpersonal focus , but my goal is to build, never rare down. So , being in a community as this with a lot of difrent views and emotions and feelings and egos and all these things we are all working on meet, helps me personally some times to practice what I study . To be a part of a group to me, is a great thing, depending on the intention of the greatness is focuses. My focus is to build and grow so I use every power unity here to.

That is an awesome thought lykeios!! Maybe another piece of the puzzle. We are a diverse group and we all walk a seperate path as we strive to better ourselves in many ways. What better way to do that than to immerse ourselves in the most disparate and diverse set of people we can imaginally find! In that context this temple becomes a training ground for situations and people we will find in real life. Here we are constantly challenged to defend our beliefs and evolve our worldview but in a safe place one step removed from the rigors of real life. It teaches us not only philosophy but it also teaches patience, acceptance and a myriad of other skills among an incredibly diverse group of others who are trying to learn the same things!

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: So my questions is, beyond the doctrine and the movies and the subset groups and different individual spiritual paths why is it you choose to assiciate yourself with this group of people and call yourself Jedi? What is it that draws you to this association beyond the individual action and the various doctrines and the disparite beliefs? What is the underlying unifying thing that jedi recognize in each other beyond these things that tells them they are of kindred spirit?

I did go a bit off-topic before, didn't I? :laugh:

The point I was trying to make is that the conventional approach towards fitting into a religion is obsolete. Or at the very least, has resulted fruitless to the ones here. So it is precisely that openness to an unconventional, fluid approach that acknowledges a hidden common theme in all paths, that draws us together.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: However i still cant decide if all or even most jedi have that same focus or if they are more enamored by the name as you say.

Obviously my experience's are not the sole example of Jedi. And I am not trying to suggest that my experience holds any credence. However....Just recently I have been trying to put together a ohio gathering for 2017, its been a rough process with alot of......politics. Anyways.... After alot of stressful work in an attempt to make it a solid plan, some of us decided to change the name. It was in part an experiment. We changed it from the 2017 Ohio Jedi Gathering to "Adventurer's Guild Double xp Weekend Extravaganza!" We followed the name change up with an explanation as to why we did it...and a promise that NOTHING else at all changed....Just the name. We had a person drop out not even 5 minuets after the change - All because the name "Jedi" was dropped.

I tried something similar in the past. Same codes, same beliefs, same teaching methods, same everything....But instead of Jedi and changed it to "Magi" and the forum/website was "The Jade Tower" Many conversations were had as to why individuals wouldn't join because it wasn't "Jedi" Specific.

Names hold alot of power and sway on peoples choices. Now....thats been changing with alot of the older people of the community who have had time and dirt in "Game" but there is something inspiring and drawing with the name.

Myself, I am trying to figure out how to transition all of my Just Jedi work back into the old "Magi" ideas....its just alot of tedius work haha.

Similarly, a Jedi friend and I have been working on training as "Sages" rather than Jedi, and there is literally zero interest when we talk to people about it.

But, when we came up with the same training program and called it a Grey Jedi training program, people went nuts and we had over 500 likes on FB within a week.

Names are extremely powerful.

Spiritual materialism is a b****.

Connor L. wrote: Spiritual materialism is a b****.

Truth.

...Not Much.

There you go.



My "Jedi Path" Or....whatever...is to me more akin to my local Lions Club and Freemasons, than a lot of what I perceive of the membership here - but I don't like selling fruit cakes for the former, or the dress standards of the latter :lol:


So, to call myself a Member of TotJO doesn't bolster the meaning of being a Jedi to me - but the doctrine here is reasonable, and while I can find what there is to learn from the members here that might have similar interests to me, and maybe I can accidentally persuade some of the members who are a bit more "vague" in their path at the moment to attempt a more purposeful way of living and serve people instead of themselves.




(So...yeah...trying to co-opt someone's fandom to make an army of intellectual moderates with a desire to work for humanity. Agendas. Agendas everywhere)

JamesSand wrote: ...Not Much.

There you go.



My "Jedi Path" Or....whatever...is to me more akin to my local Lions Club and Freemasons, than a lot of what I perceive of the membership here - but I don't like selling fruit cakes for the former, or the dress standards of the latter :lol:


So, to call myself a Member of TotJO doesn't bolster the meaning of being a Jedi to me - but the doctrine here is reasonable, and while I can find what there is to learn from the members here that might have similar interests to me, and maybe I can accidentally persuade some of the members who are a bit more "vague" in their path at the moment to attempt a more purposeful way of living and serve people instead of themselves.




(So...yeah...trying to co-opt someone's fandom to make an army of intellectual moderates with a desire to work for humanity. Agendas. Agendas everywhere)

I love this ! Because its not really about us is it? The Doctrine is a wonderfull guideline , but in the end its ..What can i do for others , thank you for reminding me James

MartaLina wrote:
I love this ! Because its not really about us is it? The Doctrine is a wonderfull guideline , but in the end its ..What can i do for others , thank you for reminding me James

I understand that philosophy but at the core of that isnt that still about improving yourself? You want to be better so you can be more for those around you? Always striving for that personal improvement so you can be a more effective leader, volunteer, aid giver etc. Its an ironic self pursuit but only so you can turn around and give that to others.

Connor L. wrote: Similarly, a Jedi friend and I have been working on training as "Sages" rather than Jedi, and there is literally zero interest when we talk to people about it.

But, when we came up with the same training program and called it a Grey Jedi training program, people went nuts and we had over 500 likes on FB within a week.

Names are extremely powerful.

Spiritual materialism is a b****.

I would agree to an extent. I must ask what demographic did you present yhis idea to? I would think if you presented this idea to a pagan oriented group they would have eaten it up because in those sorts of groups and people with those leanings that is a very powerful title. However it does also represent a specific sort of training as well so if you had tried to forklift a jedi program into the pagan community and called it sage training it would have fallen just as flat. It comes down to knowing your market and understanding their ohilosophies. So i dont think a name alone is enough.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote:

MartaLina wrote:
I love this ! Because its not really about us is it? The Doctrine is a wonderfull guideline , but in the end its ..What can i do for others , thank you for reminding me James

I understand that philosophy but at the core of that isnt that still about improving yourself? You want to be better so you can be more for those around you? Always striving for that personal improvement so you can be a more effective leader, volunteer, aid giver etc. Its an ironic self pursuit but only so you can turn around and give that to others.

Where do you read i am not improving myself , is not that what i am doing here by studying here ? Dont put stuff in my tekst that i did not put there please.

Where do you read i am not improving myself , is not that what i am doing here by studying here ?

Now thats a question worth asking.

Improving yourself, what does that mean?

What exactly about the studies here improve you, that specifically translates into "doing for others" that you could not have done before?

Certainly, reading Joseph Campbell has little to do with helping someone else.

Volunteering at your local search and rescue, or something of the like would translate much more practically.

You can call yourself a Jedi doing both, but one fits much more along the actions of a Jedi.

One also gives you a skillset that is directly transferable to said path.

In studying at TotJo for say...six months, what knowledge will I gain that will be of measurable benefit to my daily life, for others sake.

What does being a member of any group do for you?

Hopefully, you joined that group knowing that to a certain degree already.

Or you were poor in your research of said group.

When I first met Sith, I saw and extreme ownership of oneself, and results directly translating into measurable progress towards one goals.

Not novel of course, but at the same time, no other path spoke to me in a language that made sense to me.

The culture around it called to me, and yes, we are all individuals, but there is always a collective culture.

You could fail, and be wrong.

In that there was an accountability that I did not see in the Jedi.

You couldnt be wrong, and no one really could decide on a common language. It was messy and unorganized.

Not so much with the Sith, and that is why I chose it.

It means the world to me, because it has given me a confidence, and discipline I did not posses before. It has enhanced my life and relationships in ways I did not even know I was failing in.

I made me embrace life in a way I hadnt.

It suddenly made me not just an observer, but active participant as an agent of change in my world, and for those who share my world with me.

Yes, if gave me power. I know that could be construed as a four letter word, but it also gave me control of my power. An awareness of just what it means to possess the power to change and effect my sphere of influence.

In short, it means everything to me.

To me, it means having a place to continue the study of spirituality and self-discovery that I began in a Buddhist temple in Korea.

What does being a member of any group do for you?

Members only discounts and groupons?

Someone to hold my beer?

:laugh:


Whilst I generally opt for individual responsibility for...the...individual....uhh, yeah anyway - Somewhere with a more or less common "theme" for some back-side slapping, high-fiving, "good-game" type carry on can be beneficial for folks to keep them on the path. (lower case path....)

That said, group-based "We're all doing the right thing" thinking is just as mad and dangerous as an individual believing they are beyond contestation.

I guess it's a good thing you're around to keep everyone from getting too confident and complacent

Khaos wrote:

Where do you read i am not improving myself , is not that what i am doing here by studying here ?

Now thats a question worth asking.

Improving yourself, what does that mean?

What exactly about the studies here improve you, that specifically translates into "doing for others" that you could not have done before?

Certainly, reading Joseph Campbell has little to do with helping someone else.

Volunteering at your local search and rescue, or something of the like would translate much more practically.

You can call yourself a Jedi doing both, but one fits much more along the actions of a Jedi.

One also gives you a skillset that is directly transferable to said path.

In studying at TotJo for say...six months, what knowledge will I gain that will be of measurable benefit to my daily life, for others sake.

What does being a member of any group do for you?

Hopefully, you joined that group knowing that to a certain degree already.

Or you were poor in your research of said group.

When I first met Sith, I saw and extreme ownership of oneself, and results directly translating into measurable progress towards one goals.

Not novel of course, but at the same time, no other path spoke to me in a language that made sense to me.

The culture around it called to me, and yes, we are all individuals, but there is always a collective culture.

You could fail, and be wrong.

In that there was an accountability that I did not see in the Jedi.

You couldnt be wrong, and no one really could decide on a common language. It was messy and unorganized.

Not so much with the Sith, and that is why I chose it.

It means the world to me, because it has given me a confidence, and discipline I did not posses before. It has enhanced my life and relationships in ways I did not even know I was failing in.

I made me embrace life in a way I hadnt.

It suddenly made me not just an observer, but active participant as an agent of change in my world, and for those who share my world with me.

Yes, if gave me power. I know that could be construed as a four letter word, but it also gave me control of my power. An awareness of just what it means to possess the power to change and effect my sphere of influence.

In short, it means everything to me.

Everybody chooses the path they think is much suited for them , i am me , i knew stuff before i came here , i am an active particiapant and i am still learning , patience and resilience , and i learn here as much here as in real life.

Everybody chooses the path they think is much suited for them , i am me , i knew stuff before i came here , i am an active particiapant and i am still learning , patience and resilience , and i learn here as much here as in real life.

Bully for you.

Still, in reading the responses...I come to another observation.

No one speaks of this path as something...precious to them.

I know I can expect a Gollum reference...

Still, I have worked damn hard in my path. Blood,sweat, tears, the whole bit.

It is not something that is as good as the next thing. It could not be "by some other name."

Its important to me, the label of Sith, of passing on, and hopefully adding to what has been given to me to others, to continue to pursue my own way in it.

Spiritual materialism? Perhaps, but I am in no way spiritual.

Its not like the Lions Club, Freemasons, or anything else.

There is no other path like it, and no other path for me, by any other name.

Its just interesting how many life paths can simply be tossed off as nothing, or old clothing, refuse.

I see it as wasteful, not unlike littering, and just as damaging ultimately to a populace.

I have come across many Jedi, and I hear the claims of betterment, but, when the rubber meets the road that is not the case.

I mean, if thats the level of commitment you put into something, I cannot imagine you are doing differently offline, and the results will be mediocre, at best.

If Jedi doesnt mean all that much, and it seems it does not, then how much meaning are you putting into it? Or anything?

Extending that past just yourself, because its not about you but others...How much to they get from said lack of meaning?

Though Khaos, the topic is not 'progress', it is the label or group 'Jedi'. You said Sith 'spoke' to you as the foundation for your commitment and progress, but others have said the same thing in answering the topic - that Jedi spoke to them. Naturally you will feel affinity for those who share your path, but see that experience for what it is. No need to conflate the two things to try and angle one as inferior beyond your own 'terms of preference'.

Khaos wrote: No one speaks of this path as something...precious to them.

I know I can expect a Gollum reference...

Still, I have worked damn hard in my path. Blood,sweat, tears, the whole bit.

That is because "Precious" isn't the right word for it

I said earlier here

it is hard for me to just turn around and walk away. I have suffered great pains and experienced great joys and it takes up a great measure of my life since I was sixteen...

To me it is much much more than "Precious." There is no right singular word to express the pride and joy I have in my own path as Jedi.

But we are not talking about that specifically here....Here we are talking about the various groups in the community and why we are drawn to them. These things are merely material tools we use along our journey At least in my views. Two different things.