Being a jedi makes us weak?

I follow the jedi path since i saw ep.1 of star wars, i loved the jedi ways, the code...But infew years back i had a depression, luckly i steped out of it and moved on, but that left me a huge scar, i feel the dak side calling to me, when i say dark side i am talking about negative feelings like anger, hate, depression. The jedi have balance, inner peace, they dont carenof what other people think, but i belive in some cases we need some of the dark to help us, anger gives us power in some cases, thinking about what other people think about us make us be better, we need ambition in our lifes, are the jedi path making us weak in some aspects?

Vraell wrote: I follow the jedi path since i saw ep.1 of star wars, i loved the jedi ways, the code...But infew years back i had a depression, luckly i steped out of it and moved on, but that left me a huge scar, i feel the dak side calling to me, when i say dark side i am talking about negative feelings like anger, hate, depression. The jedi have balance, inner peace, they dont carenof what other people think, but i belive in some cases we need some of the dark to help us, anger gives us power in some cases, thinking about what other people think about us make us be better, we need ambition in our lifes, are the jedi path making us weak in some aspects?

I dont think we need anger as much as perseverence and patience and passion , we do need passion because when one is passionate about something or someone , one can achieve more in a shorter time span , when you get angry , hatefull or depressed , you are to go to the source , as a Jedi we need to "clean up" from the inside out , its not that we have to invite what you call dark inside us , but more observe what it does to us and deal with it. The Jedi path has made me very strong , i have been on trials lately that i would not wish on someone , and i am doing well , where as before i would have melted down and become useless. No the Jedi path does not make one weak , but it does determine very well if one is up to living like a Jedi or not , the choice is yours ...

It sounds like you're saying Jedi aren't supposed to have bad feelings. Of course they do. You can't have balance without having good and bad. If it was all good, how could there be balance? Everything's on one side of the scale!

The difference is how you deal with it. Someone with balance and peace still has ambition and desire. They just aren't obsessed with it. You talk about what other people thinking making you better. Where does the desire to get better come from? They might be the cause of it, but it still comes from you. You decide how much attention to give it. It could be a healthy amount ('I've thought about this, and I am ok with my body the way it is, and they're not right, or ''they think I'm out of shape, and maybe I am, so I'm going to eat better and work out and become a healthier person') or an unhealthy amount (everybody thinks I'm ugly, and nobody likes me, I'm just going to sit in my room and never talk to anybody because they suck!).

I agree my friend! I have been told my beliefs are very grey, but this is what I believe.

In Star Wars analogy, the Force is made of 80% light and 20% dark. Therefore, to put it into context here, while we should mostly study the light side of the Force and our path, we cannot afford to ignore to little bit of the Dark side too.

While I agree that the amount of Dark side we study should be limited and controlled, we cannot just pretend it's not there; it won't make a difference.

I always get the vibe that "The Dark side", wether of the Force or of us, is a kind of taboo subject. I don't believe it should be this case. We must learn to control and use the darkness within us if we are to truly utilise the light side as well. If we decide to just study one part of it (and that includes just studying the dark or vice versa), then we are just limiting ourselves.

Everyone has a Dark Side. The real question is: will you let it hold you back, or will you learn to control and use it for the greater good?

I'm not totally sure where the idea that we pretend things such as anger don't exist has come from?

The reason that we don't talk about 'the dark side' very much isn't because we're ignoring the dark side due to preferring the light side - it's because many of us are trying not to separate ourselves into 'sides' at all. I actually think that we talk about 'the dark side' a lot more than 'the light side', which you will hardly ever see mentioned here...

Do we need to invite inevitable conflict by splitting ourselves into different segments, jostling for precedence? Or can we just be humans - whole people, learning as we go?

Sometimes these ideas seem to come from preconceptions about the Code, but it always seems that the vast majority here prefer the 'yet' version, so rather than 'There is no Emotion; there is Peace', we have: 'Emotion, yet Peace.' So, acknowledgement of the place of things such as anger in our paths - but, equally, acknowledgement that it's not a choice between 'this way or that way', the light way or the dark way, just the human way...

I'd like to link to Senan's wonderful sermon from last Wednesday, Nails In The Fence , which you might find interesting if you haven't already read it...

Vraell wrote: I follow the jedi path since i saw ep.1 of star wars, i loved the jedi ways, the code...But infew years back i had a depression, luckly i steped out of it and moved on, but that left me a huge scar, i feel the dak side calling to me, when i say dark side i am talking about negative feelings like anger, hate, depression. The jedi have balance, inner peace, they dont carenof what other people think, but i belive in some cases we need some of the dark to help us, anger gives us power in some cases, thinking about what other people think about us make us be better, we need ambition in our lifes, are the jedi path making us weak in some aspects?

From what I gather from your post, you are possibly making assumptions as to how Jedi should act in accordance with the movies? In the fiction, jedi were grabbed when they were children away from their families and lived their entire lives until they are taken as a padawan...

The life of a Jedi living in the real world is not so simple, and is filled with everyday stress that would bring the Jedi of fiction to their knees. We're all human, animals in an evolutionary tree that have descended from other animals. One doesn't simply transcend millions of years by meditating and become some perfect enlightened being, not overnight anyways lol.

Anger is perfectly normal, and the more you shy away from it, the greener and bigger it'll get when it shows itself. As a Former Sith I used anger quite frequently, it was and still is a tool of motivation. As a Jedi, I've learned there comes a time to give it a rest, and to not rely upon it as often.

Perhaps in some of the other Jedi sites, anger is heavily frowned upon. I havn't really felt the need to check them out, the active membership here for the most part is filled with greys, so it's more individual interpretation than doctrine in that regard. Attempts at suppressing these emotions is imo unhealthy and can lead to deep psychological problems down the road in life.

There's nothing wrong with ambition, it's what you do with it that counts. As far as being preoccupied with what others think, my suggestion is to meditate more and care less... :lol:

anger gives us power in some cases,

Rarely. Believe that something needs to change can give us...momentum.
I don't often see good things come of any act or decision made in Anger.
Stress - Yes. Stress has real tangible function in assisting you to "perform"

For people not inclined to make decisions usually, sometimes Anger is what they need to "throw the dice", but that's a more impulsive act than calmly and rationally making a call. (Of course, it can be frustrating when impulsive people seem to succeed as often or to a greater degree as rational people :laugh: )

thinking about what other people think about us make us be better,

Better or Bitter?

Other people sometimes have valid and valuable input into our character, and that can be an impetus for improvement or growth - but worrying what other people think of you in a petty sense has little or less value.

"James, you're Lazy!

****So, do I fix the driveway because I'm worried about being thought Lazy, or because in the circumstances, it is a reasonable assessment, and I determine it to be accurate, so make efforts to correct it?****

we need ambition in our lifes, are the jedi path making us weak in some aspects?

Yes...
I believe you should Strive for Drive - a desire (and ability) to do what needs to be done.
There is nothing in being Jedi that says otherwise.

The desire to achieve things solely for self gratification on the other hand...

Well, a certain kind of self gratification is usually cheaper, easier, quicker, and you don't even have to leave the house :dry:

Once you're finished, you can focus on your ambition to help others (ergh, not necessarily in the same way...I mean, you can if you want...okay this is getting far from the point so I'll stop now)


In summary: I don't think Jedi qualities make you weak, and take the Star Wars movies for what they are (Entertainment)

(Same as I don't get all my Ninja training from TMNT )

Vraell wrote: anger gives us power in some cases

The difference between Light and Dark is not the presence of anger. It is how we address that anger.

An Allegory (Emotion)

(Written by Miles-Sith Lord)

A man traveled down a mountain path and came to a farm. On the porch were a farmer and his dog. The man walked up to the porch to talk to the farmer. The dog looked up from his slumber, then looked to his master and then went back to sleep.

“That is a quiet dog,” said the man. The farmer smiled as he looked at the dog.

“Yes. I have had him from a puppy. He is well trained.”

After a short visit and a refill of his stores, the man continued on his journey through the mountains. Deep in the wilderness he heard a wolf howl. Concerned he headed to a small wisp of smoke he saw rising from the trees ahead. There he found a camp with a man of the mountain sleeping by a fire. Resting her head on his lap was a wolf.

The wolf raised her head and stared at the visitor, glaring at him as he approached. The Mountain Man’s hand slid from where it rested on the wolf’s rump slowly up to her ears where he rubbed them, calming her without opening his eyes.

“That is a well trained dog,” said the man.

The mountain man answered without opening his eyes. “She is a wolf, and she ain’t trained.”

“Didn't she obey you when you told her to calm?” asked the man astonished.

“Obey? No,” the Mountain Man chuckled at the thought. “She’s wild … but she can be agreeable if you know how to ask.”

I don't think being a Jedi makes us weak at all. I feel like being a Jedi has only made me stronger. I still have ambitions and I still have emotions that can give fuel to my actions I just try my best to react to them better. I don't lash out when I feel angry I give myself time to cool off and think calmly about the situation before reacting. Being a Jedi helps me remain "grounded" and focused on the things I need to do to move forward.

As others have stated, being a Jedi does not mean we don't feel emotions. We just strive to act out of a state of calm, clear-thinking.