Election & The Jedi Code

Some food for thought I posted to Heartland's Tumblr and KoA as a Force Realist article. I've seen a lot of Jedi go to a very dark place after this election, which is what inspired this post. I'm posting it here because it's a good platform to talk about it , not because I've seen any of you in particular go off the handle.

A week after the results were announced to the world that Donald J. Trump won the electoral college the United States is still in shambles, and our counterparts across the world are just as emotionally polarized about it as we are. Nothing is more frustrating than being on the opposite end of abuse, and that is the state of America we live in…for the time being.

If you were rooting for HIllary, you may be spinning from the knowledge that…we’re headed forward into a Trump Presidency. You may have jumped on board for a petition to get the electoral college to change their vote come 19 December 2016, joined a protest in the streets or taken to the keyboard on twitter and Facebook to express your anguish.

If you were rooting for Trump, you are probably in a mixed state of elatedness and feeling a bit disturbed. You might be angry at the people on the “Hillary Camp” lashing out at you for voting against them. You might experience a sense of vindication or relief now looking at what is going on in various cities across the United States.

Some of you are simply hurt that anyone would make sweeping statements about everyone on whichever side you backed.

And then you have the very few of us that backed one, and are hurt by what they see from both sides. Honestly, that’s where a Jedi should be. If the Jedi Path means anything to an individual that claims to be of the Jedi Community, then they would look at what this election has done to everyone around them and not let the candidate they backed define their emotions towards either party.

The majority of you, backed Hillary Rodham Clinton. A few of you backed Donald John Trump (yes, that’s what the “J” stands for, learned that from Nickelodeon!). Very few of you backed a third party. And it’s probably you 3rd party people that are sitting back laughing at the whole lot. Which is fine, you didn’t contribute to the chaos, regardless of what anyone has to say.

Chaos, yet Harmony

What a line. Jedi need to step outside of the chaos and look for ways to bring about harmony. It’s not going to be easy. People have done what they can to poke holes into the “You backed a Rapist” and “You backed a Criminal” since the election got really heated. But here’s where a Jedi looks to another line for answers on how to cultivate harmony-

Ignorance, yet Knowledge

The reality is, if you step back from everything- this problem isn’t about HRC or DJT. The media helped play these ideas up that one candidate was better than the other- and I’m not just talking about the Mainstream Media (commonly abbreviated to MSM), I’m also referring to polarized outlets that people ran to when the MSM showed they weren’t going to cover anything with a degree of fairness. Occupy Democrats, RedState Watcher, Huffington Post and Breitbart News, just to name a few.

The truth is, these groups wouldn’t even be important to us if it were not for problems that existed long before this election began. Things that existed before Black Lives Matter was a thought in the minds of it’s founders, but erupted like a volcano after the Michael Brown shooting. These pre-existing cultural (race, sexuality, religion, etc) tensions are the root of our problem, and an excuse was to be found in the people that might one day become the leaders of the United States: Hillary and/or Trump.

Abroad, these stories circulated, and cultures banded together. Although America is considered the free world, this isn’t about who runs the free world (well..perhaps to the leaders of every other country, but not to the average person)- it became an election that would define the very human rights that America represents. It’s no longer about LGBT rights in America, it’s about LGBT rights. No longer about American Black rights, it’s about Black rights. Not about Muslim rights in America, it’s about Muslim rights. This whole election has been turned into a platform to further world rights in various minority communities. In order to move forward, this understanding needs to be at the center of a Jedi’s forward action to the future.

Emotion, yet Peace

Knowledge alone cannot help us move forward. We must confront our emotions with this knowledge. Which side are you on? The question is not easy. To understand the side you are on, you must recognize that your side is no more important that someone else’s.

Many on the right voted based on a belief that law is necessary for good society to function. They wanted to protect a minority defined by choice, rather than something one cannot change about themselves. These minorities are people of the groups such as Military, Law Enforcement and Emergency Responders. Some on the right voted based on a belief that Trump had a stronger platform to improve the economy, rather than place any sort of emphasis on social special interests, and in the realm of improving our relations with foreign powers.

Many on the left voted based on a belief that society was in more need of assistance. That the various cultures based on things they cannot change about themselves was necessary to improve their state of life. Examples of these minorities are people of color, LBGT+ and women. Some on the left voted based on a belief that Hillary had a stronger platform to deal with foreign powers abroad as they decimate cultures that are in desperate need of assistance and that Hillary represented a focus on helping break glass ceilings.

Understanding this, and moving outside of the realm that anyone sought to “normalize” criminal activity (HIllary) or bigotry (Trump) is the first step to overcoming hatred for the supporters opposite of whatever candidate you voted on.

Understanding this, and moving outside of the realm that either side is defined by Hillary or Trump is the first step in overcoming our fear for the future. Because both sides now have something to fear from the other side if we fall prey to the rhetoric.

Death, yet the Force

The death card in Tarot symbolizes change and transformation. A Jedi must find their role and adapt to the circumstances that shape the immediate world around them. We must cultivate an atmosphere that inspires others to break free of chaos and move in harmony to a better world.

Passion, yet Serenity

We should seek to use our passion to aide others to help all find serenity. To break out of the shell of condemning each other. Helping people on both sides recognize that by calling each other names or lashing out at one another is only making things worse. That by doing anything but trying to create a meaningful dialogue which does not call for condemnation of them or yourself, can anything be accomplished.

Here are some tips (mostly geared towards Americans, I can’t speak to other countries, but some of it is relevant where ever you are):

1) Stop posting defamatory information about your opposite candidate.
2) Stop listening to what the media (all of it, right-wing, left-wing, centrists, MSM, all of it) has to say about what is going on and focus on whatever special interest group you are in favor of.
3) Express your fears without using bait words like “illegal”, “Muslim”, “racist” or “misogynist”.
4) Research your rights and seek out solutions to the problem of ensuring your rights are protected. An example: if you’re a woman, don’t let the media tell you that the law does not protect you against the wage gap. But take a deeper look at what loopholes your employer might be able to exploit in order to pay you less.
5) Join or form a group that helps and work for people in your special interest group.
6) Support lobbyists for your special interest group, they are the ones that help push legislation through Congress.
7) Without insulting or vilifying those in opposition to you, consider an ironclad argument that forces them to recognize they are not in control of your life. An example: Christians often speak to death of homosexuals because it’s an abomination to God. A member of the LBGT community can come up with a number of arguments, but the one that tends to be the most potent in my own arsenal is that converting to Christianity based on a fear that one’s lifestyle is abhorrent to the deity they follow is not sincere worship- and as such it would be the highest form of disrespect to said deity. But if a member of the LGBT is given an entire lifetime for God to reach out to them, there will always be hope that one day God will turn them from their lifestyle. As Christians, it is not our job to condemn them for their lifestyles, but rather to open up opportunities for God to speak to them- for God is the ultimate Judge, and not man. Christ gave individuals the chance to live a Godly life despite being surrounded by those that do not follow Christianity, and it was only through that lifestyle that anyone opened up to his message via himself or his disciples. So to, must Christians follow that example if we love God. (okay, so this point was a LOT longer than I intended, but I don’t get enough chances to give this view, so I’m going to take my golden opportunity! !)
And finally: Protest. But protest when you are not so angry that you want to punch something- that sort of emotional state could lead you to doing things you regret later. But DO protest when you can. It helps demonstrate support for your cause.

Let your emotion tell you what is wrong, let your ignorance indicate you need to seek knowledge to bring about a sense of peace of mind.

Recognize the chaos around you and seek out guidance with the Force to transform it into harmony.

Let your passion bring about serenity around you.

Despite the clear difference we share in the validity of LGBT lifestyles, I very much agree with you.

I think you guys in the States could have dodged a bullet last week. You didn't. And, hopefully, when Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello come knocking on the door of the White House ...

I supported Trump, when Bernie and Cruz were out. I'm a Bernie boy myself, but I really really liked Ted Cruz. Clinton has had people murdered, far worse than Trump. Besides, Trump had to say two words to shut her up - "Monica Lewinsky"

If the Code insists on knowledge, Gary Johnson couldn't have won .... "What is Aleppo ?"

I still think Trump should be .... Removed as it were, for the good of the planet.

My top five Presidents,
1. Lyndon B. Johnson
2. Jimmy Carter
3. Woodrow Wilson
4. Richard Nixon
5. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Obama comes in at 41 .... Clinton at 39 .... Taft at 43 and Bush Jr at 44 .... Trump should be ok .... maybs liks 20th or something .... Wish that Romney and Cruz had had a chance ...

Hey Silas, why is it that you quote gandhi in your sig and yet endorse violence in the form of assassination to solve your personal prejudices? Never mind, dont answer that, it just proves your another clueless dumbass that has no idea what hes talking about.

I used one quote from Ghandi, that is not to say I live by his morals, in fact I disagree with him on many points. And, you call me a clueless dumbass when you voted for Trump. ARE YOU MENTALLY OKAY ?! OR ARE YOU JUST LIKE THE AMERICAN EQUIVELANT OF NIGEL BLOODY FARAGE !!!(

So you admit your a hypocrite that solves his issues with violence. Ok. Good to know.

yea....because these back and forth finger pointing's is reeeeeally helping things or in the interest of this topic....

Common guys.

Jedi Up.

Personally I have my own opinions on......All of that.....But im not going to go flinging my poop at all of you, or anyone else. That's mine. That's personal. None of you need to be a party to it. What matters is what we do all share as Jedi. And that is the Jedi Code and the conducts, doctrines and behaviors of Jedi. We are here to learn...lets try and return to that.

Trisskar wrote: Common guys.

Jedi Up.

What does that even mean? No one has ever been able to even define what a "Jedi" is so what does this imply? What makes your version of "jediing up" better than mine?

The powers that be allow the common endorsement of assassination to stand on this board with no comment and yet I am the bad guy for calling it out? what if Silas called for the assissination of the founders of this temple because he did not agree with their philosophies? Would that go unnoticed as well?

That would be a pretty pathetic state of affairs in my opinion and maybe those powers would reap what they had sewn as is the way of the competition inherant in life itself. However I, for one, choose to stand and call out tyranny and injustice and intolerance when it rears its ugly head in my direction. And if necessary I will even take up arms and fight against it whenever it manifests. Thats just who I am as a JEDI!

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote:

Trisskar wrote: Common guys.

Jedi Up.

What does that even mean? No one has ever been able to even define what a "Jedi" is so what does this imply? What makes your version of "jediing up" better than mine?

The powers that be allow the common endorsement of assassination to stand on this board with no comment and yet I am the bad guy for calling it out? what if Silas called for the assissination of the founders of this temple because he did not agree with their philosophies? Would that go unnoticed as well?

That would be a pretty pathetic state of affairs in my opinion and maybe those powers would reap what they had sewn as is the way of the competition inherant in life itself. However I, for one, choose to stand and call out tyranny and injustice and intolerance when it rears its ugly head in my direction. And if necessary I will even take up arms and fight against it whenever it manifests. Thats just who I am as a JEDI!

One can call out and point out these things without name calling or anger. Further, no one has defined what a Jedi is? Someone that follows the teachings of one of a large array of schools of Jediism, however, looking at them the teachings are all pretty similar so yea what a Jedi is, is fairly defined. Finally getting mad because people let a youngling bluster and do what younglings do is silly.Heck, are we not doing the very job you call on the "powers that be" to do? Could it be that the Knights and other leadership such as the Council are letting Silas's peers correct him and both sides learn needed lessons? I might get snarky from time to time on this board but It's been a while since I have responded to anyone in real anger. THAT is what Trisskar means by Jedi up. One can respond and refute without anger.

IMO application of rule enforcement works well when leniency is applied initially - to ensure a capacity for ignorance to be absorbed most easily, but moderators are not baby sitters, and people who know better are not necessarily held to higher standards but rather the application and enforcement might differ because the context becomes more informed about the intention behind the violation. In other words, don't dig a hole you don't want to climb out of, or get buried in. Mods are not here to clean you up after you walk in the house throwing mud. Be genuine why you are here, and Jedi Up. I'd say its a type of appropriate focus, and a suitable baseline for what that might mean... 'grow up' works in the absence of anything else.