Why call yourself a Jedi?

Manu wrote: Be the change you want to see. If the title of Jedi is irrelevant, then start more posts that are relevant to your spiritual journey of universal enlightenment and self-knowledge. You certainly are astute. Go for it.

I post exactly the correct amount of new threads and reply in existing threads exactly as often as I deem is relevant to me in this path. What change are you implying i want to see?

Adder wrote: A very personal meaning, and indeed therefore the most powerful!

But if you cant see that "title" reflected back to you from the world around you what does it really mean? I could call myself the illustrious potentate of the free world but if there is no definition of that and no context for its base meaning it just becomes irrelevant drivel.

JamesSand wrote:
....I can rock up here and type "Today I gave a cold person the shirt off my back, turned down a promotion for someone who needed it more, and worked until midnight, in the rain, repairing a local school. Oh, and I live on a diet of organic brown rice, with no sauce. Am I the Best Jedi Ever, or what?"

And no one can prove whether I'm lying or not.

Replace a few of those "I's" with "we's" and you will begin to get closer to some of my meaning.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote:

Adder wrote: A very personal meaning, and indeed therefore the most powerful!

But if you cant see that "title" reflected back to you from the world around you what does it really mean? I could call myself the illustrious potentate of the free world but if there is no definition of that and no context for its base meaning it just becomes irrelevant drivel.

In that circumstance I'd say it's effectiveness depends what the title means to the person and then what it means to others. Because how rigid does a person need it to be, and how certain does the audience need to understand it, for it to work that way!? I would wonder what is it even achieving. Life is too complex to have someone standing over in judgement. Sure, it can be applied in places during training to good effect, and it can be faked to stroke egos..... but if a person needed external validation for their path, then they should probably ensure the title has a clear definition and understanding in those its being sought from - otherwise its going to be a lot of mixed messages potentially.

For Jedi, there is the shared themes in the various doctrines, and the fiction, and here we also use the basis that the fiction was derived from mythology and therefore perhaps the psychology of being alive. It has a hook to the broader awareness via the popular fiction, but this then is an opportunity to go deeper into what the fiction originally was about ie Jediism, the path of the Jedi.

But with religious freedom comes the opportunity to call oneself irrelevant drivel if they really wanted to, as it does not matter what others think of someones spiritual application so much because most usually IMO the lasting spiritual empowerment seems to come from within. If you can find support for this process among others then that is just a huge bonus. But putting it the other way around sounds a bit cultish to me and might form dependencies on that external validation or support as the basis of ones experience and growth. These are just my observations and opinions though, so I love to hear other peoples.

Hm... I call myself a Jedi because those were the ideals I fell in love with and were so inspired by as a child. Their willingness and drive to battle the dark, the evil. With what I went through as a kid, I wonder if it was their steadfast strength and warrior ethos that I wished I could have had. That maybe I could have protected my siblings better, or even myself.

Long story short, a character I made named Kamizu, who became a kind of alter-ego and defensive mechanism, had been many things through his many different stories, but has been a Jedi exclusively for the last five or six years. I came here in hopes to fill some of the holes I had in my life. I took his name and his title here to combine the two of us.

I call myself a Jedi because it inspires pride in myself. The fuel I need to support the change I want to make.
I call myself a Jedi because I have pride in many of the people who call themselves Jedi at TotJO and across the greater community. My mentors and role models, when they're not fictional, are real life Jedi.

I call myself other things too. Warrior, Mother, Airman, Crafter, and more, but all these things are apart of who I am as a Jedi.

While trying to consider this question objectively, the idea of the name Jedi occurred to me as it being a sort of symbol or sign. I fancied it being an outward sign of inward essence. Sure everyone who calls themselves a Jedi should as such remain true to themselves (otherwise this would be no more than just a play or blatent lie), but is there not more to this than just each and every mans or woman's interpretation of the name Jedi? Is it not also about how that name is interpreted by outsiders, otherwise the word Jedi could be replaced by another such as "a brick"? What use is there in presenting a name or idea or ideal if there is no one there to hear or understand it? But if the name Jedi just boils down to personal interpretation then it is no wonder if we are met at best with confusion and at worst with dicredibility. Neither the bearer of that name nor their counterpart will really ever know as to why that name is used, nor what it actually stands for. This unfortunately has and still is one of the general religious favorite pass times, endless discussions on what christianity, Buddhism, religious institutions... are. So if a Jedi identity gets lost in the microcosmic detail, maybe it could explain itself both to the carrier as well as to the recipient in a more spacious macrocosmic collective. In other words, the collective idea of Jediism could be made credible, understandable through the lives of sincere men and women who believe in this. Just a thought.

I call myself a Jedi because I agree with a good portion of the doctrine. I believe what I wrote in my sermon "Aspire" expresses my feelings about this as adequately as is possible...

The life of a Jedi is no small thing...

Thousands of individuals have taken the mantle as their own, not fully understanding the significance that is attached.

To be Jedi is no small task, as it is a life centered around the service of others, for it is in giving that we receive.

To be Jedi is not only about reminding ourselves to be mindful, but to resist the baleful influences within the chaotic world in which we live. And that is one of the most difficult challenges a Jedi will ever face, and sometimes, sometimes we face it alone.
Being surrounded by family and friends certainly helps enduring troubling times, but a Jedi cannot always expect to lean on others in times of turmoil. On your worst day, when no one is there to lift you from the pit of despair, will you have the faith and strength to persevere?

A Jedi should often reflect on why he or she has chosen this path, and be ever so mindful of the trials and tribulations that follow a life of service. It is far from an easy path to walk.

To Resist the hate in the world, and temper it with love.

To forgive those who have wronged ourselves or others.

To restore faith in a world ridden with doubt.

To offer hope to those drowning in melancholy.

To shine as beacons in the darkest of nights.

The life of a Jedi is no small thing indeed.

Courage, Compassion, Empathy, Loyalty, and Honor...

These virtues we hold dear, cherish and are guided by that which we aspire to become...

Adder wrote: In that circumstance I'd say it's effectiveness depends what the title means to the person and then what it means to others. Because how rigid does a person need it to be, and how certain does the audience need to understand it, for it to work that way!? I would wonder what is it even achieving. Life is too complex to have someone standing over in judgement. Sure, it can be applied in places during training to good effect, and it can be faked to stroke egos..... but if a person needed external validation for their path, then they should probably ensure the title has a clear definition and understanding in those its being sought from - otherwise its going to be a lot of mixed messages potentially...
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I think there is a huge misinterpretation in the distinction of terms. For me, there can be no such thing as the title of "Jedi". Instead there is only the path of the "Jedi Way." I am not a Jedi, I only follow the way of Jedi.

It would be the same for the Samurai's and the Bushido code for example. I can never hold the title of Samurai for several reasons. The first and foremost being that the title was abolished over 100 years ago. Secondly there is no one left qualified to train anyone as a Samurai or conduct the trials required of a Samurai. Thirdly it would be the height of disrespect to the title to just decide you are a Samurai and begin calling yourself that. However that does not mean that you cannot follow the Bushido code of the Samurai. This is the code of conduct held by a "true warrior" that states one must hold loyalty, courage, veracity, compassion, and honor as important above all else. Also an appreciation and respect of all life was imperative as well because it adds balance to the warriors life.

The term Jedi is a bit more convoluted because it depicts not only a title (similar to Samurai) but it also depicts a path or way or code (similar to Bushido). But similar to the title Samurai, the title Jedi can never be bestowed upon another because the title is not real. It does not exist outside of a movie and there is no one in real life that is qualified to train or conduct the trials necessary to bestow the title on another. However that does not mean that, like Bushido, one cannot follow the Jedi path. And in this I do not mean the doctrine this temple or any other temple puts forth or any code or creed that was taken from a role play book. What I am talking about in this context is a blending of the very core of real life philosophies that the Jedi way was created from. Namely the selective syncretic blending of philosophies and codes we find in Bushido, Shinto, chivalry, Hinduism, Taoism... etc. We each individually examine these things and take the ones that speak to us and blend them seamlessly into our individual paths we call the "Jedi Path" collectively.

It is only through this process that we can find a common base in our chosen spirituality. No title ever taken will give you this, only hard work and perseverance and patience. I am reminded of an ancient tale in this. One day a young boy approached his father who was a great Samurai warrior. The boy asked his father, "When can I become a Samurai like you"? The father replied, "To be called Samurai is not something to strive for, instead you should strive simply to be an honorable warrior. The boy then asked "Father, when do you become a warrior?" The father replied, "When you start acting like one".

I wanted to write response before reading through the entire thread so i can use only my point of perspective. So, here goes, I call myself a Jedi for the very reason many do, the doctrine here is not treated as such in typical religious doctrine the truth of the force is that which is true to you and how you feel it.. That is accepted here. I have studied a lot of religions and honestly the code and doctrine here are simply the base of all of them smelted down into a simplified version. I also call myself a Jedi within terms of what the word means to me (mythology aside yet intertwined) it is that of any term it seems to me to represent what I want of life. To be objective and helpful, to be kind yet strong, to be vigilant yet accepting, to be at peace and yet ready to fight, to experience and yet observe. I also call myself by this term because it is fitting that there is a community of like minded individuals though whom we have a different set of opinions values and experiences we reach and strive to live upon a set of values not defined by the normality of society but by the conciseness of the group and of the individual very rare without retribution in today's world of Us vs Them.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: I think there is a huge misinterpretation in the distinction of terms. For me, there can be no such thing as the title of "Jedi". Instead there is only the path of the "Jedi Way." I am not a Jedi, I only follow the way of Jedi.

It would be the same for the Samurai's and the Bushido code for example. I can never hold the title of Samurai for several reasons. The first and foremost being that the title was abolished over 100 years ago. Secondly there is no one left qualified to train anyone as a Samurai or conduct the trials required of a Samurai. Thirdly it would be the height of disrespect to the title to just decide you are a Samurai and begin calling yourself that. However that does not mean that you cannot follow the Bushido code of the Samurai. This is the code of conduct held by a "true warrior" that states one must hold loyalty, courage, veracity, compassion, and honor as important above all else. Also an appreciation and respect of all life was imperative as well because it adds balance to the warriors life.

The term Jedi is a bit more convoluted because it depicts not only a title (similar to Samurai) but it also depicts a path or way or code (similar to Bushido). But similar to the title Samurai, the title Jedi can never be bestowed upon another because the title is not real. It does not exist outside of a movie and there is no one in real life that is qualified to train or conduct the trials necessary to bestow the title on another. However that does not mean that, like Bushido, one cannot follow the Jedi path. And in this I do not mean the doctrine this temple or any other temple puts forth or any code or creed that was taken from a role play book. What I am talking about in this context is a blending of the very core of real life philosophies that the Jedi way was created from. Namely the selective syncretic blending of philosophies and codes we find in Bushido, Shinto, chivalry, Hinduism, Taoism... etc. We each individually examine these things and take the ones that speak to us and blend them seamlessly into our individual paths we call the "Jedi Path" collectively.

It is only through this process that we can find a common base in our chosen spirituality. No title ever taken will give you this, only hard work and perseverance and patience. I am reminded of an ancient tale in this. One day a young boy approached his father who was a great Samurai warrior. The boy asked his father, "When can I become a Samurai like you"? The father replied, "To be called Samurai is not something to strive for, instead you should strive simply to be an honorable warrior. The boy then asked "Father, when do you become a warrior?" The father replied, "When you start acting like one".

A follower of Jediism, the Jedi way or path, might as well be a Jedi - as that can be what makes it real, the actions of its members. So I agree to an extent, but do not put so much emphasis on what other people think, for the prior stated reasons. Otherwise the only Jedi would be actors playing the part, which I think is much less Jedi.

But don't forget there is the potential to discriminate between Jedi and Jedi Knight also, not for what the Temple uses to define it but for ones own standards of meeting ones own expectations. For example, one could consider oneself a Jedi while trying to stabilize focus into where the doctrine/etc points, but might decide to only consider themselves a Jedi Knight once making tangible and material progress in thought and action through putting it to test in living life. At that point a person might better be able to expect and understand how other people notice the difference in their conduct - even if they don't know what name to call it.

Perhaps that is what Apprenticeship should ideally try to provide, an opportunity for that appreciation and acceptance ie your ancient tales Father and Son.... but I cannot imagine it could be expected from outside the community. Any title is either going to be existing known, existing unknown or new and unknown, so at least with Jedi its existing known if not exactly accurate and therefore a foundation for understanding. It might be better to have some foundation to allow conversation rather then no foundation at all as the other two types are both unknowns. It's an interesting topic!!