Sith

It sounds like the people you've been hearing are taking their definition of Sith literally from the stories. In my experience, a lot of people come in here with certain expectations, both of what it means to be a Jedi and what it means to be a Sith. The fiction holds some good lessons, but it is just a story. As Trisskar recently said of the book The Jedi Path, "One just has to look between the lines."

People will keep doing it. Tzb is completely right. These labels hold baggage. Just keep educating them.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: So a question comes out of this discussion. Do you think there can be balance in ones life that encompasses both the Jedi and Sith Philosophy. That balance being one of having both a more self centered, focus on personal outcome in areas that drive one personally as well as focus on the journey and how it affects the all in the individual moment?

I think a common misconception of the Jedi Code based on the interpretations of the films and other related media is that the Jedi are about self-abnegation. While I can see to some extent how that might be one way of interpreting the Code, certainly when contextualized with other Eastern traditions, I do not believe that caring for the self is mutually exclusive from being selfless. Part of me thinks it is about motivation, and the emotions that fuel our efforts. Doing things out of a desire to help others, rather than glorifying the ego, for example. Our actions that are moved by love and compassion, rather than anger or hatred, will always have more lasting impact and be more personally rewarding.

Gwinn wrote: It sounds like the people you've been hearing are taking their definition of Sith literally from the stories. In my experience, a lot of people come in here with certain expectations, both of what it means to be a Jedi and what it means to be a Sith. The fiction holds some good lessons, but it is just a story. As Trisskar recently said of the book The Jedi Path, "One just has to look between the lines."

People will keep doing it. Tzb is completely right. These labels hold baggage. Just keep educating them.

I absolutely agree with this sentiment. The mythos of Star Wars can only be relied on up to a certain point. What I find, though, is that the lessons taught in Star Wars are a universal in many ways - you find the same overarching theme of selflessness vs selfishness in many cultures on the planet. Generosity and Kindness are always the path to success, whereas greed and cruelty lead you to misery. When you look at the inherent focus on the self in the Sith Code, it really lends to the interpretation of that way of thinking as ultimately selfish and inevitably self destructive. Often repeated expressions found in geographically isolated areas, to me, constitutes wisdom to me.

In the stories, those who embrace the Dark Side are corrupted by the nature of the power they use even moreso than by the emotions they embrace. So, no, it's not like people claiming the title Sith in our reality will not have their eyes turn yellow or their skin grow pale and vein-y. Yet, I find that those who are quick to anger wind up letting that emotion become a reflexive reaction to stimuli in the real world. They're quick to accuse and look for an external source to a problem without realizing that, often, their own hyper-reaction only exacerbates the situation they are in. All this comes from my own experience being the kind of person who reacted with anger to my own problems in life, and also in my observations of others I know personally and even see online.

Lexi Reklaw wrote: Most of us here lie on the neutral or grey side of the force.

I'm open to hearing other peoples opinions/praise/shunning on this, as this is meant to be a discussion and I am interested to hear the opinion of others.

I have knowledge on a few styles of philosophy.. some are ''very dark'', and others are ''light'', neither is rewarding when realizing that everything we can use/learn requires application to determine how we experience its effects, so I would conciser myself ''light''. Having that said, Sith come in a wide variation, just like Jedi. Could it be that the only difference between a Jedi and a Sith is its way of communicating between other Jedi/Sith rather than a difference in communicating with non-Jedi/non-Sith? :huh:

I live with a with a sith mentality daily. It is not the only idea at lives in me. So many times I read well its one or the other, I don't subscribe to that. My Jedi ism let's me choose. To many times in my life I thought it was one or the other black or white, it doesn't have to be. Sith contain justified absolutes, able to sustain in in sustainable times, been there don't that . not my choice now, to be the example others need ... To be the here's a few ...other ways .... If... U wanna try ... Is my goal. The more I reach and plan for this the more that ...light...itnisna light... Fades from my space. It comes to choices . make yours regardless of what ...should be or what's absolute... You can make a choice. ...I fight for the users... For those who seem lost in that world like me , I couldn't see past my nose some days, now my choice is to show the light that's possible... Not glory in the carnage I've left behind. I'm carful what and how I build, and plant... We all should be aware of what we put in our self's... Light or dark..

@ codex
Communication is vital to humans and interaction. If open, any form will create a bond. We choose to create them. We choose to not. Sith n light ...I live and balance a great opertunity is in both sides. Judgment can't come from me. My Jedi ism says seek...find... So wouldn't anything I find...light dark red yellow calm fierce be up to the one who finds it and up to them really? The lines are what we draw . The labels are our doing. So have you found strength in hard times or faith when there's no faith? Sith or light? .... In Jedi ism when you find when you seek its called learning. Change some of the lines n labels every day if u can ... It helps understand more

carlos.martinez3 wrote: The labels are our doing. So have you found strength in hard times or faith when there's no faith? Change some of the lines n labels every day if u can ... It helps understand more

The games of Black and White are familiar, no worries. I am not sure about my strengths Carlos.. but that is a discussion not suited for this topic.. In our world of duality labels are created by our mind, changing them is difficult but I will try to, if you think it would help me.

It did me... no longer do I say things arearethis and that black n white, I say they can be. Literally this includes ...hope or ability not no...but a yes , open to anything and anyone. The human potential is avalible always in everyone. Every day. Keep on Codex blaze the trail!!!


No light or dark just... Do. There are benifits! Labels ... Let them fall off

Mehh
( photo from You are special by Max L)

You ever consider another order, Lexi? Say Order of the Sith (OotS) or Force Academy's (FA) Dark Aspect (you might already be there, I just can't remember seeing your name on either, or if you're under another name ).

I rather like your interpretation of the Sith Code. But I will say it's not exactly unique like some of the other people have led you to believe in here.

For those of you arguing that the Star Wars Sith are something that people need to consider when they become Sith- who cares about Star Wars? It might be the inspiration, but even ToTJO has moved beyond the Star Wars references concerning Jedi. So let's not compare the the two as being realistically how the archetypes translate into the real world.

The Sith do tend to work more on what their passions are. As the saying goes "Darkness is about the individual." (Lord Richard Irvine, Force Academy, Former Head of the Dark Aspect). If we reduced the same to what Jedi are, this very line would read something like "Light is about the world". FA might go a bit further and specify it's about the Community, but given that it has been argued here a Jedi's journey may consist of working in an animal refuge, we'll say "world". After talking with Pelar this past week, I could reduce the Shadow to "Shadow is about exploration."

Yes, being a Sith can be selfish, but selfishness doesn't mean you can't be beneficial to others. Your selfishness might lead you to become a nurse (Khaos is a very good example of this). Your selfishness might lead you to become a mentor to others (Miles over at FA and OotS). Your selfishness might lead to you getting yourself in shape so you can attract a woman (I don't actually have an example of someone for that, lol). It's best to understand that selfishness is not a bad thing in and of itself.

I find it difficult to grasp that someone who is as selfish as they proclaim themselves to be would seek to be a nurse or a mentor. Neither of those goals are particularly focuses on the self - they're about taking care of or encouraging others. Both are rather thankless positions. Who honestly wants to work with blood and urine and the ill or dying in the name of themselves?