The force

ThefirstSaijin wrote: Yes you can be too positive.

Example?

THE JEDI ARE WEAK

ThefirstSaijin wrote: Yes you can be too positive. Though it is easier to be blinded by the dark side, you can be blinded by the light. You have to realize that there will always be sorrow, hunger, poverty, and ultimately negative energy. Once you truly can grasp that and understand that it is easy to balance with the dark

But is it the Force that's dark? Or your own perspective of the world around you? And if it's your own perspective, what does that have to do with The Force?

And I think that what you're describing is not "being too positive" but simply being mindless and unaware.

Yes. Live for peace, be prepared for war.

You have to acknowledge that there will always be war. There will always be sorrow. There will always be conflict. If you are so naive to think that there isn't than you should sit down and take a minute to reevaluate. Always strive for peace. But be prepared for when the inevitable happens.

ThefirstSaijin wrote: Yes. Live for peace, be prepared for war.

You have to acknowledge that there will always be war. There will always be sorrow. There will always be conflict. If you are so naive to think that there isn't than you should sit down and take a minute to reevaluate. Always strive for peace. But be prepared for when the inevitable happens.

So when you speak of positive and negative, you refer to your own worldview, rather than positive or negative manifestations of energy?

I believe that the Force is just one of many ways of talking about the panentheistic reality of the cosmos. The Force exists beyond the physical world, but also permeates it and binds it together. As for the Light/Dark relationship, I have come to believe the following.

Let's think of the Force like a body. The Dark Side, as I've come to know it, is like cancer in the body of the Force. While it is, by definition, made of the body it is a mutation or corruption that is indicative of illness or imbalance in the body. Cancer, in the human body, is naturally killed off all the time, but sometimes the body can become overwhelmed and it grows beyond control. Our body's pH and even the amount of oxygen are important to maintain at proper homeostasis in order to be healthy, but when the body becomes more acidic and the levels of oxygen drop it creates the conditions which give cancer the chance to outgrow our immune system. Emotions like fear, anger, hatred, and resentment are the fuel which create the imbalanced conditions in the Body of the Force - these are the emotions which are harnessed in order to draw the power of the Dark Side. As a recovering addict, I can tell you that ultimately drugs start using you rather than the other way around; it is the same with emotions like anger which are like a bump of cocaine - quick jolt of energy, but rough come down. You weren't using the emotion, it was the other way around, and you can tell because most people often report feeling exhausted or used up after intense bouts of anger - I know this was the case for me

Choosing to respond to emotions of desire and fear condition us to always respond in this manner, thus it becomes difficult to break the habit. We're taught that we ought to be the ones making decisions, consciously. This is the whole point of mindfulness exercises that are encouraged by the Temple. It's all about building habits, as they become the path of least resistance. Embracing the negative emotions creates a path of least resistance to acting in that particular way. Just look around you at the world today, and you can see how there are people in your life who've gotten used to having a hyper-emotional response to everything. Heck, at this point people are monetizing their hyper-emotional outbursts in the form of blogs, and they receive praise to bolster their belief that these over-reactions are the best course of action. Now, we see a breakdown in the ability of people to communicate effectively, and more and more we see the consequences which come with choosing the path of the Dark Side.

Nai_Elyob wrote: ... Emotions like fear, anger, hatred, and resentment are the fuel which create the imbalanced conditions in the Body of the Force - these are the emotions which are harnessed in order to draw the power of the Dark Side...

Do you not see any positive effects of these emotions? Are you suggesting they need to be suppressed or otherwise eradicated from our psyche as much as possible? In other words, do you think there is no "light side" to these emotions that also provide a positive benefit or a dark side to what could be commonly considered positive emotions like love or compassion etc?

crazy question do you think your thoughts can influence the force or do you think the force has deceived you and you think it's you're actually your own will when it's not
I apologize about the English my phone will not let me correct it after I speak into it

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: Do you not see any positive effects of these emotions? Are you suggesting they need to be suppressed or otherwise eradicated from our psyche as much as possible? In other words, do you think there is no "light side" to these emotions that also provide a positive benefit or a dark side to what could be commonly considered positive emotions like love or compassion etc?

Lot of leading questions there, Kyrin...

Positive effects or not, I'm interested in long term results and habits. I'm not suggesting they be suppressed or eradicated, but rather that one rise above them when playing the role of a mindful actor like the lessons of Buddhism and other world religions teach about higher consciousness. Though, I suspect you're preparing a lecture on the benefits of those emotions and the evils of love and compassion. Unfortunately, I'm not interested in being a creature moved by desires or fears - I'm trying to grow beyond all that, it's the whole point of this process I've engaged upon in Jediism. I've done the whole dance of talking about the good things that come from anger and hate, and the bad things that come from love and compassion - that was the me of my early twenties. Not interested in that perspective anymore.

Nai_Elyob wrote:
Lot of leading questions there, Kyrin....

No, not leading at all, mearly food for thought. I have no "lecture" prepared. You seem to have it figured out anyway and thats fine. I will leave you just one piece of advice. Our paths are long and winding, often times crossing over themselves. So its important to never replace age with wisdom or we may miss those opportunities to reexamine ourselves.