Jediism and drinking

Brandon H.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2018

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Let me start by saying that I don’t know Daniel M Jones. Other than this book, my exposure to him is limited to one or two interviews he’s given. So, it’s entirely possible that the impression the book gives of Daniel M Jones and the real Daniel M Jones are two very different things.

That said this book was terrible and does very little to convey an accurate picture of the Jedi
Community, it’s history or it’s core beliefs. So, if you’re considering this book because you’re looking for insight into real world Jedi philosophy and teachings, I’d advise you to turn to the internet instead.

The problems seem to arise from the fact that Jones appears to be very ego driven. He read some new age books, and then was inspired by a conversation with a co-worker to start his own church. However, while one would assume that someone starting their own philosophical system would initially focus on discussion and finding a place to work out their new faith, Jones instead decides to put out a press release. He then does an interview and is then upset that the interview did not immediately turn into more attention. This all points to Jones failing to take real time to consider and explore before jumping in and wanting to be the poster boy for real world Jedi (Jones even concedes when he has been confronted by Jedi who have been in the community longer than he has, or who disagree with him that he has the reaction of “do you know who I am? I put Jediism on the map, not you guys”... except the Jedi path isn’t one of seeking fame).

The fact that the early parts of the book are filled with superlatives about Jones, which I can’t help but be shocked that co-author Theresa Cheung didn’t cut or tone down, sets up what seems to be the true nature of Jones very quickly - He appears to want attention. He wants to be recognized. He wants the credit, whether he deserves it or not.

The fact of the matter is the the real world Jedi community is more than 20 years old, significantly predating Jones. Conspicuously Jones does everything he can to skirt that issue (“As far as I was aware when I founded the Church of Jediism there were no other Jedi organizations. I believe I was the first to form an online group of note in 2007”) which seems ridiculous when Google is a thing that exists, and Jones could fact check that real word Jedi had been operating on line for years prior to Church of Jediism.

That notwithstanding, what Jones offers in this book feels like little more than bad science and rehashed tropes from a million bad new age books (he actually touches on Indigo Children and the Law of Attraction stuff presented in The Secret, to give a couple well known examples) which have nothing to do with actual Jedi philosophy. You won’t find anything here that you haven’t seen elsewhere. It’s all fluffy feel good philosophy that isn’t going to do anything to bring you closer to being like the Jedi presented in the films. There’s nothing here to get you past your ego. To really build toward empathy. To work at making you better and more “in tune”. To get you go be more conscientious and service oriented.

It’s just fluffy tropes.

I would seriously advise against this book. It’s not going to lead you down the Jedi path. It’s nothing new. It really feels like it’s just another chance for the author to get some attention. And really, I don’t mean to present this as a gripe session about the author, but it’s frustrating when about half of each chapter is Jones recounting stories from his life about founding his church, or doing press for his church, or how special and unique he was as a child. These stories aren’t on point anecdotes. The book doesn’t need them. And it only feels like they exist to spotlight the author over the material.

I wish Jones the best. And I sincerely hope that the path he’s found helps him, but I can’t recommend this book to someone who is interested in learning more about the Jedi path.

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