Competition & Conflict

Nature is in constant conflict. Almost every life form on the planet seems to have to compete and that competition for survival results in the forms life takes expressing new abilities and greater proficiencies.

I think, sometimes competition is viewed as a negative and a lot of people (in my opinion) naturally seem more drawn to what they think is the darkside or at least some measure of "grey" because their ideal picture of a light side Jedi is one that maybe shuns competition in which offence and defense are both important.

So what about you? How do you think about the light side in terms of competition and conflict? Are they mutually exclusive? Incompatible? How do you feel about it?

Unavoidable. If we aren't competing with someone else we should be competing with ourselves.

Taking it to a dark place is human. Learning it doesn't have to be is divine.

I see competition and conflict as two very different things.

So, competition first. I think that's probably avoidable though it would take a lot of work for me, and probably most humans, to get to a place of not ever competing with each other and ourselves. I think ultimately a cooperative rather than competitive approach is probably best.

Conflict, on the other hand, I don't think is avoidable. But that's ok. That's good, actually. When two opposing forces meet, new things are born. I think we can have conflict with making it personal, though. We can say "hey, idea A and idea B are in conflict with each other, let's explore that and see if we can find some underlying truth." Substitute "idea" for any noun and I reckon you can do the same thing.

It isn't the concepts themselves that are "light" or "dark". It's our interpretation. The way we act upon them. What we decide to do with them.

Conflict means there's an unresolved issue somewhere - in the environment, in social circles, in ourselves. It's not conflict itself that should be addressed or even cursed. It's a mere messenger, not the problem. We will not find peace until the root is resolved, no matter how much band aid we are sticking on the surface.
I believe this is why our world is tormented my conflict right now. We are focusing on the symptoms - which is again, a symptom of something even deeper.

And competition can make us sharp, if we learn how to handle it. It helps bring the best out of us and others. Consider it a form of growth. We need to learn when it's best to cooperate, but also when to compete - and more importantly: how to compete. It doesn't have to be a rush to the top while keeping others down. You will never know what you are capable of until you challenge yourself.

To a fighter, the world looks ready for a squab.(Here this term is a street term I use from the scraps or the fights that would happen in the road or in a public place) To a farmer, the world looks ready. To a pacifist, things are ready.

There is a lesson I do give to my apprentices here, Its called the No contest contest. I will tell any one any time and by mere look, you can tell when people have been in a few scraps. Some have not.
Most conflict can be the focus of things or we can have other ideas to think about. Conflict isn't a bad thing as we all know. Some times our focus can be all in or all out. It is up to us most time and every Modern day Jedi to choose or to be that which they choose to be. Looking for a fight, we all know those Modern day Jedi .... combative even. In our search for things, I would encourage every Modern day Jedi with that "fight" in em to sit down for a bit. That's the advice, that's all.

A lot of what I have seen over the years is that “light” Jediism is “good” and conflict, hate, selfishness, destruction… anything not “light” is the DARK side. Woo~oo~ooo :whistle:

If I were asked, we all have light and dark in each of us. What we choose and how we live our lives will determine what side people see in us. Our own opinion of what we are is irrelevant.

Conflict is the natural order of the universe. Life brings about death and death brings about life. Creation and destruction happen at the same time. When something on the Macro dies, life is abundant on the Micro. When the Micro proliferates the Macro flourishes due to the abundant resources. The two always in constant conflict and symbiosis. In the Lion King, Mufasa has this conversation with Simba and I thought it was explained very well.

So the question I would ask, “is what I do for the benefit of others, or myself?”

Then, one has to realize that one must do some things for their own benefit so they have the means to be of benefit to others. The difference here is, is what you do ultimately for your benefit or for yours alone?

And by that same argument, the Nazi believed that what they were doing was for the benefit of their people. But as we all know they were not “good”. Why? Because what we do for others cannot come at another’s expense. There is a difference between force and violence. The ends do not justify the means. And only right thought, action and outcome will leave a positive impression on history. Because it is the future that will judge us.

" I think we should go into this question very carefully because there is not one spot in our consciousness untouched by conflict. In all our relationships, whether with the most intimate person or with a neighbor or with society, this conflict exists - conflict being contradiction, a state of division, separation, a duality. Observing ourselves and our relationships to society we see at all levels of our being there is conflict - minor or major conflict which brings about very superficial responses or devastating results.

Man has accepted conflict as an innate part of daily existence because he has
accepted competition, jealousy, greed, acquisitiveness and aggression as a natural way of life. When we accept such a way of life we accept the structure of society as it is and live within the pattern of respectability. And that is what most of us are caught in
because most of us want to be terribly respectable. When we examine our own minds and hearts, the way we think, the way we feel and how we act in our daily lives, we observe that as long as we
conform to the pattern of society, life must be a battlefield. If we do not accept it - a
nd no religious person can possibly accept such a society - then we will be
completely free from the psychological structure of society."

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dtao6f14mlj9uwp/AACjaJ1J6vBHJv_YmX5u9KaOa/Miscellaneous?dl=0&preview=Freedom_from_the_Known.pdf&subfolder_nav_tracking=1

Chapter 7 Freedom from the Known BY Jiddu Krishnamurti in our very own library.
https://www.templeofthejediorder.org/library
There is more if your curious...
*Jedi wink
..from Pastor Carlos and HARD HEDAED Carlos, same guy some times. Worth a look see any ways.

All very excellent and outstanding responses.

ZealotX wrote: Nature is in constant conflict. Almost every life form on the planet seems to have to compete and that competition for survival results in the forms life takes expressing new abilities and greater proficiencies.

I think, sometimes competition is viewed as a negative and a lot of people (in my opinion) naturally seem more drawn to what they think is the darkside or at least some measure of "grey" because their ideal picture of a light side Jedi is one that maybe shuns competition in which offence and defense are both important.

So what about you? How do you think about the light side in terms of competition and conflict? Are they mutually exclusive? Incompatible? How do you feel about it?

You are spot on with your thought (bold added by me). Many a Jedi pushing to make Jediism a modern version of asceticism is exactly why Sithism was born as a countermovement to such escapist views.

Competition is natural. Conflict is unavoidable. To the Krishnamurti point of view, I would add "be careful what you compete for"

I think that, like most things, both conflict and competition are inherently part of life and the human experience. It’s what we make them mean and the judgement we add when we engage in them that creates the problems.

But as the saying goes “one cannot fight alone” so in our daily lives we do get to chose the conflict we engage in.