Darkness

The Dark Side- so many people hear this and immediately think \"evil.\" But is that description a just one? Is EVERYONE who turns to the Dark Side evil, or just confused and alone? As I have strayed towards the Dark Side before, I understand what those who go down that path are feeling. Yes, they dwell on the negativity of life's problematic situations, but that is only because they have not been shown how to focus on the positive. Now, my next statement might seem a tad bit random; I feel that, at least in MY Jedi path, I need to be mindful of the Dark Side and RESPECT it. There are a lot of good lessons to be learned from negative emotions just as there are lessons to be learned from good. Do not worry- I am not going to turn to the Dark Side. Please, when responding, do not include anything on Jedi Doctrine or Creed- this is my own individual thought...

I think your question is a just one. One word can mean as many different things as there are interpretations. I would also agree with you that the Dark side is very much an introverted aspect. To always project it as being the \"evil\" can tend to fantastasise (alienate) the matter, leaving out the everyday problems we are faced with. To try to live a life in the Light, it would be foolish not to be aware of the Dark side. But my \"will\" is focused on the Light. (It wasn`t easy but I restrained myself from quoting from the code...!)

I am glad to see you opening up and expressing yourself. It all helps on the road to recovery from the demons that haunt you. I somewhat agree with you statements. We do need to respect ALL of our feelings, not edit them or just pick and choose which ones we like and which ones we don't. We are not meant to NOT have emotions, just control them and not let them rule our lives. The dark side, whether you look at it as something real or figurative is there to feed on our negativity. It's time to put the dark side on a diet and let our emotions create a positive impact in our minds and lives. Whether its anger or jealousy or anything else, don't lock those feelings up. Use them to center yourself instead of destroying anything positive you may created. We as Jedi are not meant to be emotionless robots, we just need to be:

3. Jedi must maintain a clear mind; this is achieved through meditation and contemplation. Our minds can become cluttered and infected by forces and attitudes that we encounter every day, and must be purged of these unnecessary elements on a daily basis.

4. As Jedi, we are mindful of our thoughts... we focus our thoughts on the positive. The positive energy of the force is healthy for the mind, body and spirit.

joshakin wrote:

The Dark Side- so many people hear this and immediately think \"evil.\" But is that description a just one? Is EVERYONE who turns to the Dark Side evil, or just confused and alone? As I have strayed towards the Dark Side before, I understand what those who go down that path are feeling. Yes, they dwell on the negativity of life's problematic situations, but that is only because they have not been shown how to focus on the positive. Now, my next statement might seem a tad bit random; I feel that, at least in MY Jedi path, I need to be mindful of the Dark Side and RESPECT it. There are a lot of good lessons to be learned from negative emotions just as there are lessons to be learned from good. Do not worry- I am not going to turn to the Dark Side. Please, when responding, do not include anything on Jedi Doctrine or Creed- this is my own individual thought...

An interesting request to say the least...Do not quote the code or Doctrine? I'm curious...Does the code or Doctrine not influence Your practice of Jediism?

This is true, the Jedi Code, Creed, and Doctrine are supportive information that go hand in hand with my personal, individual thoughts. Before they were a set doctrine, they were still in my life and what I lived my life by. To not include them would be leaving part of me out of any reply.
The Dark Side is a perspective of the Force. It is not evil just as the Light Side is not good. The Force does not incline it's self to petty definitions such as good or evil, light or dark. Those are placed on the aspects of the Force by man. That being said, man is what uses the Dark Side for evil, just as we Jedi use the Light Side for good. The emotions, negative emotions, that are inclined to the Dark Side are generated by the feelings within a person and when given into those emotions, it usually creates a negative response, thus being considered evil. It is something very easy to do and the easy way out is enticing to most. That is why we Jedi do not use the Dark Side. It is too easy to give in to the negative emotions that lead to the Dark Side. We work to purge these from ourselves and remove such a temptation. While a Dark Jedi or Sith may use the Dark Side of the Force, they may not use it for evil, but it is a dangerous path they have chosen to walk.