Here is a good question.

I have to admit, I do prefer to LOVE rather than Hate!!!!

Viskhard wrote:

As to the parable of the apple tree, it simply is. There is no love or hate, good or evil in it. It just is, much the same way as I feel the Force to be. There is no good or evil, light or dark within the Force, it simply is. It is the individual with good or evil intent in their hearts that makes the difference.

Very well said friend

As for me this is how I see it. To understand does not imply to live. I agree you must strive to understand everything in order to be fully aware, however just because you understand something does not mean you have to live your life that way. Also many acts that people do which they consider of the light, others may consider of the dark. I feel it is more important that the dedication to the light be of your own accord and not that of others. (I am not saying that you do or do not do this, rather it is a general statement.)

So what you are saying is that things really boil down to how the individual experiences reality. What is good for one person may not be good for another person.

Essentially yes.

I came up with my own little Yoda mantra just yesterday actually, maybe relevant to some things mentioned here;

Relationship with the Force the Jedi way is.
Learn the circle you must.
The distance between light and dark is the diameter, and at the centre you are.
Awareness you seek, for knowing is feeling and feeling is being.
Where you are headed determines what you are doing and where your shadow lies.
[/Yoda Voice]

Quote: Learn to Know

@ Bluesummers

Hi Bluesummers,

You mentioned in the Shout posts that you are a Sith at heart.

How do you, as a Sith, embrace the Dark Side? As a Jedi, I really like what Br. John said and I agree with it at this stage of my journey. As a Sith, are you basically doing the same thing, but just leaning on the Dark Side part, or do you fully embrace it? And again, what does that mean to you to embrace it?

I look forward to your response.

(And welcome back from your hiatus!)

That's probably going to look ugly and I apologize in advance both for its ugliness and my tardy response to a question. My lifestyle as a knight-errant can do that to social life.

For yout first question, of how far into the Dark Side I personally choose to go, it's situational but ever-present. Most of the time, it's a guiding force, i.e., what is the will of the Dark Side for me in this situation? Pursue an opportunity, or let it pass? Act or not? Speak or stay silent? Perhaps one of the best Star Wars examples I can think of is in the novelization of ROTS, when Obi-Wan is fighting General Grevious while consulting with the Force, and sort of rolled with the situation until the Force guided him into a position for victory. With practice and inner focus, that's a pretty accurate way to phrase it. Know your needs, and be guided toward it. Even choosing to embrace the light side of the Force is something I do at the guidance of the Dark Side, mixed with my own discretion and pragmatism. At other times, I choose to deepen the connection, especially when practicing Force powers or even Force-augmented actions.

And to me, embracing the Dark Side doesn't mean going around the bend and totally abandoning your ethics and common sense, but it does mean trusting in the tenets of the Dark Side and the energy currents of the Dark Side. In my experience, a timid or noncommittal attitude does not allow one to live the benefits, even if their stated philosophy is in harmony with the principles of the Dark Side. Just like with the Light Side, it delivers when you act on it, even though you might be afraid and you won't know for sure what's going to happen.

What is the Dark Side of The Force?

If you would be so good as to allow me a basic answer that's jargon and may be nonsense to many, and a more detailed answer, that's what I'm going to do.

The Dark Side of the Force, to my imperfect understanding, is Knowledge Through Power, interrelated to the Light Side of the Force, Power Through Knowledge.

The Dark Side contains nothing the Light Side does not, it's merely a different arrangement of the pieces that, for some, allows a clearer view. Jedi better the world because they want to help its people, and that they also get to live in this improved world is a side effect. A Sith Lord betters the world for good PR and to have a nicer world, incidentally improving the lives of many others as well.

It is my opinion that you are exactly as proficient in one side of the Force as the other, even if you don't choose to access it. The two are inextricably bound, and identifying as a Jedi or Sith is as minor a difference as saying which side you prefer to work with and does not indicate ignorance or incompetence in the other realm. At the beginning of my training with the Jedi Church, even though I was a Darksider at heart, I still used the term Jedi without reservation, because I was, just in a different way. As I came to understand that the term Sith had moderate acceptance, I chose to primarily use it instead, choosing to take a measure of alienation while not making excuses or seeing myself as anything but what I am.

So the difference is really only in perspective, but someone who struggles in one may well flourish in the other side, or be able to use it as a tool to overcome certain problems or reach certain goals when they're stuck on something.

Separation of Light and Dark sides is ultimately an illusion to help us frame our actions and give us a mindset that enables us to comprehend a course of action. That's something I know intellectually, but not yet through hard experience, and until I am a Master of such degree that I can operate without need of the self-created paradigms, I will always operate from the vantage of the Dark Side.