Going out in public

JohnsonMD wrote: I absolutely agree. "Required" is a strong word for sure, nor would I advocate that it should be such. My point though is that the reason for not wearing such attire seems to come from a realm of fear and ignorance, not from a faith in peace and knowledge.

Do you have robes? DO you wear them every day?

I am seeing the reason of hassle from non-jedi as valid as any other reason...

Yes...it is VERY unfortunate I agree. However, there are christian's in Syria this very day who are dying for their faith and system of beliefs. Are Jedi so less in their convictions that they care?

Yes...

As robes are not a part of our culture, in this world, they is not worth dying for...

Robes are NOT a part of our belief system, so this is kind of a moot point..lol...

Oh and for people who want to identify with the Empire they can put a patch on like this:

Well I guess I am imperial.

Jestor wrote: I am seeing the reason of hassle from non-jedi as valid as any other reason...

Robes for everyday wear are a personal preference, honestly. And people are going to look at you strangely no matter what you wear, if you dress the slightest outside the perceived cultural norm. That being said, whenever I own a cloak (they don't last long before they're given to others), I wear it when the mood suits me. They're more comfortable and arguably more stylish than coats, but they are also more of a bother.

The reason I don't wear my robes in the same fashion is that they are sanctified to a specific purpose--they are ritual wear, and I won't sully them with the dalliances of the mundane. If I want a robe to wear every day, I'll have to make a new one. I think that sort of distinction is more in line with the point of the discussion than the talk of self-identification and fashion.

Robes are NOT a part of our belief system, so this is kind of a moot point..lol...

They are often, however, associated with Jedi in the fiction, as well as calling to mind images of both Western and Eastern ascetics and priests. It's true that one of the reason monks are fond of the robes is that they are a show of humility, but very often we overlook the reason that priests wear robes, too. While the ascetic is showing voluntary poverty, more traditional clergy often wear robes because they are garments outside the purview of modern fashion. This marks them as exceptional garments, and their wear becomes something outside of the everyday life. I wrote an article on it , as it's one of my favorite topics in the realm of non-theological religious study.

Jestor wrote: Do you have robes?

Actually...I do, about 4 function sets.

DO you wear them every day?

I do not, mostly because my secular job had a specific dress code that I must follow. What I wear at home is whatever I wear at home. I do wear them...at least once (sometimes twice) a week...out in public even!! They are monastic robes btw.

I am seeing the reason of hassle from non-jedi as valid as any other reason...

Yes...

As robes are not a part of our culture, in this world, they is not worth dying for...

Robes are NOT a part of our belief system, so this is kind of a moot point..lol...

100% agree. My point was that the wearing or non-wearing of them should be based upon personal preference...NOT on, essentially, what others think of you - and that the Doctrine fully supports the wearing of them on many different levels (without explicitly stating to wear robes).

Hence...wear then if you like, or don't. But if you choose to do so, one should feel supported in that decision by the Jedi Doctrine, and thus be free of the burden of non-Jedi lookers-in.

JohnsonMD wrote: one should feel supported in that decision by the Jedi Doctrine, and thus be free of the burden of non-Jedi lookers-in.

One should be free from that burden by freeing their mind; support from Doctrine is inconsequential.