What would help the Temple Be A Better Place? Suggestions please...

Quotes are words, fictional stories are made up, doesn't matter the source, what matters is the meaning they invoke.

Because wisdom is innate, we can all enlighten ourselves.
Huineng

All know the way, but few actually walk it.
Bodhidharma

Kyrin,

I agree with you on the mourning. But think there should be a short mourning period. I have a cousin. It's been about 8 years since her son died. It seems like every day FB is filled with messages to that dead son. I think when it becomes an attachment and you can't go on with your life that it becomes an issue. To me the quote is about not letting the mourning control you. Miss them, and go on. I still miss my parents, but I don't spend every hour of every day mourning them.

rrhodes67 wrote: Kyrin,

I agree with you on the mourning. But think there should be a short mourning period. I have a cousin. It's been about 8 years since her son died. It seems like every day FB is filled with messages to that dead son. I think when it becomes an attachment and you can't go on with your life that it becomes an issue. To me the quote is about not letting the mourning control you. Miss them, and go on. I still miss my parents, but I don't spend every hour of every day mourning them.

Actually the quote says, Mourn them do not, Miss them do not. To me that does not mean letting the mourning control you but to not even engage in the mourning at all. While I agree that we should not let it control our lives I also believe it is a process that is necessary to go through. I also do not believe anyone can put a set time frame for another to go through that process either. I cant say if 8 years is to long, however in that, there could be other circumstances as well. Depression is a major one. Its not something people just "get over" or "shake off". Sometimes a bit of help is needed.

Atticus wrote:
The fiction was designed in part to illustrate the spiritual questions posed by Campbell, Watts, at al; throwing it out and expecting everyone to relate to the source material without the intermediary metaphor is a waste of what could be valuable and relatable teaching tools.

I agree with Arisaig's point - without the fiction, it's just another NRM mish-mash trying to do what traditional religions aren't satisfactorily accomplishing. As long as it is using the name "Jedi", there is going to be a relationship to what that stands for in 99% of the world, which is the Star Wars franchise. I don't see a problem with that, because quite obviously (based on the number of people I've seen sincerely coming here for spiritual purposes in the past month), there's a lot of us who find something unique and meaningful in it. Separating it out from role-playing IS important, as there's also a good chunk who - despite the FAQ and the big statements in large bold type on the home page - want to play out characters from the fiction rather than doing the work.

To me, the only real difference in this and most of the esoteric-oriented orders out there (including those who've been around for centuries) is that we don't claim a historical base for our philosophy/spirituality, as do Rosicrucians, Neo-Templars, Gnostics, etc. All of them draw some sort of initial model from something they've found in the historical story (and that story itself becomes fictitious from age to age, depending on what is known of the history at the time), and then build their techniques and philosophies, their rule of life, from it. Even traditional religions with a historical founder work on shreds of lore/scriptures, the interpretation of it, and patch in cultural mores for the rest. So...some people are never going to understand that this is as legitimate as anything else, and that's to be expected. One can always just go be a scientist and explore life that way if one wants to strip all but the quantifiable from it.

As for the lightsabers and robes - well, most of the martial arts schools out there practice with weapons that would not be used in real-life scenarios and many of them wear "pajamas" (or more respectfully, uniforms which recall the cultural/historical setting in which their arts were born). As long as you know what you're getting from the training, I do see any reason not to have a little fun. Personally, I find the power that the myth has to inspire and delight - especially for the future generations - to be part of the appeal that keeps me intrigued.

To go back to topic - as to how to make these lines more clear, I think the blend of gentle redirects in the introductions and consistent enforcement of the username policy stated on the introductory page is a good method. Beyond that, people seem to sort out what they're interested in and which particular ratio of fiction inclusion works for them once they get involved.

Manami wrote: To go back to topic - as to how to make these lines more clear, I think the blend of gentle redirects...

Could you give an example of this in practise? A theoretical situation, just so we can better understand what you're proposing?

Manami wrote: ...and consistent enforcement of the username policy stated on the introductory page is a good method.

We do try to enforce it, but alas some slip through the cracks, usually enforced if an account comes back (eg. Darth Insertedgynamehere wont be changed to Insertedgyname here (removing the Darth) until after they come back, or when they apply for membership). Would be a nightmare trying to change them all if the account is never used again. ;P

I had brought up in a chat that perhaps there should be some sorta bot that screens for usernames that break codes while people are making accounts, marking them as invalid. Of course, that would just end up creating accounts with purposeful misspellings of names (Darf instead of Darth) or some headache if it blocks the word Master but someone wants the name MacMaster (a common last name in my neck of the woods). ;P Its a real Pandora's Box, imo.

Well, for instance (one observed) - when a new guest does an introduction based on a Star Wars persona, and those responding explain that this isn't a forum that does roleplaying, but they do it in such a way that makes it an invitation to get to know folks here better and participate in the real exploration, rather than a put down. It may not be what the person was looking for, but it gives them the chance to reconsider and join in. It has to be irritating from the mod end to get the same kind of thing over and over, but for the person who is joining, it's the first time they're hearing it, and it speaks well of the Temple when they're not made the brunt of that frustration. So, good job, TOTJO greeters!

I understand how problematic it could be - some kind of method to screen names for the major terms (titles and characters, anyway) when they are chosen would probably be the best way, so that they never make it in.

I think we need to stress that we don't have any answers, only a (fun)starting point for people to find the answers themselves.


Reading this thread has me leaning toward withdrawing, or at the least, remaining no more than a member.