Guardians: A Discussion for Realists

"Guardian the title is, not warrior. Remember this, all Jedi should." -- Master Yoda on Jedi Guardians

The Fictional Jedi Guardian specialized in the physical arts. Combat specifically, so that they can act as peacekeepers and defenders.

Now how does that translate over to the Jedi Realist Path?

Many Jedi have spent time in the military, police forces, or even crisis workers. Its a physical and active service to protect others and create and defend systems of peace.

However, not all can or have served as such. Jedi Realists that pursue the Guardian Path can spend their time learning to use the Force within themselves to better themselves. They can physically work out to their abilities or, for example, they can take up a martial art. They master their physical form so to be a better tool for the Force to use.

We all have a little of each of the Three Paths within us. How do you pursue the role of Guardian?

This is a discussion of the fictional Guardian class, and how it can translate into Jedi Realism/Jediism. We won't be discussing Consulars/Sentinels yet.

May the Force guide this discussion.

Hallo Arisaig, nice to read you again. Hope your wrists are healthy with those whirls.

How could the Force guide this discussion?

Jhannuzs Ian wrote: How could the Force guide this discussion?

.:.

It's my hope that things can remain on course and on topic. We're all Jedi here, and all follow the Force. So I hope it can guide it in such.

Within the frame I'm currently working from, I identify the roles based on their descriptors rather than on their tools. That is to say, I use the name Guardian to define the role, and understand the tools we commonly associate with that role (the martial arts) to help me understand how that role is being embodied.

I associate Guardians particularly with the third line of the Code ("There is no passion, there is serenity") and understand them to be Guardians of empathy, good will and civility. The clear mind we have established by living peacefully remains clear thanks to the Guardians cleansing, resetting role. They are the bar-fight-defuser, office-drama-resolver, medical-emergency-responder. They are the messenger for ideas that can't be exchanged because two parties have such different filters that they can't put their ideas into a form that doesn't cause sparks to fly. The Guardian guards the revealing light, the bridge across the chasm, and the pillars that hold up the sky. They are the foot soldiers on the ground who expound the Way. It just so happens that soldiers of emotional battles oftentimes must be soldiers of physical ones, given the nature of the battlefield they are stepping onto.

Shepherd wrote: I associate Guardians particularly with the third line of the Code ("There is no passion, there is serenity") and understand them to be Guardians of empathy, good will and civility. The clear mind we have established by living peacefully remains clear thanks to the Guardians cleansing, resetting role. They are the bar-fight-defuser, office-drama-resolver, medical-emergency-responder.

Heh I like that. Reminds me of this scene from TCW.



He doesn't have to take a life, or even hurt anyone. Simply by being present he's able to put all violence and potential violence on hold. Fascinating what inner strength can do against those of violent will.

In the U.S. society, one thing that stands out is the usage of a cell phone.

To be a guardian, as Yoda says, does not mean to be a warrior. For a warrior, you fight for your ideals, but for a guardian you protect those around you. Can a warrior fight for those around them? Yes, but not always. But the focus of a warrior is to -fight- whereas the guardian is to -protect-

So, in many ways we can't simply fight what's going on. You can't fight a car wreck, and you can't fight when the police are killing someone, and you can't fight (directly) systematic abuses. What you can do is raise awareness, observe, record, and highlight. In the George Floyd murder, we saw someone using their phone to raise awareness and record.

In the Israel and Palestine conflict, there's a video of a soldier about to throw a grenade at a bus with people (non-combatants) who stopped when they realized they were on camera. Even the simple act of observation can take Schrodinger's crimes and change the outcome. And yet, in both cases if the recorder was to interfere, their recording equipment would have been destroyed and the evidence and awareness impacts lost.

For me, to be a guardian isn't about being able to handle combat. In many situations within the stories, you see the Jedi igniting their lightsabers because that grabs everyone's attention and makes them a higher risk to prioritize. This means everyone is now focused on the Jedi and not the people they want to escape. What does physical training do in this situation? Let's them do it twice.

I currently work at a non-profit that helps the mentally unwell and outcasts of society, as well as those without financial means to see regular doctors. I am not a mental health practitioner, I am a fiscal program analyst. My job here is not to be the lightsaber cutting through illness and solving problems, my job is to facilitate those people who do help others.

And that's what I think it means, that in the first you raise awareness and observe. You ensure that the truth is brought to light, you show people that they aren't alone, and you understand that sometimes inserting yourself will make the situation worse. Then there are the times when the chips are down and you do have to step in but at that time you are acknowledging that your goal isn't your survival or your peace, but giving someone else that gift.

The last way is to facilitate. We all work in a team, even if they last mere moments or extend to decades. Knowing when you need to be the front for everyone to focus on is sometimes needed to allow someone else to do their work without eyes on them. The loudest wheel gets all the grease, even if it doesn't have the most torque.

The only thing that being physically fit means is that, situation depending, you might get a chance to do it a second time and hopefully when those chips are down, you have the upper hand.