The Force

[Handothrawn]

The way I have come to recognize the Force is that its empowered by all living things, but even things that aren't alive still have a presence with the Force, such as the rocks on Dagobah, or the X-wing.
The Force is divided into the Unifying, and the Living, the Unifying is what Yoda and Obi-Wan seem to throw in with,

"..the Force is an energy feild made of all living things, it surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -Obi-Wan Kenobi

"...it surrounds us, and binds us."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * -Yoda

The Unifying seems to be focused on the greater good without thought to one's own safety, for example, Obi-Wan let himself be killed rather than save himself, if he had saved himself the Falcon wouldn't have escaped the Death Star.

But Qui-Gon Jinn practiced the living Force, which in my understanding means to help yourself first so that you can help others later.

"Keep your mind here and now where it belongs"

Continued below

[Handothrawn]

But the Force also has to other sides that have basically nothing to do with the other sides.

The Dark and Light Sides.

The Dark is empowered by fear, anger, aggresion, deceit, and hate.

But the Light is powered by compassion.

The Light and Dark IMO are equal in strength, but the Dark Side leads to quick power, and is a much easier and faster path, but the Dark Side usually betrays its users in the end, the Emperor, Darth Maul etc.

What about you guys an gals? What does the Force mean to you?

Sorry I just learned to do colors *style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

[Tovor]

What about you guys an gals? What does the Force mean to you?

Funny you should ask, handothrawn. *I had questions about the dark side of the Force, some ideas, and a theory to explain it all. *The following is taken from one of my novels, an unfinished SWEU, and was a teaching lesson given by a Jedi student on the nature of the Force and the conflicting Dark Side. *With a few punctuation changes and rewording for message board form, my essay concerns the potential for evil inherent in the hearts of all Jedi, and why almost all, if not all, are tempted at one time or another by the dark side. * Feel free to read, analyze, debate, agree or debunk.


The Dark Side Within

* Is evil a mere symbolic figurative for the results of actions in opposition to what is acceptably good, or is evil a sentient ever-present, aware and intentful force which seeks to be glorified by the deeds of those who give in to its temptation? *We normally consider the workings of the dark side of the Force evil, and the nature of the light side of the Force to be good. *But what is good, and what is evil? *We consider good to be what is morally correct and socially acceptable, and the very definition of those actions which are in adherance of the written law. *And evil, of course, is not only that which trangresses the laws of the galaxy, but also the actions and results of those who seek undeserved and selfish gain, and cause unauthorized theft or destruction to the property of others; and the infliction of pain, loss, and death to innocents. *But beyond, or rather even before the laws of the Senate or individual societies take precendent, the nature of the Force itself defines and shows us what is good and just, and what is wrong and evil.
* The Force exists in a tranquil state of existential harmony and fluid tranquility, and it requires all who call upon it to maintain a comparable state of calm logic and passive emotional balance. *When this balance of the Force is in place, we feel peace and know goodness *The dark side of the Force, however, thrives on pandemonium and negativity, and reacts accordingly and favorably to emotions of anger, hate, and greed from those who then use the dark side to achieve such aims as we consider morally wrong. *Thus, we can state that whatever the final outcome of our actions, the use of the light side is good and the use of the dark side is evil. *And so, we can rightfully conclude that the light side itself is good and the dark side of the Force is evil.
* That brings me to another question. *When a being gives in to the dark side and becomes its willing subject, such as in the case of the dark cult of the Sith, is that person in control of the dark side, or the dark side in control of the person bound in darkness? *Is the dark side a force of evil to be controlled by those of evil intent, or is the dark side a living and aware entity of evil form which then possesses and controls those with evil desires? *Inherant in every heart is the potential to pursue evil and magnify the dark side of the Force, just as evil always seeks out the potential in each of us to embrace it. *
* Every being has the potential for evil. *Every person is born with an equal amount of light side and dark side receptors; both sides call out to us seductively, and it takes a strong-willed person to choose the good side over the bad. *That is how in some respects the dark side IS stronger than the light, because the evil potential within us constantly strives for recognition and gain, and the welcoming constant of the dark side around us is always at work to meet and react to the dark side potentiate within. *The nature of the light side of the Force, however, is such that it chooses to remain passive and non-intrusive upon the will of those who do not welcome it. *So while the light side, the good side, of the Force is, figuratively speaking, content to offer itself only to those who seek its goodness, the dark side is always at work around the passive ones striving to disrupt their calm and infringe its dark will upon their own. *And when, sadly, the calm ones dwell on such negative emotions as fear, anger, greed, and hate, the dark side responds to the call and invades the good will of those it wishes more than anything else to corrupt. *For only when the goodness within has been subdued and driven out can the dark side enjoy the negative peace and disharmony it symbolically enjoys.
* One could ask, "Why is the dark side an everpresent danger to the Jedi mind and will, while the light side of the Force has no effect on agents of the Sith?" *Well, I believe that it is the training that the Jedi commits himself to which gives him the power to maintain a seperation between the temptation of the dark side on the outside and the dark side yearning from within. *If, and sadly when, the two make contact and are allowed to fester and grow, the path of the Jedi is diverted and he must struggle to maintain the goodness within him and use it to overwhelm the inflamed evil nature before the dark side takes its figurative control and overwhelms the good. *
* This is why we are faced with dark side tempation as a constant, because the desires for both good and bad exist already in our souls, almost always at battle with one another for domination over the Jedi mind and soul. *But with the Sith, however, the nature of the dark side is never willing to share dominion of the soul with a morally righteous goodness, and so the good from within must be defeated and driven out entirely, leaving no further remnant to be tempted by the light side of the Force. *And this is why those who pursue the dark path of the Sith cannot return, for there is no good survived within them to remember their pasts and crave the light they left behind.
* But what about Anakin Skywalker, who repented of the dark side, found redemption, and restored the balance of the Force in ROTJ? *How is it that his son enabled him to remember the light he left behind and strive to return to it? *As we all know, there were still some semblences of good remaining in Anakin. *As powerful a Sith as Darth Vader was, he was not fully consumed by the dark side; for the will of the living Force had ensured that at least some good remained in order for the prophesy to be fulfilled. *Which leads me to wonder, and seek to answer, was Anakin Skywalker, as Darth Vader, truly evil, or was he a pawn of the dark side under its possession and control? *In reference to the evil nature hidden within us all, when Anakin Skywalker was seduced by the dark side of the Force, did the evil in him take control of the dark side of the Force, or did the dark side itself take control of the evil within him? *I believe the latter, for if he had been destined to be purely evil and turned over entirely to the dark side, the living Force would not have left the good seeds buried deep in the soil of his soul, to be unearthed and watered later by his son's example. *I do not believe that Anakin Skywalker turned to evil completely of his own free will; I believe that evil turned on him and took control. *The dark side gained its edge because he found some slight comfort in what it offered him, and before he could turn back and regain the righteous path, he had already gone too far and the dark side which at first had tempted him then took over and consumed him. *Thus Darth Vader was not fully Sith, and not entirely owned by the dark side. *The light side still had partial ownership of his soul, and still had plans for him in the future which Emperor Palpatine had tried to prevent from occuring.
* Palpatine may have known of the Son of the Sun prophesy before he turned Anakin to the dark path, and he must have been trying to corrupt Anakin from the Jedi path to not only secure his own claim to absolute power but also to prevent Anakin Skywalker from being the one to fulfull the prophesy and bring balance back to the Force. *He thought he had succeded when he turned him to the Sith and used him to destroy the Jedi, but the will of the Force had other plans and in the end the good side of the Force prevailed; apparently proving that the light is always stronger than the dark, and the light side is good and good always wins in the end.

[Handothrawn]

Wow! Tovor you have to think during that post but I think it makes alot of sense, especially about Anakin.

[QuigonWindu]

The force is a mystical energy. It connects us, helps us, and unifies us. It empowers all those who know how to use. Although it gives more power to those on the dark side, it turns against them.

[Tovor]

Bump a forgotten thread, and let it be reread.

[Handothrawn]

Thanks for the bump, Tov.

[bodhisattva yoda]

in response to everyone:

duh!

:dunce:

(i demand more star wars happyfaces!)

[bodhisattva yoda]

what the ####? why does that winky face always seem to appear out of nowhere?

[Justin]

It's obvious where the Force comes from; not from midichlorians, but from those funky magnets the Jedi have in their hands! If you guys don't believe me, check out the new Jedi action figures.

[Jedi Senshi]

Please could someone define what's the difference between the Living Force& the Unifying Force?

[Obi-Stu]

Yes and how medichlorians fit in to it...