The dark light of “The Force”

When “Star Wars” first came out, it was at a time when I was desperately waiting for any kind of comeback of my favorite “Star Trek” series.
So, my first impression of hearing the title of this new movie, made me hesitate… “Star” accompanied by the (dead-end) word “Wars” (in contrast to the infinite-possibilities of the word “Trek”) was not ringing pleasantly in my ears, and I was not alone in my thinking!
But soon enough all my doubt and hesitation about this new Sci-Fi would vanish up in smoke. Everything would be different with the coming of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”
The training in the ways of the Force by Yoda…
And the presence of Darth Vader…
What was the famous phrase coming from under that mask?
“There is no escape…” …and I was hooked for good!

Connecting the dots
The connection between the concept of “Star Wars” and the Classical Martial Arts, is much stronger than one might think… Just have a deeper look…

Appearance and application…
Take a modern Kendo garment and a traditional Samurai armor.
Then, combine them…
Apply the principles of the Japanese sword
and the Aikido methods of Ki use in its techniques.
Then, over-extend those practices a bit…
It is exactly there, where appearance and application fall into place.
Now can you hear the mechanical breathing or not?!

Most of “Star Wars”, as it originally appeared, somehow links back to the tradition of the classical warriors of Japan…

I will show you the Dark Side, being bright
But what about the essence, what about The Force itself…
While appearance and application was being utilized, in order to create the idea of the two opposing Jedi and Sith, The Force suffered a terrible fate!
It was misinterpreted and needlessly divided…

Of course we talk about a film, a movie, so why worry, why care to explain?
Well, “Star Wars” might be a movie, but from what I have seen, people do care! Be it because of the absence of that kind of heroes, be it because people like to dream of something higher than what they see around them…
So, let’s put things right for The Force!
But just before we do, let me ask you a trick question and don’t say I didn’t warn ya! Now you have one exhalation to answer this that would be no more than three seconds, so answer me directly:
Is the universe good or bad?

Well, we all know that it is neither…
But just for the record, if you hanged in midair not knowing what to answer, that counts for correct, too. On the other hand if you answered that it is good or it is bad, then, to put it as British-politely as I can, you are probably not going to have any benefit by reading a writer like myself…

The universe functions, it has no intention like we do, the universe just happens. If The Force (as Yoda describes it) does “…surrounds us and binds us…” why would it divide itself in the first place? Wouldn’t it be more logical for it to be like the universe? Why should it be intentionally dualistic divided into good and bad?
There could be one Force, undivided …
Using it, would give us a Jedi… Misusing it would give us a Sith.
…and just as I write these lines, a thought crossed my mind! Wasn’t that somehow the initial intention?

Practically the separation of “The Force” into the Light side and the Dark side only serves a religious myth, which conveniently uses the childish and oversimplified good and bad division!
A more thorough look, arriving from a deeper understanding of practicing the Arts, will clearly show that there is positive and negative and a balance between those two… Which brings in my mind the famous and desired “…balance to The Force”

On the contrary, what was again the balance between the good and bad? Well, there is none… Ever! It is the continuous struggle of one killing the other off… n'est-ce pas?

And now, I will show you the Dark Side being bright, as promised above…
With a test!
Go to the deepest of dark places that you can find and make sure that every source of light is absent. Try a cave, a bunker, a mine, a basement, your bedroom, anything suchlike. Just make sure that you are surrounded by the deepest possible dark there is.
Now, remain there with your eyes open, like they normally are at day time. Stay there for a considerable amount of time, let’s say an hour. What will happen to your eyes once you are going back to light? Nothing! All you need is a few minutes to adjust to the surrounding light. Unless one stays in absolute dark for a very long period of time, the dark does not harm you… Now, could we do the opposite, and look directly at the bright sun even for a few minutes or one? Even a few seconds of direct intense light, by any strong source of light, will blind you forever… You will become blinded by the light.

The dark is the canvas of our entire universe, just look at the sky, it is the place we go to, for about eight hours every night…
Most do not discuss it openly, but we all secretly know that the dark is the only true memory we have from before… Outside of some being afraid, we don’t even need to think hard about it… Ask yourself, if you haven’t already, what is it you remember from before?
So, why are we not seeing the dark correctly, for what it is?
In order “to be light” there must be dark first!
And then, only then, even the light of a candle can make a difference…

One might rightfully say that I am playing with terms here, that this is just a movie and I admit it is so. But the fact remains that you get my meaning don’t you? And that is all that matters.
We don’t go to the movies in order not to be influenced… We go there in order to open ourselves up and hear the story. Using our minds on how to absorb it and how to be affected by it, can make a great difference…

One teenager goes to see Star Wars… and he is “mind-tricked” to visit the nearest shop and buy himself a plastic light-saber and a rubber mask…
While another exits the movie and can’t find no rest, until his steps lead him to the pathway of learning the Arts, because he did see the connection… The former largely outnumber the latter, but if we would mix fiction with reality, there are neither many Jedi Knights nor Sith Warriors…

The Force is strong with those who seek it!

May 12, 2016