I've often blogged about the Force and how I perceive it to various elements and mysteries here on our own planet. Now, I know Star Wars is fiction and the Force is an imagined thing but I find it interesting that I can find elements of it, or how I would think of it, in our own world.

And something I started thinking about was how the Force gave a sense of security to Force-users. It was a power they could wield and use with just the thought of their mind or the wave of their hand. Many felt invincible with it and knew it was a powerful ally to have in their corner. And having a sense of security in our here and now can also be like touching something like the Force ... it gives a sense of peace and power over the things that may come our way. But it isn't an easy thing to achieve.

The journey of security starts all the way back to the womb. A friend and I were talking about the act of birth (as she is pregnant and of course is the topic at hand) and she mentioned she read in some studies that being born is the closest we come to dying. And what that means is that we are balled up in a nice comfortable, protective sac for nine months which shields us from the elements, from all that is dangerous and the outside world in general. We rely on our mother to feed us, give us oxygen and keep the harmful elements of the world at bay. And as we break through and enter the world and take our first breath, we're entering a world that can do us harm, that we have to fend for ourselves and change into something we didn't know we'd become. And that first journey into the world has to be a successful one as we begin to breathe on our own. The Force we knew as security in the womb must become a new kind of Force to provide security ... and that is love. It needs to be given to us from our first welcoming into the world and shared with others to our last breath. Love is a powerful form of security for us all and one which can protect and guide us our whole lives.

And I think of Anakin and his "birth" into his new world. He was born into Darth Vader by coming the closest thing to dying. He fought his friend in a duel to the death out of what he thought was the security of love. He knew he had the security of the Force behind him and flaunted that throughout their entire match. But he thought the security of Padme's love would keep him protected from his actions and therefore protect him from the accusing fingers of the outside world ... to keep the outside world at bay. In his mind, his actions were justified because he was doing his dirty deeds out of love ... to keep his sense of security alive. And as he lay burning and crumbling on the shores of a Mustafar lava river, Darth Vader was born as Anakin let the security of his new Sith self emerge from that fiery womb and allowed hate and power to be his new guide.

Luke also found security through his birth into a Jedi Knight. Up to the point of his sacrificing himself for the greater good he used the Force as a kind of security blanket, hiding under it while letting the darkside pass him over. But when he realized what he must do in his triumphant, a-ha moment, he tossed aside his blanket and accepted his destiny as a Jedi. He now knew the Force as a security of power and acceptance of self, but also came pretty close to dying during his birth into a Jedi. He emerged into his new world as a child would ... with a parent (his father in his case) there to take his hand and welcome him into his new identity.

So in our world, achieving a sense of security in one's life is not as easy as it sounds. Whether it's in a relationship, a job, or just in knowing you are fulfilling your life's purpose and destiny, it isn't easy. It takes work and it takes accepting who you are and being comfortable in that. Anakin thought he had a sense of security in his love for Padme and in doing what he thought needed to be done to protect that love. But that backfired on him when he stepped over the line into a world of insecurity and anger. He didn't let his true love be his security, he rather let his thought of losing that love be his insecurity.

Which tells me that the Force can be found in love, and that love can provide all the security one needs when it's just allowed to be.