(Last Updated June 29, 05 @ 5:45 PM)

Now that I've kept the commandment of honoring our parents (see my first blog entry http://blogs.starwars.com/reality/1 ), I'd like to get to the heart of many (if not most) people's love of Star Wars. I'm talking, of course, about the Jedi. What can I say that hasn't already been said? Well let's see...

First of all, people tend to look at the Jedi as "super warriors" who have special powers, special weapons, and special laws. No one seems to say anything about the special code which all (or at least most *cough* Darth Vader *cough*) Jedi abide. Sure, I've heard it mentioned casually in books, etc. but I mean really mention it. "What's the point? It's just a list of rules. So what?" Well, I'll answer that. The Jedi code is more than just a bunch of guidelines designed to make the Jedi look and act differently than everyone else (and to make an interesting movie), they're meant to make the Jedi who they are. I'm sorry if I'm going in circles, let me streighten out now. Let's take a saying of Yoda's, for example. "A Jedi uses his power for knowledge and defense. Never in attack." (Please correct me if I'm wrong, either with an e-mail or in the comments section.) Now think about how the Jedi actually keep to that guideline. First and foremost, staring blatantly in front of every single fans eyes is the icon and symbol of the Jedi: The lightsaber. The lightsaber is the ultimate weapon of defense. Its physical nature makes it so. Think about it. There are 50 battle droids just within a blaster shot's distance. If the droids don't fire, what's the Jedi supposed to do? Ok, he could run over to them and cut them down, but you get the point. The lightsaber, in its sword-like form, makes it all but impossible to fight unless you've been attacked. Also, I think it's pretty easy to see why this is a very important part of the Jedi code. Being that the Jedi were "keepers of the peace, not soldiers" (sorry Mace, I'm taking you out of context, but it's the same general point), if every Jedi were to just attack anyone they wanted, wherever and whenever they wanted, it would defeat the purpose that the Jedi are supposed to accomplish, which is to keep peace in a huge universe prone to inter-galactic conflicts and arguments. So it's pretty obvious why this has to be a law, even to a point where their identifying weapons reflect it.

The other thing about the Jedi which bring them closer to the real world is their outlook on life. You constantly hear lines about "control your emotions" "Fear is the path to the dark side" and "Be mindful of your thoughts", but have you ever thought that that may be something to strive for in real life? Seriously, imagine if you never got angry at your younger brother (assuming you have one, of course). "Oh, come on, that would be boring." Ok, let's look at it like this: Imagine if your older brother got angry at you. Do I hear some tentative agreement ? What I'm saying is that following these Jedi pearls of wisdom may not be as fiction as they sound. So next time you hear these pearls of wisdom, don't just toss them off as part of a script, try to learn something from them. And if you do, then the Force truly will be with you, always.