Post by JeRegretRiens on Jan 20, 2009 9:51:01 GMT -5
I consider myself a Shadow Jedi, because I identify more with the Shadow Code than the Jedi Code.
Here's my thoughts on the Shadow Jedi code.
The Shadow Jedi Code
I am at Peace; for I know Emotion.
I have Power; for I also have Knowledge.
I have Passion; for I am Serene.
I can embrace Mortality; for I know Death.
I am balanced through the Force.
The Shadow Jedi Passage
I am at peace with myself.
I fear not the darkness, nor the light,
I harness both to my advantage.
I follow my own path.
I know the power of the Dark side,
And the peace of the Light.
I am the serenity of balance.
All the universe is a false-reality,
I pledge myself to my beliefs,
For I have found true life
In the balance of the Dark and the Light.
I am at Peace; for I know Emotion.
The idea of 'suppressing' or refusing to feel my emotions as it is suggested in the Jedi Code is not a good feeling for me. I do not strive to disconnect me from that which makes me human. What I want to do is find a way to coexist with my emotions without letting them rule me. And I believe that is what this line is about. I am at peace, for I understand and accept my emotions for what they are, without letting them become a core of my being and/or direct my actions.
I have Power; for I also have Knowledge.
Acting with power is synonomous with acting with Knowledge. One -has- to understand the situation, the hidden things at work and the emotions of others at play before one can approach the situation with any kind of hope for getting things to work the way you want. So, I think this passage applies to -everybody- really, because to do what needs done, for good or for your own personal desires, one has to understand the situation. Going off half cocked and making decisions based on only half the information isn't acting with power. It's mere foolishness.
I have Passion; for I am Serene.
The ancient Greek Stoics considered "passion" (pathos in Greek) to be a disturbing, unhealthy movement of the soul, hence sickness being termed "pathology". The Jedi code to me seems to take it this way as well. However, the Shadow Code to me takes passion to mean "an intense desire", which can be a very -good- thing. Especially if it's a passion for doing good things, or a passion for helping others; or a passion for studying...there's so many things that passion can be -good- for. But the ability to -have- that passion relies heavily on serenity. To devote your mind entirely to pursuing one thing like that, one has to clear out everything extraneous.
I can embrace Mortality; for I know Death.
We all die. Deal with it. I am going to die. I know it. And I am unafraid of it because I know it's going to happen whether I fear it or not, whether I fight it or not.
I am balanced through the Force.
Western thought and religions see GOOD at one end of a spectrum, with EVIL at the opposite. Eastern thought and philosophy, however, see -both- ends of the spectrum as bad, and good being the balance between the two. This is what I strive for in my life--to balance things, especially myself.
I am at peace with myself.
This is the ultimate goal of a Shadow Jedi, I think--to be at peace with one's self. If you are at peace with yourself, then no matter what action you take, you can pursue it with total dedication. And if you discover that you'd been wrong, you can abandon it and work on something else -without- berating yourself or wasting time justifying it.
I fear not the darkness, nor the light,
I harness both to my advantage.
There isn't a "shadow" side of the Force. It's a state of accepting that both sides can work together and make up for the other's lack in certain circumstances. For example, if my wife was trapped under a burning car, I think my emotions would bolster my strength (Dark Side) enough to rescue her. But if she was sad and crying, using empathy (Light Side) would be more appropriate.
I follow my own path.
The path of a Shadow is to strike a balance, that is in some cases delicate and hard to achieve. For me, I know I have to do certain things to keep me at balance. For someone else, that might tip the balance too far. Balance is deeply personal, and no one path will balance everyone.
I know the power of the Dark side,
And the peace of the Light.
Again, there isn't a "shadow" side to master. Striking a balance is about knowing and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, and using the appropriate solution in each unique case.
I am the serenity of balance.
A Buddhist teacher once warned me about becoming -too- comfortable in meditation, and falling into a 'false enlightenment'. That point is where one can comfortably sink into themselves so far that they don't come back out again. Balance doesn't allow that. It keeps me from slipping too far into myself that I can't find my way out again.
All the universe is a false-reality,
Reality is defined mostly by your perception of it. Seek and ye will find. It is the simple fact that there is no absolute truth and yet we try to explain our world in absolutes that makes the universe a false-reality. By recognising that the world is only as you percieve it, you take the first steps to controlling it.
I pledge myself to my beliefs,
If you believe in something, you should have no trouble pledging yourself to it. If you can't make the pledge, you don't truly believe.
For I have found true life
In the balance of the Dark and the Light.
A life spent in servitude of one extreme or another isn't really a -life-. It's a tenure or a servitude. By striving for balance, I have freed myself.
Here's my thoughts on the Shadow Jedi code.
The Shadow Jedi Code
I am at Peace; for I know Emotion.
I have Power; for I also have Knowledge.
I have Passion; for I am Serene.
I can embrace Mortality; for I know Death.
I am balanced through the Force.
The Shadow Jedi Passage
I am at peace with myself.
I fear not the darkness, nor the light,
I harness both to my advantage.
I follow my own path.
I know the power of the Dark side,
And the peace of the Light.
I am the serenity of balance.
All the universe is a false-reality,
I pledge myself to my beliefs,
For I have found true life
In the balance of the Dark and the Light.
I am at Peace; for I know Emotion.
The idea of 'suppressing' or refusing to feel my emotions as it is suggested in the Jedi Code is not a good feeling for me. I do not strive to disconnect me from that which makes me human. What I want to do is find a way to coexist with my emotions without letting them rule me. And I believe that is what this line is about. I am at peace, for I understand and accept my emotions for what they are, without letting them become a core of my being and/or direct my actions.
I have Power; for I also have Knowledge.
Acting with power is synonomous with acting with Knowledge. One -has- to understand the situation, the hidden things at work and the emotions of others at play before one can approach the situation with any kind of hope for getting things to work the way you want. So, I think this passage applies to -everybody- really, because to do what needs done, for good or for your own personal desires, one has to understand the situation. Going off half cocked and making decisions based on only half the information isn't acting with power. It's mere foolishness.
I have Passion; for I am Serene.
The ancient Greek Stoics considered "passion" (pathos in Greek) to be a disturbing, unhealthy movement of the soul, hence sickness being termed "pathology". The Jedi code to me seems to take it this way as well. However, the Shadow Code to me takes passion to mean "an intense desire", which can be a very -good- thing. Especially if it's a passion for doing good things, or a passion for helping others; or a passion for studying...there's so many things that passion can be -good- for. But the ability to -have- that passion relies heavily on serenity. To devote your mind entirely to pursuing one thing like that, one has to clear out everything extraneous.
I can embrace Mortality; for I know Death.
We all die. Deal with it. I am going to die. I know it. And I am unafraid of it because I know it's going to happen whether I fear it or not, whether I fight it or not.
I am balanced through the Force.
Western thought and religions see GOOD at one end of a spectrum, with EVIL at the opposite. Eastern thought and philosophy, however, see -both- ends of the spectrum as bad, and good being the balance between the two. This is what I strive for in my life--to balance things, especially myself.
I am at peace with myself.
This is the ultimate goal of a Shadow Jedi, I think--to be at peace with one's self. If you are at peace with yourself, then no matter what action you take, you can pursue it with total dedication. And if you discover that you'd been wrong, you can abandon it and work on something else -without- berating yourself or wasting time justifying it.
I fear not the darkness, nor the light,
I harness both to my advantage.
There isn't a "shadow" side of the Force. It's a state of accepting that both sides can work together and make up for the other's lack in certain circumstances. For example, if my wife was trapped under a burning car, I think my emotions would bolster my strength (Dark Side) enough to rescue her. But if she was sad and crying, using empathy (Light Side) would be more appropriate.
I follow my own path.
The path of a Shadow is to strike a balance, that is in some cases delicate and hard to achieve. For me, I know I have to do certain things to keep me at balance. For someone else, that might tip the balance too far. Balance is deeply personal, and no one path will balance everyone.
I know the power of the Dark side,
And the peace of the Light.
Again, there isn't a "shadow" side to master. Striking a balance is about knowing and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, and using the appropriate solution in each unique case.
I am the serenity of balance.
A Buddhist teacher once warned me about becoming -too- comfortable in meditation, and falling into a 'false enlightenment'. That point is where one can comfortably sink into themselves so far that they don't come back out again. Balance doesn't allow that. It keeps me from slipping too far into myself that I can't find my way out again.
All the universe is a false-reality,
Reality is defined mostly by your perception of it. Seek and ye will find. It is the simple fact that there is no absolute truth and yet we try to explain our world in absolutes that makes the universe a false-reality. By recognising that the world is only as you percieve it, you take the first steps to controlling it.
I pledge myself to my beliefs,
If you believe in something, you should have no trouble pledging yourself to it. If you can't make the pledge, you don't truly believe.
For I have found true life
In the balance of the Dark and the Light.
A life spent in servitude of one extreme or another isn't really a -life-. It's a tenure or a servitude. By striving for balance, I have freed myself.