swiftsnowmane: (Vaderkin -  Twilight of the Apprentice)
swiftsnowmane ([personal profile] swiftsnowmane) wrote 2017-02-19 03:41 pm (UTC)

Oooh, I loved Avatar: The Last Airbender! It's been ages since I've seen it, but I do remember the part you mentioned. And I agree that this is a big part of what is going on here with the Jedi too. In trying so hard to sort of put the 'greater good' (aka, the 'universal' side of the Force) before the individual, they lost track of the fact that all-too often, the *individual *is a key part of the whole , and needs special attention, etc. (iirc, this is what being in touch with the 'Living' Force refers to, and what Qui-Gon was more inclined toward than many of the other Jedi at the time). And of course, the Prequels are the perfect example of how the struggles of the individual can both embody *and* affect the struggles of not just an entire religious order, but also that of the galaxy as a whole.

"Which brings me to think that maybe that is what went wrong with the Jedi Order when it comes to non-attachment, by completely detaching themselves of the emotional side of it, they lost sight of how powerful emotions are, and how they can be both a good thing and in some occasions, a bad thing."


I just had to highlight what you said here as I agree completely! Anakin experiences SUCH powerful emotions, and it is heartbreaking that, from the start, he is made to feel as though these emotions are inherently bad or wrong. His 'fear of loss', especially. This is a normal human emotion, especially for a child who has only just come from a difficult life situation and has left behind the only family member he'd ever had. It's not a trait that in and of itself leads automatically to darkness. It is, as you say, only Anakin's emotional isolation , in the sense of how badly he needs (and lacks) a deeper sort of guidance about his often frighteningly intense prophetic dreams, as well as his equally intense emotions -- both the position and the 'negative' emotions that he experiences on a daily basis, that leads to so much pain later on. (In part because, the judgmental attitude that he was met with from the start seems to have only made him less likely to seek this deeper sort of assistance directly from his fellow Jedi in later times.)

And this brings me to another thing -- the way these interpretations of the Code have developed by the time of the Prequels-era seems almost as though the Jedi had become....i don't know... afraid, perhaps, of 'the Dark Side'. I say this because, in my opinion, it is probably an extremely natural thing for every single Jedi (or Jedi-in-training) to have a brush with the Dark Side now and then, even perhaps frequently. But the problem arises when these experiences are treated as something that 'taints' the one who experiences it. As something to be ashamed of, rather than something that is just part of the normal journey of being/becoming a Jedi. (Or even just part and parcel of the life of *any* Force-wielder.) Not only is this unrealistic expectation of all Force wielders (aka, to never ever give in to darker emotions), but it also leaves them more open to the suggestions of those who *would* use these darker emotions to their own evil purposes (*cough* Palpatine/Sidious *cough*).

Instead of trying to make themselves into 'robots' who never experience and/or exhibit any sort of strong 'personal' emotions, the Jedi should be trying to figure out how to balance and channel the emotions they do experience, and to be understanding and compassionate of the fact that some will fall into darkness at times, but that this doesn't mean they are totally lost or 'damaged goods', but simply that they have experienced something that will, hopefully, only make them stronger and more able to handle such intense emotions or emotionally difficult situations (such as personal loss, etc) in the long run.

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