As a forever student of the Force and it’s ways i have to wonder sometimes , i have browsed many websites about the Jedi way , and everyone had their own rules , creeds , doctrines , or how a friend of mine referred them to as ..Dogma’s. I was surprised by that , why would someone call the learnings and wisdom and dealing with the ways of the Force a Dogma. I meditated on that and i started re reading all the doctrines , circles , prayers etc. And they all had one thing in common. They kind of tell you, or down right tell you , how to behave. Not a favorite part of the free soul , i appreciate that , and it’s being used by Jedi to put other Jedi down , some even post a doctrine in forum posts to prove how well they know it , missing the point completely by being well , not very humble. But i am not judging right ? Because it’s hard to see Jedi act like twats , i get it.
To progress rapidly in the ways of the Force , to love the Force , the Force being something that is invented or is it real ? Do you feel the Force , can you move objects with your mind , what is the Force , does it have a Light and a Dark Side? So many questions and even more answers and the dark lurks in every answer that is presented as the truth and can be quickly dismissed as Dogma. Does this truth lie in the many Doctrines , codes and creeds , or is it something we have to connect to on a individual level?
To love the Force above all else means that you embrace the Force for what it is ,it binds everything together , it makes that we are all connected and yet we look for things to drive us apart , int that sense it makes sense that an individual Jedi might perceive the creeds etc as Dogma. But the thing is , i don’t think there is place for Dogma in the teachings of the Force. So the way i deal with it is that i read the creeds , codes etc , try to apply them to my life , keep them in the back of my head , deepen my studies further ( i am now studying the bliss of Natural Law and it’s very enlightening 😉 ) And not throw it in other peoples faces when it fits us.
I think as Jedi we are always a little lost , searching , but most of all joyfull that we can learn as much as we can about the Force , not hindered by limitations , not hindering others, but pushing each other forward , little by little.
Vreat write up. In the saga it’s precisely the Jedi dogma that was the dowfall of the jedi order. No one owns the Force. I see this happening in all religions, the church has ruined christianity, even in buddhism you see the focus shift from ending suffering to the right way to meditate blah blah. We should take a lesson from Qui Gon Jinn and defy the council and follow the living Force!
i did that , defy the council , and following the living Force , never regretted it 😉
Fantastic! The Force is our guide, and it has different plans for all of us. We should never let someone else’s interpretations define our personal connection to the Force.
As a Jedi, I realize that I do not hold all the answers, nor will I. But I have access to all that I need. To follow your path is the purpose we each pursue. Sometimes that means going against the norms or what is popular.
To follow for the sake of compliance is self-defeating. To defy for the sake of nonconformance is self-destructive. Only through constant progression can we hope to avoid stagnation.
i agree , to follow any Dogma without questioning it is foolish , and , against what we learn as Jedi 🙂