This is a bit of a cross post - one of our mods at jedisanctuary.org asked (paraphrasing) - why are we Jedi? What kind of proof do we have in any sort of Force? Are we a bit delusional about this Force stuff?
He challenged the members to back up why they had chosen the Jedi path. I came up with a three prong answer that I wanted to share...
Why Jedi Appeals as a Religion
21st century morality. Instead of staring backward in time and trying to interpret the actions of someone from 2000 years ago (or older) - the Jedi way comes from what people generally agree on as RIGHT in today's cultural context.
This idea of 'rightness' has developed through popular media: books and movies. In our stories as a people, writers take us through many guises of similar morality tales. We don't have to live in every single situation to decide a moral truth, the path has already been taken by a million characters in a million stories. (source: Joseph Campbell)
The stories from our time like Star Wars do not conflict with major religions so it allows people on the Jedi path to update their internal value systems and develop a keener morality without forsaking religious/cultural traditions.
The Chivalry
I think a lot of young men don't want to be feminized in order to be 'good'. I think that many of the rights of passage and the heroes path that used to mark the path of maturity and strength have eroded. In my opinion Jedi are predominantly male because there exists in the world of Jedi (whether we properly address it or not) -- Chivalry.
The path of the Jedi basically the path of adulthood. It's being strong enough to protect your mate and your community. It develops discernment. Jedi know what to do in difficult situations to be protectors because they have a code of ethics that they adhere to with great self-discipline. Their morality, their word, and how they conduct themselves matter every single moment of everyday - hence they are truly Jedi Knights.
The inverse of this of course is the Sith - they have the same ethics and morality - HOWEVER - that morality code gets suspended when it suits their own self-interest.
In traditional religion a person can ask for forgiveness and just move on. The Jedi path means the buck stops with YOU. The Jedi is responsible for their own actions. The Jedi are constantly working on being better people - self improvement - and this is so they can follow their moral and ethical codes tighter and become better people and through their actions cause powerful positive change.
The Super Natural Elements - My Theory
Going on in nature as a kid - I could FEEL it. I could feel the mood of the land, the trees, the soft rustle of the grass, absolutely everything talked to me. I could feel when there was a disturbance. My Mom and Grandpa also had the family 'gift.'
I was very sensitive as a child, crowds overwhelmed me. I would get a bad feeling about some things at times and have very clear gut feelings.
I had a penchant for religion and spirituality even at an early age. I was decidedly unhappy with the religious morality in the church which 'felt' wrong to me.
I wrote obsessively. I wrote at length stories I would make up, drawing pictures in the margins. I wrote my first book in sixth grade. I was always drawing and making stuff. In college I became a Pagan to get in tune with the supernatural. It never quite fit me however.
So you're thinking -- wow Seven - so you were always in tune with the Force. NO. No, I am epileptic. To be specific I have temporal lobe epilepsy. And all of the fore mentioned experiences are in part symptomatic.
"People with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) often become obsessively religious. It could be because seizures strengthen neural connections between the inferior temporal cortex and the amygdala, the emotional arbiter of the brain, so that everything takes on special meaning."
http://www.doxa.ws/meta_crock/Supernature3.html
Temporal lobe epileptics can believe they are psychically aware, they can spend a great deal of time at one task (particularly it seems writing/art.) Sometimes writing and re-writing the same thing over and over (like how I sometimes take two days to finish an e-mail).
A lot of people I worked with had noted my quirky behavior (especially the e-mail thing - "how many times are you going to delete that and start over?") I always had an uncanny knack to 'feel' design and art - so I'm pretty good with it over all.
It is actually estimated that to some degree or another temporal lobe epilepsy is fairly common. It may even be a human adaptation or some sort of evolution. Who knows maybe I really can feel the Force like I think I can - it certainly
feels real to me.
I never had a doctor hit upon 'temporal lobe epilepsy' even when I brought in my two year old for having seizures. They diagnosed her as, "probably bi-polar" -- I asked the doctor -- HEY SHE IS TWO!! Bi-Polar doesn't even display symptomatic until the teen years right? Doctor said, 'well she'll probably have it really bad." (She is a teenager now and is most certainly NOT bipolar in any sense of the word).
The doctors (those who aren't morons) dilemma is that people with TLE are often creative and even brilliant. Who are they to say that it's not some natural way the brain is being wired in some individuals to produce Shamans, storytellers and artists? These are vital to our culture and society - what kind of world would we have if no one had TLE?
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So to wrap up this rather long essay Jedi belief system stems from a need for modern 21st century morality that fits inline with our internal sense of rightness as departed upon us as children through media. It is very handy that it does not conflict with modern religion.
Jedi is a pathway to manhood and internal strength / self discipline that helps young men grow into strong men of the community by departing an ethical system that although flexible and adaptable to situations -- is a form of chilvary that is not suspended when its inconvenient.
The Supernatural side of the Jedi path appeals possibly to people with strengthened neural connections between the inferior temporal cortex and the amygdala, the emotional arbiter of the brain, so that everything takes on special meaning which lends itself to 'feeling' the Force. Additionally often these people know they are markedly different from those around them leading them to wonder, why do I have this special ability? What is this ability that I have?
MTFBWY - Seven
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