Emotion, yet peace.
These are the opening lines to the Jedi Code. I prefer this version of the mantra over the more common, "There is no emotion, there is peace", for Jedi are emotional beings, but it is what we do with those emotions that counts.
In the mythology of the Star Wars films, we see Jedi Masters instruct their pupils to use their feelings, but in our day to day lives, if we do not watch for it, feelings will use us. A Jedi is informed by their emotional state, but they are not ruled by it. A Jedi must rely on their feelings, but not to the exclusion of the Pillars, The Force, Knowledge, and Self-Discipline. It is working in harmony with a Jedi's facilities that we find peace in our emotional state.
The common form of this stanza, "There is no emotion, there is peace" seems to imply Jedi to be unfeeling beings, which is why I tend to avoid it. Some may take this form of the code, and think it is proper for Jedi to suppress all emotion. Suppression of emotion can be a dangerous thing. It is just a tapping down, and not dealing with it. This allows emotions to simmer and grow, and when they come to the surface, they are much more powerful and destructive than if they were dealt with in the moment.
So what is the proper response of a Jedi to strong emotion? Allow it to inform you, accept it, and let it pass. When we find ourselves in a situation in which strong emotions arise, our emotional state is just one point of data in our situation. If you are using the Force to inculcate the positive mental attitudes of a Jedi, you know that the Force can be used for knowledge; Knowledge being the central pillar of Jedi Strength should come to bear even more strongly than emotion. But you should also use the knowledge of your emotional state to gain insight into the situation you find yourself in. One should not dwell upon the emotion and let it color everything you think and do, let it just be one shade of your complete mental picture. Once your emotion has served its purpose, then you should not become attached to it, and instead just let it go, and find the state of peace.
