This was written during the chaos of the ideological coup by Trump Supporting Domestic Terrorists at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Chaos, yet Harmony
Today's events have been nothing if not chaotic, and harmony is our goal. We do not achieve harmony by simply flowing with the actions of others, but by directing them. We do not stand still or stand on the sidelines, but we enter deeply and turn the tide. Our goal is peace, but we cannot skip over justice to get there. We cannot wait for others to do the work for us, we must roll up our sleeves and get to work ourselves.
Jedi Path Academy subscribes to the attitude that the Jedi Path consists of world-betterment through self-betterment working towards a just and equitable society with a strong emphasis on personal transformation, social justice, anti-racism, and anti-fascism. Today we saw the power of white privilege in the contrast to how the police treated these white supremacists storming the capitol building compared to the response to the protests for Black lives all summer after the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Where protests for Black lives were met with brutal violence, the cops at the United States Capitol today opened barricades for the insurrectionists and took selfies with them as chaos unfolded all around them. There were symbols of fascism hung today in the United States Capitol, and it was the white privilege of the terrorists that allowed them to do so. When we say the Jedi Path is antiracist and antifascist, one can not support the current administration and still be any kind of Jedi of quality.
And what is the Jedi response to this? Unlike the Jedi of mythic Star Wars Media, we do not have superpowers. Nor do we have the numbers, organization, or consent of the people to take up arms and meet force for force. Certainly, Luke Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi would wade in with their lightsabers, knowing what to do and how to do it and bringing a swift conclusion to the situation in time for the credits to roll during an orchestral fanfare. We live in the real world, and Jedi of quality are not superheroes, but we can still fight, and make no mistake this is a fight, but as Jedi, we know there are more ways to fight than with the force of arms. There are many approaches to conflict, and a Jedi should be conversant in a variety of ways to resolve it. But as to this? See to your communities. Connect. Plan. And when the opportunity presents itself, move.
There are no easy answers nor are there any easy solutions. But I often say that Jedi do not shy away from difficult things, we run towards them. Today's events are a reflection of systemic inequality dating back to the founding of the United States. It took a long time to get to this point, and it will take some time to get out of it. We must work as we can to change policy and through that, change society. And the only way we are going to achieve harmony is together. As my student once said, "a note cannot harmonize with itself". The Force connects you to others and it is only through connection, first within our communities, and then to those within our collective sphere of influence can we lead the disharmonious to harmony. We absolutely cannot do this alone, nor should we have to. So Jedi, find your people, keep them safe, expand your sphere, change the world.
