Personal Entry: The Creed

4 May 2012
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For my first personal journal entry I would like to say that I printed out the Jedi Creed and have been reading it and absorbing it as much as I can at the present moment. I noticed that the first part is very difficult for me in particular. “Where there is hatred, I shall bring love; Where there is injury, pardon;”
I was thinking to myself, how can I go about doing those two things well as so many things that can bring up hatred, that can bring up un-forgiveness, have been going on in my life. Then I said to myself, “why not read the creed backwards?” The principle affirmation is located at the bottom:
“The Force is with me always, for I am a Jedi.”
It is the Force that will help me, enable me to carry out all of the requirements of the Jedi Creed.
Furthermore, there are companion statements in the Creed,
For example,
I shall never seek so much to be consoled as to console;--> I am a Jedi, an instrument of peace;
The arrow the first statement leads to the second. In this example we see how conflicts can be resolved, balance restored and peace given. It is in the giving of ourselves and the giving up of our own selfish desires that we can obtain peace and the world can be at peace.
I shall never seek so much To be loved as to love;--> Where there is hatred I shall bring love;
This portion along with the following I believe first needs to be done inwardly. That is to say, we must replace the hatred in our own hearts in order to fully love others and love the world. This requires deep introspection. One must uncover and confront the places where hatred dwells, accept it and work to change it gradually. The question one must ask is “Is holding on to the hatred more beneficial then replacing it with love?”
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;---> Where there is injury, pardon;
Forgiveness seems to be a hallmark of many religions. Why? Because maintaining grudges only leads to further harm of self. A sour mood because of an injury can spoil an entire day. For me, I previously believed and in some cases still do believe, that holding on to hurt somehow hurts the other person. I cannot say that it does or does not, but I know for a certainty that it hurts me. Pardon, on the other hand, leads to healing, however long it takes. I do not believe that a person having been pardoned can continually hold on to their own hurt, but will eventually reciprocate the action maybe to you and maybe to another. In the end it makes for a happier world altogether.
To be understood as to understand;---> Where there is doubt, faith;
Here I consider the defense of the faith and debate if at any time it is in order. It is important to understand fully the point of view of any opposition in order to bring faith and the faith may not be given to them, but may be strengthened in you. By debating and defending one may come away with a better, deeper understanding of the point debated.
To be understood as to understand;--> Where there is despair, hope;
This requires listening, empathizing with the despair in yourself and others, only then can you bring hope. You need a greater understanding of the despair then will come from a cursory view. What causes despair? Some relationship or loss of control, but key here is learning to view all relations, actions and reactions in the mind of the Force. It frees us from attachment and from the need to control situations. Our hope then lies in the Force which we can draw on daily, hourly, and by the second.
To be understood as to understand;--> Where there is darkness, light;
Like the previous pair, this requires listening, truly being in tune with the Force. It is not possible to bring light without fully understanding darkness. What breeds it? How does it come to be? One must ask questions like these and others to be able to fully understand darkness and bring light.
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.--> And where there is sadness, joy.
Here I recall the sentiments of Joseph Campbell. A person undergoes a death of self on the hero’s journey to ascend to a higher self. A child is born first beginning a cell, the moving through the birthing canal to physical life. This is a movement from a water creature (one life) to an earth creature ( a second life). The grief of the birthing process is replaced by joy once it is completed. As a second example the rite of Passage, a child becomes a man or women exchanging their sense of dependence for self sufficiency. As Jedi, we are the same. We undergo the same earthly rites of passage, but also can undergo spiritual rebirth each time we ascend in the rank of the Order.