Extant of the use of Fiction

[JKBargerParticipant]

So I don’t post often, as I am working on my own things on the side, but I came through the other day and was reading the post about Jediism= Religion? and felt some boundaries need to be drawn to help move that discussion along.

So I ask, as I have before, ‘Where do we draw the line in the fiction?’.  What is usable from the Movies?  The books?  The appendant bodies of mythos literature?

I mean, we use the Idea of the Force, and the name Jedi, which I think all are Lucas’ creation, and many ‘Jedi’ out there adhere to some belief in the Anderson Code, which comes from the books.  What’s stopping Jedi, (Realists or ‘-ism-ists”) from using things like the Concordance of Fealty, or implementing the ‘standard’ Jedi trials?

Where do you draw the line?  And more importantly, Why?
:meditate

[Brandel ValicoParticipant]

I pretty much draw the line at things that can’t be adapted to real life. I’ve yet to get a real sabre working. So I adapt the forms and various techniques they mention to my Katana. The whole rock lifting with the mind trick is still a no go at the moment. As such that’s out. But when it comes to Methodology and Philosophy and structure. I’m fine with all of it being converted over if possible.

I know a great many people dislike the idea of using to much from the fiction. The general reason being that the writers of it do so only for money and not because they actually study it. The thing is though that each and every one of the Fiction books is vetted and approved to fill in to the overall story arc and to not cause previous material to be mad to look incorrect. So yes while each other puts their own slant on things. They all have to work together to create a full story arc. This includes all the Jedi information and Philosophy. To me it just means we have a paid (By Lucasarts even) group of people whose soul job it is to ensure that all the Jedi info and Philosophy meshes and works well together and is to as much as possible in a fiction work accurate with everything that has all ready been written/Show-en/Heard before and after each and every new book.

I view them honestly as Mythology. While not 100% accurate they still can teach us a great deal if we decide to let them.

Now would I suggest it be the one and only source of information. Not a chance.

But still a very useful one for those that view it with a certain mindset.

[StreenParticipant]

I don’t really believe there’s any standard to what can or can’t be used from the fiction.  You just use what you find useful.

The thing is, I find that fiction often thinks outside the box  and thus had the potential to broaden our perception of the Force.

One example I can give comes from the rc

[StreenParticipant]

(cont.) …from the most recent series where Ben Skywalker is trying to sense danger around him…

It basically says he tried to drift beyond thoughts and puzzles to feel the flow of the Force and its guidance.  Not all that profound but still useful.

[StryseParticipant]

Fiction should be treated as a source for inspiration.  As such, all fiction is fair game, even that which isn’t directly associated with Star Wars.  Fiction, and Science Fiction in particular, are often means by which we can explore this condition we call being human.

What is inspiring to you, and how it inspires you, is a unique and individual thing.    Thus will you find some fiction more useful than others.     

[MemnoichParticipant]

But going with Stryse, what you get inspiration from, may not do the same for another as we all have different life experience’s, for example, you may read a story that makes ideas from five other stories “Click” together, but me reading that same story won’t have that happen because I didn’t read the other five stories. So part of that inspiration is to take that “Clicking” moment and describe it to the rest of us as best you can, so that we might also understand your inspiration. Thus creating new steps for the Jedi community to advance it’s on documents and processes.

[JaxKeymaster]

I wouldn’t mind seeing people write lessons (stand alone or as a course) using the fiction as inspiration.  Realistically, most everyone here has already taken literature classes in school where fiction was used to teach about different concepts, philosophy, morality, etc.  Why is star wars any different?  The challenge is probably that most of us haven’t been trained to teach in this way and don’t really know how to organize the information.  But if someone does, please do so.  Just because we don’t stress fiction doesn’t mean it isn’t useful. 

[StryseParticipant]

It is always within the realm of possibility that the authors of fiction have received some type of inspiration from the Force to guide their tale, and in so doing reveal something true in their work that is otherwise just a story.    The ‘unseen’ work in mysterious ways.        As Jedi we tend to accept that all things are tied together via the Force.  Even though someone may be, in their mind, writing a piece of pure fiction… they can sometimes, slip something very non-fiction into it quite unwittingly.

All in all I’m reminded of Asimov’s quote about Science Fiction being an existential metaphor of the human condition.. a means by which we can explore our own nature more fully.

[JKBargerParticipant]

Wowsers.. My apologies for the delay folks..

Jax, I totally feel what you are saying.  I have been sifting all these years, looking for those gems hidden away in the Jedi literature we have.  What you said reminds me of the Orphic, Neoplatonic, and Hermetic Traditions and how they “revived” lost wisdom to organize a semi-coherent structure for themselves in which to operate an Order proper.  The work I’ve been hiding away and doing involves just that; I was just very unsure what the community’s opinion was on it.

Stryse, It is always invigorating to hear your thoughts.  As Asimov is the man, I fully agree with how science fiction can be seen as an attempt for us to express our modern, technology infused condition.  It is precisely the Jedi path that has given me a context, fictitious or not, to explore the vast collections of ancient lore of this world.

I have always been working on organizing bits and pieces of Jedi Lore into a system that can be adopted and replicated, but have occasionally caught a few bumps along the way.  School and Life are the main culprits, but i feel that that time is drawing to an end.  Seeing the many thoughts and opinions expressed in this thread and in the Jedi community as a whole, my Jedi Project will continue to move forward as planned.  Although not a ‘public’ project or ‘group’ invitation, I invite anyone that has similar ideas, thoughts, or tendencies, get ahold of me personally and maybe we can expand the project and research.  The more eyes and hearts we have working on this, the more i think we may be able to accomplish. 

[StryseParticipant]

Quote:

Stryse, It is always invigorating to hear your thoughts.  As Asimov is the man, I fully agree with how science fiction can be seen as an attempt for us to express our modern, technology infused condition.  It is precisely the Jedi path that has given me a context, fictitious or not, to explore the vast collections of ancient lore of this world.

I have always been working on organizing bits and pieces of Jedi Lore into a system that can be adopted and replicated, but have occasionally caught a few bumps along the way.  School and Life are the main culprits, but i feel that that time is drawing to an end.  Seeing the many thoughts and opinions expressed in this thread and in the Jedi community as a whole, my Jedi Project will continue to move forward as planned.  Although not a ‘public’ project or ‘group’ invitation, I invite anyone that has similar ideas, thoughts, or tendencies, get ahold of me personally and maybe we can expand the project and research.  The more eyes and hearts we have working on this, the more i think we may be able to accomplish. 

And what a wonderous context it is.  I personally haven’t had as much excitement or joy out of it as I get from exploring it from this vantage point.  I guess going Jedi made it a lot more fun (certainly less stuffy than my previous experiences). 

Feel free to message me, i’d be happy to lend another set of eyes to your project.  Sounds like its the same sort of thing I’ve been trying to put together myself.  It would be good to bounce ideas off each other. 

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