Proteus wrote: It's often I see people wanting a tangible definition of the Force - tangible meaning, something they can nail down with boundaries, and can encapsulate with human language... Is there no other way to observe or contemplate the force beyond this typical approach and learn from it?
Not effectively, I'd say. It needn't necessarily even be a matter of narrowing it down, chopping off some nuances and subtleties and cramming it into a box it has no business fitting into. It's more of a "Seriously, now, what are you talking about though?" kind of question.
Either the Force is a broadly important concept in our paths or it is not. If it is, and if we are spending a notable amount of our time discussing or teaching it beyond mere fanciful throwaway lines, like wishing each other that it be with us, then it is an entirely fair question to ask, and an important one to ponder, what it is that we are spending that time and effort going on about, or at least what we mean by it. No, we may not be able to come up with a single definitive answer, but if we come up with grossly different ones, or flail in an attempt to dismiss the question when unwilling to answer anything at all, then I submit it'd be a high ask to make of anyone, including ourselves, that we take each other seriously on this matter.
There is a case to be made, surely, that the two go hand in hand: If we care about this "the Force", maybe we would do well clarifying at least to ourselves, and at least ever so vaguely and approximately what we mean by it. Alternatively, if we want to set that discussion aside with no comment, then perhaps we need to forfeit either the claim that this "the Force" thing is of deep importance to us, or that generally approaching things with our intellect (as opposed to passion, say) is. I'm not sure having it both ways is an option.
