The Inherent Worth of All Life

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5 years 1 month ago - 5 years 1 month ago #333410 by Rosalyn J
Hi everyone,

I am doing some supplemental training and one of my lessons concerns the statement of belief. In our statement of belief it says that Jedi believe in the inherent worth of all life. Practically, how does that work out for you all? If you made a change or changes outside of your level of comfort to live out this belief how did you overcome the discomfort?

Pax Per Ministerium
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Last edit: 5 years 1 month ago by Rosalyn J.
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5 years 1 month ago #333412 by
Replied by on topic The Inherent Worth of All Life

Jedi belief in the inherent worth of all life. Practically, how does that work out for you all? If you made a change or changes outside of your level of comfort to live out this belief how did you overcome the discomfort?


As someone who believes in the reality of the Force, I see it as such... if the Force, this infinitely intricate and intrinsic connection generated by, surrounding, and penetrating all living things has always and will always exist, what then? It becomes a matter of understanding how a stone thrown in one end of a lake will have ripples travel across the entire surface of the lake, even if you didn't intend it, or expect it to have such a big effect.

In my work, I get complaints a lot. Not directed at me, and normally not caused by me or even my department (the joys of front of house). Sometimes people do so politely, and we can come to an understanding and perhaps even a correction. They make small ripples in the Force, and those ripples are easy to manage. Then there are those that come in like a shifting tectonic plate, causing huge tsunamis in the Force, affecting everyone within earshot, and sometimes even putting my coworkers out for a bit (they end up needing a break just to recuperate mentally).

In this case, to be a Jedi and to acknowledge even the most disturbing of individuals as inherently equal to oneself, equal to ones friends, family, or even the people around them... well, its hard, but I imagine it as being a giant steel pillar in the ocean of the Force. Even the strongest of tsunamis wont break you. You may bend a bit in recoil, but you will not break. So, when the initial wave passes you're able to observe while others want to recover, and address the root of the problem. No one is a terrible person naturally. Its part of their nurture, environment, and the time leading up to what breaks them. Being able to remain unbroken in times where everyone else is by destructive people is key to being a Jedi, because it allows one to quickly unbend, observe, and understand the connection between what happened and what caused what happened.

And when one can do that for the most destructive of people, dealing with those that silently glide through the Force becomes second nature. :)

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5 years 1 month ago #333419 by JamesSand
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others ;) B)
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5 years 1 month ago #333428 by Gisteron
Honestly, I just don't believe in the inherent worth of all life to begin with, and I don't recall that being different about me even back when I applied some seven years ago. Worth is a judgement, value something assigned by a subject onto an object in a process called valuing. The very idea of there being inherent worth to anything sounds like a contradiction in terms to me. Sure, I value life broadly, and some lives more than others, and it manifests in protective instincts of varying magnitude, but I couldn't muster the self-importance to think that my feelings about things, whimsical or thought-out, are reflective of some kind of inherent nature they have at all. I can deduce something very trivial about my relation towards the thing under consideration, but nothing about it that is actually subject-independent. The most non-subjective thing I might try and infer is something about myself, really, though seeing how likely I'd fall victim to obvious biases in the attempt, I wouldn't dare assert any such inference with any confidence or probably even at all.

Better to leave questions unanswered than answers unquestioned
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5 years 1 month ago #333429 by
Replied by on topic The Inherent Worth of All Life
How to overcome a discomfort.

I would say that in the season of changes is important to be kind to yourself.
and mainly grateful! < important tool.
Be aware of all your qualities have to be appreciated by yourself

Totally agree with JamesSand, as the animals are equal, same humans.
of course here are differences, but it makes one unique. Everybody is rare ;)
no one is useless, each life has sense.

Maybe is my advise to much sunny, but it work!
I like brave people, it makes them very valuable.

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5 years 1 month ago - 5 years 1 month ago #333430 by
Replied by on topic The Inherent Worth of All Life
What a great question, Rosalyn!

I am in full alignment with the belief that all life has an inherent worth. It is my perception that we are all made of the same stuff, that each expression of life is a unique expression of the One Life. And the preciousness of that life is beyond measure.

That belief does come, though, with an inevitable sense of sorrow related to our physical, three-dimensional existence. Try as we might to shape our lives to honor every other form of life, we cannot avoid causing harm. Even if we become vegans, decline to wear leather, refuse to fight in wars, and avoid stepping on insects, our bodies daily destroy organisms which inhabit are own, and which our immune systems perceive as threats. It cannot be otherwise, else we ourselves would know greater suffering and become sick or die.

As far as I can tell, our duty in the physical realm is to respect all life to the fullest extent we can, recognizing that we each have unique limits. In our inner life, we can still pay homage to every being, even the ones we harm and the ones who cast harm upon us.

One version of the Buddhist Metta (Lovingkindness) Prayer:

•My heart fills with with loving kindness. I love myself. May I be happy. May I be well. May I be peaceful. May I be free.

•May all beings in my vicinity be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•May all beings in my city be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•May all beings in my state be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•May all beings in my country be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•May all beings on my continent be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•May all beings in my hemisphere be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•May all beings on planet Earth be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•May my parents be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•May all my friends be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•May all my enemies be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•May all beings in the Universe be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

•If I have hurt anyone, knowingly or unknowingly in thought, word or deed, I ask for their forgiveness.

•If anyone has hurt me, knowingly or unknowingly in thought, word or deed, I extend my forgiveness.

May all beings everywhere, whether near or far, whether known to me or unknown, be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
Last edit: 5 years 1 month ago by . Reason: Original paragraph spacing wasn't quite right - my error.

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5 years 1 month ago #333431 by Manu
Replied by Manu on topic The Inherent Worth of All Life

The pessimist complains about the wind;
The optimist expects it to change;
The realist adjusts the sails.
- William Arthur Ward
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5 years 1 month ago - 5 years 1 month ago #333438 by Kobos
So, take what you will from this but..........

Life is a process like many other natural ones. Separate ourselves from it like we do with most things and we give it value.

This is where I vary a bit from Gist here. The worth is inherent in the process itself (which happens with or without us). This said we need to include ourselves as part of that process. The value you assign to it is how you will operate as an individual in this process.

That said personally, I value life a lot. I do not like killing things but in times it too has to be done (for example an animal attacking or as a direct threat). Oddly, I think that I lost a lot of value to my own life through my own beliefs a while back. Erinis is right in that you do have to be kind to yourself. It's a little of a paradox as you have to be nice to yourself and yet hold yourself accountable but it is a balance.

My practice is to sometimes step out side of my actions and ask myself if I am really being true to the processes of nature. I also balance this though, with the idea of finding the middle of that and self interest.

Also, I try to be nice to any life form I see but you know that's not really possible from subjective angle. Just because I didn't kill the spider doesn't excuse the poor froggy I hit with my car last summer. I tried to avoid but an accident would have been devastating due to financial situation, so I assigned a value to that life form.

So life has what I would say an inherent worth, it is part of the giant awesome process. But, it only has value once I assign it to any interaction I have with it. It is impossible to do this in all situations but when I can I try to assign it as high as I can.

Hope that makes sense,
Much Love, Respect and Peace,
Kobos

What has to come ? Will my heart grow numb ?
How will I save the world ? By using my mind like a gun
Seems a better weapon, 'cause everybody got heat
I know I carry mine, since the last time I got beat
MF DOOM Books of War

Training Masters: Carlos.Martinez3 and JLSpinner
TB:Nakis
Knight of the Conclave
Last edit: 5 years 1 month ago by Kobos. Reason: I suck at typing
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5 years 1 month ago #333440 by Carlos.Martinez3
In my practice - for me - every new experience and every new connection can be uncomfortable or - just that - new - not prone to. For me changes were in the form of what I sought which was more stories - more ideas- more connections- which means more people involved. For my personal life and spiritual walk the changes were the actual growth I was looking for. Trying at times- for me they are worth the effort. Some times moving my cheese is a good thing or it can be - depends on me but I’m the Longrun- my change is grow - some times I grow a bit wild but I grow ! Expect discomfort or see it as growth. Either way , if you notice something- take care of it. Your the one who noticed ! I call em Small discomforts for me. I guess it depends on that persons point of view hu.?

Your know - there does come a time when the butterflies go away. Reminds me of my first and last time jumping out of a plane for the army... first time - in my heart and mind ran my checklist of every little thing I had to do to stvive the crazyness of jumping out of a perfectly good plane... no room for error. Scared and clammy ... there I went ... My last jump: I couldn’t figure out where exactly how I was gunna fit a 50 inch TV I was funna order that day on line till I was 1000 feet in the air - it came to me ... order it and have it delivered to the house !

Some “feelings” can be frequented enough to a point of ... lesser... importance or lesser attention .... and even forgotten . Feelings are funny - they drive and get in the way all in the same moment !
I leave room for the grow wether it’s hurt help or not even planned.

Pastor of Temple of the Jedi Order
pastor@templeofthejediorder.org
Build, not tear down.
Nosce te ipsum / Cerca trova
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5 years 1 month ago #333443 by Manu
Replied by Manu on topic The Inherent Worth of All Life
My perspective differs a bit from Gisterion’s. I understand that “worth” is a subjectively assigned value, which is exactly why stating “inherent value of all living beings” is important as it states that beings are value regardless of how we view them. In that sense I agree with Kobos, we put ourselves in allignment with this reality.

To me, it came mostly from appreciating my food. I am not nor ever imagine will be a vegetarian. But acknowledging what I am eating, to be appreciative of the sacrifice made, and to avoid being wasteful, put me in a grateful state of mind, and I end up treating food less as a discardable thing and more like a precious gift.

The pessimist complains about the wind;
The optimist expects it to change;
The realist adjusts the sails.
- William Arthur Ward
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