First, I'd like to offer my sincere thanks and support to OB1Shinobi, not just for sharing this great video, but also for his other opinions and posts and willingness to confront these issues that I feel we still have a need to confront. OB1, you are an important member of this community and I appreciate you very much. And I look forward to shaking your hand one day.
This video, especially, captures the idea of communication that I'd like to promote among the Jedi. Some Jedi may fear conflict because it's easy to take a position against conflict itself. So often when we have an array of ideas there's no competition between them. There is only tolerance.
It is not intolerance to confront a bad idea. People have the right to speak their mind and others have the right to disagree. And children, growing up, need to see this and be exposed to debate so that they aren't simply picking and choosing beliefs based on what they're already comfortable with or what they already believe.
Challenging ideas is important; especially and preferably BEFORE an idea goes viral. But we can do this without hostility, with love and patience, without ego or irrationality, but with reason; TEST these ideas. Children need to see ideas being tested so they can learn the importance of testing and challenging ideas themselves.
The story of Daryl Davis has always impressed me. A perfect example of a light-side Jedi approach to the klan. Instead of hating the hate group, he came at them with love and friendship, and understanding. But he didn't simply tolerate their views. He was able to use their common ground to probe and ask questions. And since he controlled his own ego and emotions he was able to do this with civility and respect. Imagine if every Jedi developed this kind of conversational jutsu that allowed Jedi to battle bad ideas purely within the mind before those ideas can mature and develop into negative outcomes? Jedi could very literally change the world.
And so that is also my hope. If most see being a Jedi as purely an individual path, that's fine. I won't argue with that. But I hope many also see being a Jedi also as a means of bringing balance to some of the negative flows of energy in the world around us.
