I'm curious what some of the knights and masters might think on the subject, as this seems to be near the core of many of the more complicated or challenging questions: when is action appropriate or actually good? When does action cross the line from freeing someone from others imposing their desires on them to us ourselves imposing our desires on them instead?
Personally, when I contemplate a question like this, I've tried to form a habit of going to the Temple Doctrine and reading through it for any insights that help shine a light on details I'm missing. In this case a few points I spotted that seemed particularly interesting were:
Eighteenth Maxim: De-escalation - Between uncontrolled escalation and passivity, there is a demanding path of responsibility that we follow. Whenever we perceive monsters we should see to it we do not become monsters ourselves.
Twelfth Maxim: Discretion - For the Jedi, discretion is the better part of valour. Indeed, agency without discretion comes invariably to a tragic end. True wisdom is found in knowing when to raise the eyebrow, rather than the voice or the sword.
Seventh Teaching: The Jedi foster an acceptance of limitations. To change the world is to change our perceptions of and perspectives towards it. Indeed, we are capable of amazing acts, especially when we rely on the flow of the Force. Yet, as incarnated, organic beings we must understand that the power is that of the Force, without which we are mere matter.
For me personally, I always try to remember that I'm only one person with only 24 hours in the day (far fewer when I actually spend some of those hours sleeping). I have to choose my battles and the best way to do that seems to be an honest assessment of where my time will be effective, where my particular skills, experiences, and position in life will position me to make a significant impact. I have a problem with saying no when something needs to be done (and burning myself out in the process), so I try to remember that saying no to one thing that I might have little impact on is leaving me room to say yes to something else where I can actually make a difference (and more importantly leaving room for someone else whose skills are better aligned to it saying yes to the thing I said no to). That's more about maintaining personal balance within my own life than it is about balance in how I in how my actions impact others, though, so I would also be really curious to hear if the knights around the Temple have a rule or thumb or guiding principle they use to help see the right course of action (and level of action) more clearly.
