I Shall Bring
What do we do when our routine is interrupted? In more than one way this was put to the test for me beginning this Saturday. Rather than bore you with the details, let me just assure you that this was a rather mundane interruption. However, this reminded me of something that I told a novice not too long ago, “it’s when the shit hits the fan that we can and must remember our training”. We test our mettle as Jedi in battle; the battle being “what do I choose to do now?”
Oftentimes, we are not in a fight for our lives. We can be in a fight between our base instincts and what we have learned or our training.
It’s why I take such comfort in the Creed. Unlike the Code, it allows me to act in times where I feel helpless, even if that action is just reframing a thought. Let’s look at the Creed together.
I am a Jedi, an instrument of peace;
Where there is hatred, I shall bring love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
When things are going well, our cornucopias might be full of peace, love, pardon. faith, hope, light and joy. But what about when they are not? In those times we come to our stores. The stores include all the daily meditations and other practices that help us return to center. The stores also include the community of Jedi around which we find ourselves. Everyone doesn’t struggle at the same time and in the same way. So I may be weak today, unable to bring peace, love, pardon, faith, hope, light, and joy to myself in the midst of my struggles. That is what my fellow Jedi do for me if/when I seek them out. A hearty thank you to those who have been with me through this ordeal. By your combined strength I was able to make it through.
Let’s move on.
I am a Jedi.
I shall never seek so much to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
This is one section of the creed that I have the most trouble with, especially in difficult situations, because it says “I shall never seek so much”. This is difficult to live out when your cornucopia is empty. I’m delighted to know that the emptiness will not always be so, but sometimes it is. This “I shall never seek” seems an ideal. When I am able I am in the position to console, understand, love. Hopefully, I am in that position more often than not. However, it is dangerous to think you have to always occupy the position of consoler, understand-er, lover. Sometimes we need consolation, understanding, and love. We need to teach ourselves that it is ok to ask for it; If we are able to do it well, we need to be consoling, understanding and loving.That is the foundation on which the community is built; the understanding that sometimes we are the supporters and sometimes we are the ones in need of support. Which leads very nicely into the last portion of the Creed:
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
The Force is with me always, for I am a Jedi.
This is a reminder to myself as much as anyone. We are members of a community and we support and hold one another up. We are on individual journeys, but we have help along the way. Please know that you are not alone in your struggles and we can all lend a helping hand.
May the Force be with you all.
