It is fairly well known that George Lucas drew from historical influences such as the Knights Templar, Japanese Samurai and Shaolin Kung Fu for the Jedi Order of Knights philosophies and history. Those philosophies are still pertinent and applicable to today’s marital artists.
In
my last blog I quoted Master Yoda’s “Do, or do not. There is no try.“ and the importance
of that mindset if needed to use your skills to defend yourself. Many other philosophies quoted in Star Wars
are relevant to today’s marital artist.
In Star Wars, the greatest
power comes from being one with the force.
In our training the Force is that harsh energy, explicitly external energy
that we tap into. To tap into the Force, you must recognize that:
· “The Force will be with you. Always.” - energy is there for you to use, always. It takes training to tap into it and to believe you can, but it is there.
· To tap into that energy "You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere. Yes. Even between the land and the ship."
·
This harsh energy
is only to be used for self-defense. “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.”
And that energy is more effective and powerful than anything we can imagine and therefore our physical strength and size does not matter.
· “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is.”
Learning requires patience and an open mind.
·
If we could learn all the skills
instantly, we would all be black belts in weeks, not years. “Patience you must have my young Padawan.”
·
And sometimes we need to train our mind
and body differently to be an effective martial artist. “You must unlearn what you have learned.”
·
We must be open to new concepts (like the
force) to truly master a martial art, we must have a mind of a child that is
fascinated about all things. “Truly wonderful,
the mind of a child is.”
Controlling your emotions is a critical
part of being a martial artist. Emotions
such as fear, anger, hate, cloud one’s thinking and responses. Martial artists never react or use their skill
because of these emotions.
·
But in order to control these emotions,
you must understand what triggers those emotions for you. “Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi.
Your destiny.”
·
And if you control fear, you stop the chain
to other “darker” emotions. “Fear is the
path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to
suffering.”
If you happen to watch or
rewatch Star Wars movies, I recommend looking at it from the viewpoint of
studying martial arts philosophies and how you might apply them to your own
training.
Regards,
Kelly
“Always pass on what you have learned.” ~ Master Yoda, Grandmaster
of the Jedi Order
