Master Trial: Question Two
In one word, when you look at Star Wars’ example, how would you describe a Jedi? Would it be “Hero”? That certainly is the word I believe Lucas would associate with them, as he modeled the storyline after Joseph Campbell’s work “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”.
The Jedi in the fiction “fight for civilization, because only civilization creates peace. We fight for justice because justice is the fundamental bedrock of civilization: an unjust civilization is built upon sand. It does not long survive the storm” (Mace Windu, Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover). At the center of human civilization, is human life. But, as Jedi we must be aware of a very keen fact as well- humans aren’t an island either. Environment and Ecology are integral to maintaining civilization.
Whether you believe in Climate Change or not, taking care of the Earth is important. Human practices can tear at nature, or aide it. Directing water away from an area may make it more susceptible to wildfires, or cause an ecological system to become displaced or extinct. We know from the news that wildfires alone displace and disrupt lives and force people into difficult quality of living circumstances. Today we are losing our honeybee population in the world because of many factors, but at least one is 100% provable to be a man-created problem: Pesticides. Although we could live without bees, it would tear down many industries that families rely upon for their well-being. Without a support system to help people rise out of the crisis, people find themselves at odds with one another.
This is the essence of understanding Qui-Gon Jinn’s words “Living beings generate the Living Force, which in turn powers the wellspring that is the cosmic Force”. Everything is connected, and as such the Community decided to change the original wording “Duty to the People” in the Jedi Compass to “Duty to All”. This slight alteration was intended to expand the idea that whatever service you put effort into, be it to the Earth, to animals or to the people around you, you are helping civilization in your own way.
And that’s what drives the heart of the second question. If Apprenticeship is intended to teach you how to live by the Jedi Tenets, then Knighthood is about finding a heroic cause and learning how you can best fit into that cause to help it succeed.
“Who/What do you want to protect?”
Much like the first question, this answer needs to be narrow. “I want to protect civilization”, “I want to protect the earth”, etc. These are broad, and say nothing about who/what you want to protect. These answers show no self-awareness.
Similarly, “my children” takes the answer in too narrow of a view. You should always want to protect your immediate family, but as Jedi we are called to an adventure that contributes to a “Duty to All”. What that adventure is, should be reflected in the answer to this question.
The questions in this trial are a declaration of how your peers and other Jedi should judge you as a Master. You will be expected to carry out this mission, and should feel honor bound to stand behind the answers you give in your Master Trial. The next two questions hinge greatly on this one here, and cannot be answered until you can answer this one.
