Jedi Training

Citizen Jedi

Posted by Jedi7 on Mon Jun 07, 2010 6:40 pm

The Jedi are everywhere but we don't have a clear voice - yet, but we will.

The "Jedi" who cleanse themselves of evil, who shudder at an expletive and who look around in mock pity mixed with a healthy contempt for those not worthy of the title JEDI -- well their nuts and this isn't about them. "Oh' Jedi Seven - I can't believe YOU - YOU of all people are SO NEGATIVE." Well, we got some work here to do and all you happy-rainbow-bubble-gum types and you 'we're super evil Sith' do is waste time. Lets get down to it, shall we?

Groups of Jedi and similar are taking off via the web. There are Christians ready to fight demons, there are Raw Food people ready to change society, PETA people wanting to stop cruelty -- a million different tidal pools all spawning ideas.

Some (possibly most) are really misguided, "join now and you'll receive the following: a.) Find out esoteric information no one else will know! b.) Power over your life and others - no more will you ever be mocked and enjoy only hollow victories - not today! c.) You'll get to raise in rank which will guarantee you RESPECT. And these three "rewards" are pretty darn sad but indicative of most movements spawned today. When the rewards don't show up as expected -- well extremism is required. You need to do xyz while simultaneously following a stringent regiment that requires giving up of usually something you really enjoy or like. Suddenly members find themselves eating meals of celery while chanting Sith power slogans and meditating instead of playing Tennis.

Why? We want and need discipline and we want someone to tell us what and the heck to do.

Okay - someone telling us what to do - you just went, "No WAY" right - well let me tell you why...and get to the positivity.

A lot of people who find this web site first found religion because they're looking around for -- something -- something they know should be there, a missing little piece from their heart, a snippet of song they heard in their song once on a walk, once while looking at a tree, once while staring at their first child - and it was seductive and they KNEW, KNEW right then and there they had to find it again.

Most religion is dogma and leaves a cavity inside the souls for those called. Some who have a niggling feeling that there is just something MORE, something they should be doing, somewhere they should be.

A lot of us are ready to do good, to live the way we should, to get in touch with something higher...but we don't know how exactly...and we in a way want people to tell us WHAT do I do now? In this world is a vast unmobilized army of those ready and willing to kick some ass for a better world. So we search and there is a lot of disappointment --- "Oh' Seven you're so negative and you don't give us any direction, it's all your fault! You're not a real Jedi!" *SIGH.

So here is what happens, there is a media machine that is honed and very good at selling us messages and keeping society calm and copacetic. If you're fat and have no energy -- you'll probably not be out in the streets protesting or doing anything other than dragging yourself into work. We're expected to have an amount of goods and set of goods we can't possibly pay for meanwhile communication skills and coping skills don't get taught in our schools. We're changed to fit the food that is available - not the food changed to fit our nutritional needs. Welcome to one big human feedlot. Sad part - it works, it works really well for most of public.

(I could digress into media functions and vast corporate greed - but we all know these things right? Well Google that if you need to.)

Somewhere along the way people stumble into philosophy and sociology and thinking about -- where do I fit in? Can I help? -- And that's because all true Jedi want, along with the many ponds of well meaning sincere groups out there is to go from Manufactured Manipulated Consumer to actively contributing citizen.

In ancient times we all had a place and a purpose. You cobbled shoes or you mended a fence - helped a neighbor build a barn and all these things contributed to your community, your children and your well being. There were downsides to the 'tribal system' oooh - yes. For starters they're less flexible and if you don't fit in - well to the stockades with you, you know -- but if there was a problem everyone pitched in to solve it.

With the oil spill I've seen a lot of people wanting to help, willing to help, volunteering and being turned away. I've volunteered in my community and met with a lot of apathy - "MEH - we don't know if we want a web site promoting our parks."

All in all - I think all those little puddles will someday unite. Portland Oregon is a great city which by design includes a lot of civilian participation - a city for the people by the people. They've made conscious choices to have legislation that protects unique small businesses and promotes a diversity.

I don't have any good answers at the moments for those of us yearning to be good civilians making a difference, living meaningful lives actually DOING something. Some days the milling crowds straight from the movie "Idiocracy" seem to me to be winning. I have a neighbor who loves to "tell on me" four year old style to the landlord if I'm being too loud at 8:30pm, while at the same time trashing the entire building we live in (decorating the outdoors with cardboard boxes and standing containers of water oooh' lala) and the sheik style goes all the way to wearing a t-shirt that says, "shut up and drink your beer."

I think we're all dreaming the same dream sometimes, of a different world, a different reality where there is that meaning and that song we can almost make out some days. Like Salmon maybe we're heading home but don't realize it. If you don't agree with me -- well shut up and CONSUME. ;-P

May the Force Be With You