The Aspiring Jedi's Handbook of Virtue
The Old Republic and the Older Republic
The Jedi “were guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.” Their main goal was to protect the citizens and freedoms of the Republic. Funnily, the Jedi are similar to a certain group that Plato tells of in one of his works, The Republic. In The Republic, Plato describes “an ideal society,” in which they train, “a group of virtuous warriors to preserve peace and justice in the commonwealth.” For the warriors that Plato describes, they must undergo a long and rigorous period of training. This training is similar to Jedi training, especially the training Luke Skywalker receives from Yoda. This training is supposed to generate knowledge of goodness and justice. Only those who finish this training are qualified to protect society, for, “they will have developed the virtues associated with goodness and justice.” The training includes intense physical training, although it is not just for physical strength. The training is meant to strengthen your mind and to produce the virtues of courage and endurance.
A Balancing Act
The next step in training is learning physical balance. Luke practices this by having Yoda stand on his feet while he does a handstand. “By maintaining his balance, Luke is in control of himself and the circumstances around him.” Aristotle recommends something similar. He suggests that we need the right balance of virtue. “Virtue is ‘the mean’ or intermediate between excess and deficiency.” We should learn to decide between fearing too much, which leads to cowardice, and fearing too little, which leads to rashness. The balance in between is courage. An example is when Luke faces the dilemma of saving his friends near the end of his training with Yoda. Luke realizes he is putting himself in great danger, but he also realizes that if he does not help his friends they may die. Luke makes a courageous decision and decides to save his friends.
Entering the Deep, Dark Cave
“In order to succeed as a Jedi Knight, one must identify one’s deepest fears and learn to overcome them.” While Luke is training with Yoda, Yoda has him enter a dark cave where he faces a specter of Darth Vader. Luke thinks that what he fears most is Vader, but when he defeats the apparition he realizes that it is not true. What should be Vader’s face turns out to be his own. Luke realizes that his greatest fear is giving into his reckless emotions and turning to the dark side. And with this discovery, Luke is freed from his ignorance and is able to treat Vader with compassion. Luke knows how it is like to fight these emotions and finds it in his heart to forgive Darth Vader. This cave scene is similar to Plato’s Allegory in the Cave in which a person is freed from his chains of ignorance and whose consciousness is lifted to a higher level.
The Right Kind of Love
“The other virtue that’s generated by seeing the Good is compassion.” Compassion is defined by Anakin as an “unconditional love.” It is distinctly different from romantic love which may be possessive and form attachments. Attachment can lead to extreme emotions which can lead to the dark side. Compassion is a selfless love in which you value each individual. Another important virtue of the Jedi is loyalty. The Jedi must be loyal to the Republic and to their order. But this loyalty also includes commitment to the people they value. “It involves the subordination of their private interests in favor of their more pressing needs.”
Is Brainwashing Ethically Sanitary?
Although Jedi have many virtues, there is the matter of their mind control. Some would say the ability to control the weak-minded is wrong. Plato disagrees with this assumption. He says that if the intentions are good behind the mind controlling, then it is alright. He says that it is similar to family members’ influence and that weak-minded individuals often want others to tell them what to think.
The Jedi Model
The Jedi appear courageous, loyal, compassionate, just, and forgiving. They have endurance and they have honor. They also have nobility, which is a desire for moral excellence that allows them to overcome personal interests in favor of something larger than themeselves. The Jedi are great role models because they are examples of everything you can be. They especially should be looked up to as models here at SLUH because they are first and foremost “men for others.”
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