We've Seen This Before.
In the newest Star Wars film, VIII, The Last Jedi, we see a weathered Luke Skywalker, his potentially heiress apparent, Rey, and an entire cast of people depicted in the previews to which I am giving nothing away.
In the latest trilogy, the Dark Side is represented by The First Order and they are doing what the Dark Side has always done in the previous movies, and all throughout the franchise, including the cartoons. So, what we have here is a battle between good and evil, light and dark, and there is this underlying balance of "The Force" that is the median between them both.
In the TV show SpongeBob Squarepants, SpongeBob is a Happy-go-lucky, lovable duffas, whom works for mean ol' Mr. Krabs. Mr. Krabs is too much into money and therefore from time to time does some pretty corrupt things. As somehow a balance to "the force" in the show, if you will, Plankton is always trying to steal Mr. Krab's secret formula to his Krabby Patties and therefore make his own wealth and notoriety. SpongeBob seems to be caught in the middle of this pull, and fights, blindly, for his boss, Mr. Krabs. This, not just what appears for a job or paycheck, but because of what appears to be his convictions.
Battles on TV shows, movies, books, aren't very real are they? We like the story to be this straightforward, but rarely is it. In Star Wars, there is literally Light and Dark, but what about the partially light or the partially dark, or the people caught in the middle with no immediate skin in the game? The people who are only seeing the destruction caused by the light side on their path to do what they feel is "right." The Dark Side also feels they they are right. They feel from within their own circles of people and those who have invested that they are correct in their actions as well.
As an audience, we sit in our now reclining movie theater seats, our couches, our benches at work, and we watch a plot play out in front of us. We see the external actions with little indication of motive or intent from the inside of the main characters we are encouraged to love from what the director chooses to depict. We really have no right to determine who should win, or why we root for the "hero" at all.
The Avengers caught on to this topic a few years ago, when The Avengers had to face the destruction they cause from their plan to do "right." We all have a plan about how we think things should go until we are met with resistance. When the things we are fighting for can be the very same things restarting the cycle of destruction.
What if the Dark Side wins? We are meant to believe the worlds in that galaxy would be suppressed individuals, slaves to the First Order. We are made to invest in the rebalancing of "The Force," why again? Why do I care if "The Force" is "rebalanced?" Doesn't there have to be a bad to every good or a Snoke to every Obi Wan? The Force promotes balance yet the movies all depict just one side. Where are the fallen heroes of the Dark Side who in their heart of hearts weren't fighting for evil or selfish intents but fought for what THEY believed was right? Are we led to believe that the assumed to be thousands of employees The First Order has are all corrupt henchman who just learned how to perform what appears to be very complex jobs?
Sometimes, understanding more about what is "bad," can help us get closer to what is "good." Understanding why a bully does what they do, or a criminal steals, or a murder occurs, allows us to see what the intent was and where the deviation from fair and balanced occurred. If I believe that the company I work for is a good company and I dedicate my 40 plus hours a week to you, and someone comes to offend it, the Plankton in this scenario, then I will stand my ground for what I believe. Now, there is no guarantee that "What I believe," is always the "right thing," but my motive is pure with the information I have.
Just think, what if all those people on the Dark Side; the control operators, the cannon mechanics, the chiefs, the garbage people, the droid engineers, imagine all of those people and their own individual motives, deep inside of of those large communities? They do not have all the details and what they do have could be propaganda thus resulting in them fighting for what they appear to be their own light. They would then see a threat to their beliefs and do what it takes to defeat that threat. This too is a balance.
To find balance is to find contentment. This means we no longer get the huge highs, the stimulating opiate antagonists, but we also avoid the lows, the crashes of depression and sadness. We are a fallen man where there is an evil to fight our internal good. The choice is ours with whom we choose to serve, but unlike the First Order, we have more information as to what side to choose with our time here on Earth. One thing you do not see in those committed to either side, is a selfish motive. They dedicate to their side through life. You and I can learn something from even those on the Dark Side or the Planktons of our own stories about dedication and sacrifice.
FOR A BOOK ABOUT BALANCE IN SELF AND HOW WE LOOK, CLICK HERE.
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| NO SPOILERS!!! |
Throughout the Star Wars franchise we find there is this battle from the Dark Side and Light of who is to "win". Jedi are the knights of The Force (someone is going to tear this apart I know) and fight for the rebellion out of default it seems because there needs balance in "The Force" from the "Dark Side" wanting to take over.
In the latest trilogy, the Dark Side is represented by The First Order and they are doing what the Dark Side has always done in the previous movies, and all throughout the franchise, including the cartoons. So, what we have here is a battle between good and evil, light and dark, and there is this underlying balance of "The Force" that is the median between them both.
In the TV show SpongeBob Squarepants, SpongeBob is a Happy-go-lucky, lovable duffas, whom works for mean ol' Mr. Krabs. Mr. Krabs is too much into money and therefore from time to time does some pretty corrupt things. As somehow a balance to "the force" in the show, if you will, Plankton is always trying to steal Mr. Krab's secret formula to his Krabby Patties and therefore make his own wealth and notoriety. SpongeBob seems to be caught in the middle of this pull, and fights, blindly, for his boss, Mr. Krabs. This, not just what appears for a job or paycheck, but because of what appears to be his convictions.
Battles on TV shows, movies, books, aren't very real are they? We like the story to be this straightforward, but rarely is it. In Star Wars, there is literally Light and Dark, but what about the partially light or the partially dark, or the people caught in the middle with no immediate skin in the game? The people who are only seeing the destruction caused by the light side on their path to do what they feel is "right." The Dark Side also feels they they are right. They feel from within their own circles of people and those who have invested that they are correct in their actions as well.
 |
| Well, our seats reclined... |
The Avengers caught on to this topic a few years ago, when The Avengers had to face the destruction they cause from their plan to do "right." We all have a plan about how we think things should go until we are met with resistance. When the things we are fighting for can be the very same things restarting the cycle of destruction.
 |
| I call this, Dark vs. Light. |
What if the Dark Side wins? We are meant to believe the worlds in that galaxy would be suppressed individuals, slaves to the First Order. We are made to invest in the rebalancing of "The Force," why again? Why do I care if "The Force" is "rebalanced?" Doesn't there have to be a bad to every good or a Snoke to every Obi Wan? The Force promotes balance yet the movies all depict just one side. Where are the fallen heroes of the Dark Side who in their heart of hearts weren't fighting for evil or selfish intents but fought for what THEY believed was right? Are we led to believe that the assumed to be thousands of employees The First Order has are all corrupt henchman who just learned how to perform what appears to be very complex jobs?
Sometimes, understanding more about what is "bad," can help us get closer to what is "good." Understanding why a bully does what they do, or a criminal steals, or a murder occurs, allows us to see what the intent was and where the deviation from fair and balanced occurred. If I believe that the company I work for is a good company and I dedicate my 40 plus hours a week to you, and someone comes to offend it, the Plankton in this scenario, then I will stand my ground for what I believe. Now, there is no guarantee that "What I believe," is always the "right thing," but my motive is pure with the information I have.
Just think, what if all those people on the Dark Side; the control operators, the cannon mechanics, the chiefs, the garbage people, the droid engineers, imagine all of those people and their own individual motives, deep inside of of those large communities? They do not have all the details and what they do have could be propaganda thus resulting in them fighting for what they appear to be their own light. They would then see a threat to their beliefs and do what it takes to defeat that threat. This too is a balance.
To find balance is to find contentment. This means we no longer get the huge highs, the stimulating opiate antagonists, but we also avoid the lows, the crashes of depression and sadness. We are a fallen man where there is an evil to fight our internal good. The choice is ours with whom we choose to serve, but unlike the First Order, we have more information as to what side to choose with our time here on Earth. One thing you do not see in those committed to either side, is a selfish motive. They dedicate to their side through life. You and I can learn something from even those on the Dark Side or the Planktons of our own stories about dedication and sacrifice.
FOR A BOOK ABOUT BALANCE IN SELF AND HOW WE LOOK, CLICK HERE.
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