“What is the Force” is a question regularly brought up on Jedi forums, and other places where such a question is relevant. Often, questions such as “how does the Force influence your path”, or “what is your relationship with the Force” also find their way into such inquiries. The responses are often predictable; the quasi-mystical responses, the responses exploring the Force as a metaphor, those that relate the Force to a spiritual belief, or the responses stating the Force has no place in the respondent’s path. Ultimately, the Force as a concept is integral to the Jedi; it is the foundation of the structure of the Code, and Jedi ethics. Yet, there is a great degree of flexibility allowed regarding specific beliefs about the Force. The astute eye will have noticed that the Force is the subject of the initial module of study at Armonia. This is because your ongoing relationship with the concept of the Force will affect your ongoing studies. As such; I thought I would share, in brief, and in broad terms, my experience in dealing with this concept that pervades the Jedi path, but never seems to arrive at a strict definition.
When I first became involved with the Jedi path in 2005, I was 16, and took to heart the definition of the Force I was presented by my instructors at the time. Essentially; that the Force could be interacted with through the practice of Qigong. The Force was a literal, living energy, that we are part of, and can interact with, to achieve effects. As time passed I defined this notion as the “Living Force”, and in fact have a lesson I wrote in that time that illustrates my beliefs:
“The living Force is present in all beings and living beings, such as plants and even cells, and is the most familiar layer of the Force familiar to a Jedi, or any Force user in fact and some with a less profound understanding of the Force consider it to be ‘the’ Force of which
it is only a fraction. To explain the living Force in scientific terms is difficult but at its essence at its very simplest the living Force is the very thing that allows for a life and allows life to feel the other layers of the Force. When you use the Force, you are manipulating the living Force using your own energy which is an expression of the living Force, your energy is part of the Living Force, you are part of the living Force, all Jedi are, all life is, and thus you should seek to understand it as much as you can. I cannot explain to you the very aspects of all the living Force, I have not seen all life, but as far as I know my explanation is as close to the truth as I can get. The most peculiar thing about the living Force is that it is the focal point by which we interact with all other layers of the Force. Another thing to understand is that the living Force in theory has no will, the will of the living Force is the will of every individual being.”
Beside illustrating one’s youth, and frank lack of understanding of science at the time, it contains some salient points I often still see in quasi-mystical notions of the Force:
1) The Force is the source of Life: a pseudo-scientific notion best described as metaphysical biology.
2) Ki/Chi as structurally the “Force” but in our universe. That such energy comes from us, but also exists as a “field” that can be manipulated.
3) Advocacy for human free-will; that the “Living Force” of which we are a part does not determine our actions.
Aside from this notion of the “Living Force”, for a time I became beholden to a notion I described as the “Universal Force”. It was married to the Star Wars concept, but largely served as a self-referential solution to questions left unanswered by the notion of the “Living Force”. Again; I have a lesson from that same period defining this “Universal Force”:
“This is the layer of the Force that is being talked about when one talks about an ‘energy field that binds all’ which in fact it does. The universal Force is what holds atoms together and is what is responsible for everything that is not alive for existing, if it is not part of the living Force then the universal Force is responsible for it, as we discussed before this is one of the many reasons it is easier to interact with people and living organisms using Force abilities since the layer of Force used to interact is familiar unlike when you attempt Kinesics where you are attempting to manipulate objects that are dissimilar to you though I am aware certain people find Kinesics easy but that is usually because they are more in line with physical manipulation then most.
The will of the Force is hard to explain, I won’t attempt to explain its source merely what I see to be results of it. Fate and luck are both word used to define the will of the Force, many people refer to them without realising it, first look at games of chance where the game is fair, and all stakes are equal, the only way a person wins is by a defining factor unexplainable by science and not the responsibility of a single beings will, it is caused by the will of the
Force. Next fate, what defines a person’s fate when it is not caused by the will of a living being? Again, the cause of the will of the Force. To recognise the act of a will of the Force all you must do is rule out any human or living being based factors and thus where no will of a being played a part then the Will of the Force determined the event. Also, coincidence, such a thing does exist, it’s not always the will of the Force, it can usually be down to the will of a living being and usually leads to no greater destiny.”
Again, a lack of scientific understanding is betrayed by the writing, and many issues I still see in some attempts to define the Force:
1) Self-reference; like many definitions of the Force, this one is self-referential. It references the definition of the “Living Force”, and attempts to explain why absurd abilities such as kinetics are impossible, without denying their possibility.
2) Metaphysical Biology again; it gives the credit of Life to the “Living Force” and introduces a false dichotomy to explain away difficult questions about why Qigong cannot achieve certain effects.
3) Apophenia/synchronicity: It attempts to explain those events, and incidences, with no involved human agency. Again; a false dichotomy. Human beings can express their free-will, but there are aspects to existence beyond any one’s power. Also, an ignorance of determining factors, and the human inclination to see patterns, is displayed simply to satisfy a cosmology grounded in mysticism.
Over all, I was influenced by several mystical concepts in my views of the Force. Qigong evidently played a large part, and any student of Chinese Philosophy will recognise elements of the notion of Qi and Yi, and the different forms of Chi, such as Earth and Heaven Chi. They will also note a similarity, in broad terms, to the microcosm/macrocosm relationship prevalent in hermetic schools of mysticism. There were at times I also made the youthful mistake of co-opting scientific concepts to satisfy my world view; for example, in my explanation of the “Universal Force “I often utilised Unified Field Theory, without considering the significant differences between a unified field and the “Force”. Similarly; in my explanation of the “Living Force” I often discussed paranormal psychology, and experiments such as Ganzfeld experiment, without seriously considering the problematic nature of the experiments. My beliefs in the Force were not based on my experience or deep reflection, but confirmation bias, and secluding myself within an echo chamber where these beliefs were valid, and went without criticism. I believe in a wart and all approach to one’s relationship with their past, and so present this part of my life as a Jedi, and have taken a critical eye to it, in the hopes others will recognise the need for deep analysis of where their beliefs originate.
I moved away from the above beliefs, due to my primary Jedi Mentor and a close friend, deciding to create Tenebrae Surgunt, and I joined them in the effort. For a time, I further refined my definition of the “Living Force” and the “Universal Force”, and indeed added a third angle; the “Social Force”. The Living Force became divided into Inner and Outer factors; our personal Qi or Will becoming Inner, and the power of our social and environmental influences becoming the Outer. The Universal Force I changed into the
Unifying Force; the objective reality we share, and exist within, and ruled by the laws of nature, rather than pseudo-mystic concepts. Sadly, I no longer posses any of my writings from that time on this three-fold ideology, and have thus outlined it purely from memory, however, it was a key part of the evolution of my understanding of the Force as I came to recognise two notions I continue to hold to this day.
Self-Evidently; Tenebrae Surgunt did not survive, and for a time I left the Jedi Community. For a time, it was due to Exogenous depression; I suffered several tragedies including the loss of friends through suicide, heart-disease, and the war in Afghanistan. I lost direction in life; attempting a career as a professional fighter, specifically kick-boxing, before hitting the wall that was a physical limitation no amount of training could over-come. I then decided to return to education, and that took all the time I would have once given to the online community up. In many ways; with out Tenebrae Surgunt I had no ties to the Jedi Community. I was still in touch with the Jedi who mattered to me without being a part of the broader community. In my mind, and heart, I remained a Jedi, but I had to walk away. In that time, I read a book by Iain Banks called Whit, which is the tale of a women who belongs to a religious cult, and in it was contained a detailed passage on their theology. Inspired by said passage, and with my new-found passion for psychology and profoundly improved scientific literacy, I wrote a summary on an “ethical” notion of the Force; a document I have never published before, and in many ways, reflects an attempt to come to terms with the issues of my depression:
The notion of a “Universal Force” is inexpressible; it just is.
The “Will” of such a Force can only be strategic, not tactical, if we are to allow for human free-will, and the imperfection of creation.
Such a “Force” could be omnipresent but cannot exceed the laws of nature, and if such a Force exists it can only intervene in the events that are apocalyptically bad, or it’s perceived good.
Man is not special to such a “Force”. It is but one creation of many amongst the stars.
The “Dark-Side” is the cumulative misdeeds of history, and of man. Made possible by the “Force” but not the innate creation of this “Force”. Evil begets evil; it is not simply a manifestation of an unknowable power. It is a process with a cause, and an effect. Conversely; the same is true of “good” and human progress. Good only exists by virtue of efforts of the past, and the efforts of the present.
The ultimate destiny of Man is not known, and unknowable; if the “Force” is a force of good, then we must presume transcendentalism and cosmological over optimism. Man does not know its destiny because of “spiritual” immaturity, but it may one day come to know it.
The Body and the “Soul” are not discernible; they are one in the same. A living being may have a spark of the “Force” and may return to being one with this “Force” but the body is not the lesser of this existence. If the soul does return to the universe than reincarnation is the only ethical spiritual destiny; after all, many experience pain and harm through pure mischance.
The genetic lottery is merciless, and unless the experience of birth and death is one where growth is possible, then any other outcome damns the soul unjustly, or makes the process of life redundant and meaningless.
A good writer of philosophy will notice the poor writing; too much is implied by absence of inclusion, rather than a written explanation of the counter points. Again; it is a self-justifying work. I would add; none of it in fact reflects my beliefs, but rather it was an attempt to reach a conclusion about a Force that makes sense if one wants to believe in the Force as “Good”. I include it to illustrate how we can aimlessly philosophise the Force, without truly reaching a meaningful conclusion, and hopefully to give any students food for thought as they begin their studies.
The Next time I wrote anything regarding my succinct beliefs about the Force is when I returned to the Jedi community, and partook in the Force Academy’s Light Aspect Jedi Training. In response to the question, “How do you feel the Force? How can you tell it IS the Force?” I wrote the following:
“That would require a definition of the Force that fits the idea of an energy field that can be manipulated by humans. I do not hold to that definition, but I do bio-mechanical exercises and meditation and I have had experiences such as sensations of heat and static electricity.
My definition of the Force would that it is best used to describe the tension between our external experience and our experience of our environment and the point at where those two are one in the same.
I do not believe in making conclusions about the human experience, I cannot tell what the Force is nor can I be certain I have experienced it. The human body produces energy in the form of heat and I have experienced that; but I consider it a function of the human body that can be learnt. Not evidence of the Force; merely that we do not understand ourselves well enough to understand the universe.”
As one can discern, much about my beliefs regarding the Force changed from my initial training, and the point where I wrote the above:
1) I rejected the notion of the Qigong being a way to experience the “Force” completely. It is simply a biochemical, and psychosomatic experience, achieved through the right sort of exercises.
2) The Force is simply connection between ourselves and others, and that metaphysical beliefs in the Force, or the use of the Force as a cosmological model are simply an immature reaction to the mystery of the universe.
Since then, I have largely concluded that our individual beliefs regarding the Force are a moot point; what matters to a Jedi, and especially a teacher, are the core values that are summed up in the metaphor of the Force. Whether an individual believes in Reiki and that energy healing is an expression of the mystical Force does not matter; what matters is if they are doing good through such beliefs. The reason we must come to terms with our beliefs regarding the Force, is because such beliefs shape how we interact with our shared objective reality. However, what is most important is understanding the core values that bring us together as Jedi, and which are summed up in the phrase; “The Force”. Essentially; the Force is what binds us together, if we use the Starwars summation. It is the source of both good, and evil; The Light and the Dark-Side. This translates into the real world as two fundamental notions:
1) None of us exist as an island; we are all a part of our community, of our broader society, and of nature. We do not exist apart from our connections to others, and thus we are responsible for our place in this world.
2) Due to the above connection: Our actions have effects and consequences that impact on others; for both good and ill. Our kindness can beget kindness, and our cruelty can beget cruelty. We recognise that our actions can in turn effect those beyond our immediate actions, and have consequences and an influence far beyond our initial act. Similarly; we recognise the effect of our positive and negative experiences on our present behaviours. This is the Light and Dark-Side; our Jedi like actions, and our non-Jedi actions, but also those influences which drive us to our better actions, and our poorer ones too.
To summarize; we recognise that we are not truly autonomous, we are but part of nature. We recognise that it has profound effects on us, and that we too can have profound effects on others. Due to the connectivity of the world, we also recognise that what we do today can lead to events in the future that are beyond our control. We know and recognise that these events will come to pass because of actions now. None of the metaphysical questions, or spiritual beliefs, matter to the Jedi community; they only truly matter to the individual. However, this joint respect for the connections of life, and our respect for our fellow Jedi, or shared belief in the right, way to do things and wrong way to do things binds us together as Jedi. You need not believe in a mystical power, but you must at least believe in yourself, and in what you can do.