Can a Jedi engage in or be party to Curse Work? (Respecting All Life)

Relevant Community Citations-

• “We oppose the use of torture and cruel or unusual punishment” (Temple of the Jedi Order Doctrine)
• “Jedi respect all life, in any form.” (Skywalker Code)
• “Jedi Believe…In the Force and in the inherent worth of all life within it.” (Temple of the Jedi Order Doctrine)

Discussion

Torture Definition (Merriam-Webster): the action or practice of inflicting severe pain or suffering on someone as a punishment or in order to force them to do or say something.

With the exception of Death Curses, curses are intended to cause suffering or pain to punish a person or force them to do something (change).  Whether you intend for it to achieve justice doesn't matter, the suffering a curse worker intends to occur as the result of a curse is still present.  

Suffering and pain can actually be quite debilitating.  It can create broken spirits, PTSD, an overly suspicious nature, and many other things.  Which can lead to other problems, such as lashing out at others, turning to addictive substances, or even becoming more engulfed in the habits that earned them the curse in the first place.  Already the perceived potential of using it for justice workings is starting to fall apart.

In the real world, physical torture has been proven to produce false confessions.  People will do anything to stop something from happening.  But it doesn't mean they'll change.  Addiction isn't just something you have to a substance, it's something you have to your habits.  It's something you have to work on to overcome.  That's why you'll hear people who have come to terms with their substance addiction continually say "I'm a recovering (insert addiction here)". 

Let me give you an illustration: Have you ever heard someone declare "if I can just through X, I'll give up Y!".  How many of them were able to keep up with giving up Y? Sure, they may have managed for a little while, but there are plenty of times when they fell back into it, because the declaration wasn't enough to break the habit.  Assuming a curse was effective, it wouldn't mean that the person will keep up their end of the bargain in the long-term, it may only be the short term.  This isn't actually helping them.

So let's turn to the physical realm here for a moment, because although a curse worker is enacting a Metaphysical Curse, the manifestation of it takes place in the physical realm.  Temple of the Jedi Order (TotJO) is the only Jedi Organization that spells out "We oppose the use of torture and cruel or unusual punishment", but anyone who truly meditates on "Jedi respect all life, in any form" should reach this same conclusion without having to be told.  The expansion that TotJO adds here, is that the terminology of "Cruel or Unusual Punishment" includes any kind of punishment that causes humiliation.  This is another form of work that creates psychological damage to the individual.  They all come down to the same issue: They are forms of suffering inflicted upon the person being punished.

One may look to the prison systems and make the statement that these are creating undue suffering.   So is one form of suffering more acceptable than another?  The prison system is one that still needs a great deal of work.  What's difficult for me to contend with, is that from first hand experience of my husband and myself, Prisoners of War are treated with more dignity, respect and given far better conditions than many of the stories we hear about from people who have worked Corrections or been Inmates here in the United States.  What we do know, is that Restorative Programs have had a very positive impact on the road to learning the best balance of the system.  These also help to decrease the problem of recidivism, and feeling of the system being about their suffering.  Unfortunately, these programs are not sufficiently active around my country, let alone world.  

Torture and Cruel or Unusual Punishment have been so widely documented as inhumane, and ineffective, that the vast majority of the collective nations of the UN have agreed these are unacceptable under any circumstance.  This is also reflected in the agreements of the Geneva Conventions and Hague Laws that dictate what is and isn't acceptable during war.

And it's not just modern laws and programs that have tried to illustrate the value of mercy, compassion and forgiveness.  The power of these have been spoken of in stories across various cultures around the planet for millennia.  

While the system may not be perfect, it's not for a lack of trying.  But part of the problem isn't just while people are going through the legal and prison system, it's also about us letting prejudice, hatred and anger command how we interact with each other.  It starts with us individually, and that's why it's important that we individual Jedi work on our value of "respecting all life, in any form".

One might argue that this leaves the Death Curse as the only other option available to the Jedi to use.  To which, I'll leave this for you to contemplate-

Honor Life

Jedi were expected never to commit murder, for any reason. However, if confronted with a life-or-death struggle, a Jedi was permitted to kill to complete their mission. This act was not encouraged, as ending life strengthened the dark side; however, if the act was justified—if it saved others' lives, or if the Jedi was acting on the will of the Force—then the light side was equally strengthened. Jedi were also expected to think of those they had killed, and to think of the suffering caused by their deaths. A Jedi who did not care about his victims was on the path to the dark side.

Tomorrow, in my final piece, I'll address whether or not a Jedi should consider referring metaphysical punishment to another spiritual entity.