“There is no emotion, there is peace”
I believe in the Jedi Code. I see it as a way people should live their lives. Living by it is hard but rewarding. It was written for a fiction story but to me it makes sense. Besides, the meaning of each line has been taught by many cultures for centuries.
A simple description of the first line is, “Don’t let your emotions control your life.”
This line of the code does not mean that we must be void of emotions. For a human, that is impossible because we are a menagerie of emotions. Without them we would not care about others or ourselves. Emotions give us a better understanding of the life around us and how we feel about what life to brings us. They are needed and must to worked with to allow for a balanced life.
What the code is saying is to keep a peaceful, clear mind and to be mindful of how we feel. Do not allow emotions to form our words, or guide our actions by clouding our minds with the narrow-minded ideas caused by elevated emotions. Allowing emotions to take control makes you blind and deaf to what is really happening and will not allow you to find the best possible solution to any situation. A situation could be new to you or it could be a replay from your past, or a situation can cause painful memories from your past.
Bottled up emotions from past events, not just days but from many years ago are just as controlling, in not more so, then emotions from new situations. Holding onto emotions from past events in your life only causes suffering. It causes hate, resentment and vengeful feelings to fill your mind. You will not be able to see a problem clearly until you resolve these past emotions and memories. Let go of these emotions and let go of the pride which it the hand that holds onto these emotions. This will allow your mind and body to stop suffering and be at peace, and then you can see the truth.
When you are in a situation that becomes heated by emotions take a step back. Examine what you are feeling. Is it appropriate or are you getting caught up in the emotions of the moment? Take time to calm yourself and look at the situation with a peaceful mind and heart. At peace a situation will look different, “level headed” thoughts will come to you and you will see things more clearly. The key to peace is to identify the emotion as soon as possible. At that point the emotion looses some of its control and with a conscious effort you can lessen its grip all together.
Every day on the news or in the papers you see how a person’s emotions ruled their actions. People killing or hurting others because they let anger guide them. People killing or hurting themselves because they feel unloved or afraid they can not cope with life. People also hurt others through mental and emotional abuse when their emotions are not in check. Even positive emotions can be destructive. For example, the destruction to towns caused by sports fans when their team wins a championship. Everyone has to deal with their emotions and with practice we can control them if not work with them to accomplish what needs to be done in a positive way.
I, for example, in the last month have failed the code and followed the code. I failed the code when I posted my leaving the Force Academy. When I wrote it and posted it I was filled with emotions. I felt angry, hurt, and defeated. I was not thinking clearly and I was not at peace. I posted my return after some non-emotional discussions. During these discussions I felt the same emotions I had earlier but I spoke slowly and chose my words carefully. I spoke of how I felt without allowing my emotions to taint what was said. I felt myself become calmer, my mind clearer. My point of view was getting across without the added emotional garbage and as the conversation expanded I felt more confident and more controlled.
It was hard to post my return to the Force Academy because I felt like a fool. Here I have talked about the meaning of the code before and I got caught in exactly what I said you should not do. It was a lesson learned.
A few days later I got my pay raise at work, it was half of what I thought I was getting. I felt cheated, unappreciated and even anger crept in. This time I recognized what I was feeling and decided to do nothing about the raise for a couple days. Then I started to honestly think about what I have done and will do for the company in the future and what they have done for me. I set a time to talk with the owner and it was a constructive conversation. We both listened and spoke our views. To make a long story short I got the raise I wanted. Before I left, the owner said something that made me smile, he said, “Instead of barging in here demanding a higher raise, you actually took your time and really thought this through. I appreciate that and that is one of the reasons you got your raise.” I’ll never forget that. This time there was no emotion, there was only peace, it felt good and it paid well too.
May the Force be with you,