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The Wisdom of the Living Force

© Paul F. McDonald

There is an ancient saying from the East which states "he who thinks he knows, doesn't know - he who knows he doesn't know, knows."

Some might think one who goes around saying such things is simply being cute or coy. But there is something to be said for this. After all, this is the Information Age, and every age needs a counterpoint. With this in mind, we can turn to the refreshing idea of the Living Force, which has at its root not-knowing.

The concept of the Force is one of the richest in Star Wars. It is defined as a mystical energy field that is generated by the act of living itself, and its flow serves to penetrate the very fabric of the galaxy, binding everything together. Certain beings can even attune themselves with it, and their direction of its energies manifest in the twin potentialities of the light and dark sides.

In the first of the prequels, The Phantom Menace, the Force is opened up to even more interpretation. Two more aspects of the one energy are developed, one being the Unifying Force, and the other being the Living. According to creator George Lucas, the former has to do with destiny and purpose, while the latter involves intuition, spontaneity, and empathy with all living creatures. Though the Jedi Council emphasizes the Unifying Force, others such as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn champion the Living, and this article deals with why this is so.

To begin with, the Living Force is first and foremost about being in the present moment. This sounds like a simple thing, yet it is anything but. Just as Yoda criticizes Luke Skywalker for, we too spend most of our lives everywhere by where we actually are, anxiously peeking over time's shoulders, trying to get a glimpse of the future. Of course, just as a horizon will recede when one attempts to chase it down, so will the future get farther and farther away, which is no doubt why even the Jedi cannot accurately predict it.

At the beginning of The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon instructs his Padawan learner, a certain Obi-Wan Kenobi, to "keep [his] concentration here and now, where it belongs." This is sound advice, and not just for Jedi apprentices. A person incapable of living in the present is not really living at all. Yet so much of our time is spent actively doing and planning, we are not very good at simply being. In contrast, the Jedi talk about learning to quiet the mind, because once one does this, the world looks incredibly interesting, with previously unseen levels of texture and resonance.

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