Video; Charles has his research nerd on again.
[This time when the data pad feed comes on, Charles is not sitting at his usual table in the library but rather he's at one of the tall library windows that looks out across the Coruscant night skyline. His expression is contemplative and it looks as if his mind is anywhere but with his body there in the library. For a long moment, he stands and stares like this, perhaps long enough to leave any watchers to wonder if he's just turned his datapad on by accident.
When movement comes, it's to lift a glass of brandy taking a sip before he turns away from the window and begins to speak.]
We use the terms 'Jedi' and 'Sith' because they are neat labels we use to differentiate friend from foe, enemy from ally. But the truth is, these labels are disingenuous as they are all Force Users, separated only by philosophy and ideology.
[And if that doesn't strike a nerve with yours truly ... yes, well. Moving on.
Reaching the table, he picks up a sheet of paper upon which lay his notes and then moves around to sit down a little closer to the data feed. Clearing his throat and taking another healthy swallow of brandy, Charles set the glass aside and began to speak.
His tone is the recognizable lift and fall of his 'Professor' voice, the one meant to work a subject like a pianist with a fine instrument. Or more to the point, not to put people completely to sleep.]
There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
(There is no chaos, there is harmony)
There is no death, there is the Force.
That is the Jedi code as based upon the meditations of Odan-Urr, yet that is not the original text. The original code read more like this.
Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Death, yet the Force.
The words sound so similar, yet in truth they could not be more different. The original Jedi code did not seek to eradicate, emotion, ignorance, passion or chaos. It recognized that these forces existed within the universe, that the Force itself had these in its building blocks. The original code, called for us to recognize these sources of chaos and to yet choose, peace, knowledge, serenity, harmony.
It was a choice, not a demand.
[Charles reaches for his drink, sipping at it and then slowly swirled the liquid in the glass, watching it spin with a thoughtful gaze. It was discreet but anyone looking closely enough, would see that he's got a death grip on that glass, were he a stronger man, it would be in danger of shattering.
Instead, with practiced calm, sets the glass back off to the side and continued.]
Given the variation between the old and the current, it might make one wonder why any Jedi follow their code and Council and the answer to that, I believe, lays in looking more closely at the Jedi code, not just what it says on the surface but the original philosophy behind these words. It is also rooted in the nature of the power granted by both the light and the dark sides of the Force.
[Give him a moment to shift around papers, just need to grab, ah yes. There it is.
Picking up a book, Charles flipped it open to a page he had marked trailed his finger down through it till he found the point he wanted and then began to read.]
A Jedi is known for his or her Self Discipline. The discipline of self sees a young Jedi learn to conquer arrogance; Jedi are required to learn that, although they are able to use the Force, they are no better than those who can not. Jedi are taught that they are only Jedi because some had taken the trouble to teach them, not because they are superior to others.
Young Jedi must learn to conquer over confidence as well as its counter part, defeatism. Also to be learned was to conquer stubbornness. Jedi are always ready to accept defeat if the cost of winning is greater than the cost of losing. Jedi are taught that it is always best to end things peacefully than to win or lose. They are also taught to conquer recklessness as well as curiosity and aggression.
Now comes what is perhaps one of the trickiest and most controversial tenets of the code; the need to Conquer External Loyalties. The idea that a Jedi must be a Jedi above and beyond all else, with not attachments outside of the order and the Jedi's duty.
[Charles reaches for his glass and takes a healthy drag from the brandy. It is difficult not to offer his own commentary on this idea, though he very deliberately keeps his thoughts to himself for now. People should be free to make their own determinations from what he's saying.]
Also important to the Jedi Code is the concept of Responsibility. Once a Jedi has mastered self-discipline, they begin to accept responsibility for their actions. Jedi who shunned responsibility are never trained, and Jedi who embrace it are never denied training.
There is also the basic of practicing honesty and truth, as well as honoring your fellow Jedi, Master, Padawan, Council and Order, which I will by pass for this lesson but if you wish to know the details I have them here. Of importance, however is the ideal to honor life.
Jedi are expected never to commit murder, for any reason. However, if confronted with a life-or-death struggle, a Jedi is permitted to kill to complete their mission. This act is not encouraged, as ending life strengthens 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 are also expected to think of those they had killed, and to think of the suffering caused by their deaths. A Jedi who does not care about his victims is on the path to the dark side.
[We pause for a moment so Charles can pound down the remainder of brandy in his tumbler and pour himself another tumbler full.]
A Jedi is expected to be a servant for the public. He or she is expected to do their duty to The Republic, to render aid when required and to all, defend the weak and provide support.
That last one, provide support is actually an interesting concept as it calls for the Jedi to, at times stand aside and let other people defend the weak, even if the Jedi feel they can do a superior job. Jedi are taught that they should assist by word or action as required by the situation, offering advice when requested to, warning when necessary, and arguing only when reason fails.
[He's very quiet for a long breath, his expression studiously neutral before he continues.]
So that is a very brief overview of the Jedi Code and its teaching and brings us to the concepts and ideas of the light side of the Force.
The light side of the Force, also commonly known as the Ashla or simply the Force, was the side of the force aligned with honesty, compassion, mercy, self-sacrifice, and other positive emotions. The light side of the Force is aligned with happiness, joy, love, and benevolence, which some believe nurture the light side and provided insight into its ethical uses. It is generally concerned with the ideas of good, generosity, healing, and wisdom, as opposed to evil, harm, and hasty judgment. In order to achieve harmony with the light side of the Force, its practitioners will often meditate to clear themselves of emotion; particularly negative emotions such as aggression, anger, and hatred, since these were shown to open a Jedi to the possibility of acceptance of the dark side.
Strangely enough, and despite obvious contradictions, the light side is treated as being both a semi-intelligent entity with definite intentions and a nonsentient essence of good. Which view is embraced appears to be a personal decision. According to the self-aware interpretation, the light side is held to actively influence events to the degree that some Jedi think of themselves as mere "tools" of the Force.
Though this implies a lack of choice regarding an individual's fate, the Jedi, as leading proponents of the light side, insisted that it is, rather, "the ultimate free will." This they explain as being because the Force (at least the light side) does not compel anyone. A destiny can be accepted or spurned. And all choices along the way are free to make.
[Sitting back with his brandy, Charles rolled the glass between his palms as he glanced over to the data feed.]
I understand this is all very long winded but I promise it is important, because to understand how the dark side works, you need to see where the ideals the dark Jedi stand against come from.
I believe we can all agree that the Sith do not wish to be seen as shackled to any hint of an institution that they believe constrains or subjugates their free will. Revan's actions, even when he was a Jedi Knight, speak to this clearly, when he refused to be obedient to the Jedi Council and the Republic and made his stand against the Mandelorians. I suppose one could consider that as his first step towards becoming what is known as 'Fallen'.
[Charles sets aside his brandy and shuffles through his notes before brushing a hand through his hair and continuing.]
The dark side of the Force, called Bogan or Boga by ancient Force-sensitives, is an aspect of the Force that draws power from raw emotions like anger, hatred, and passion.
The dark side is seen as having been used for selfish purposes, although many dark Jedi who are accused of such selfishness claim that their dark side was simply a means to achieve an end. Many find the dark side to be addictive, being unable to resist its pull the more they subjected themselves to it. Dark side users become more powerful as their physical bodies slowly decayed. Like the light side, the dark side is often treated as though a semi-sentient entity with purposeful design.
It has been theorized by some that there is no such thing as the dark side but only malevolent intent in the user, since most dark side users already had negative intentions in their being or fall victim to the temptations of absolute power and domination.
The Sith call it enlightenment. The dark side is extremely addictive and almost impossible to renounce. Every time a person in tune with the Force calls on the dark side, they became more and more addicted to the power it brings them. The dark side's corruptive influence can take control in moments. Although the Jedi primarily characterize the dark side as little more than a dangerous shortcut to power, those who embraced the dark side do so for many different reasons.
Some believe the dark side to be a more generous than the light, as it provides power, strength, and determination. Many of the original Dark Jedi in the Great Schisms of the Jedi Order held this idea, and believed it foolish of the Jedi to restrict themselves to a lesser interpretation of the Force.
Others believed that it was a necessary evil in dire times, Some embrace the dark side not out of personal desire, but as a means to battle the Jedi. Often the call of the dark side was felt following a personal tragedy. Others turn to it in times of need or distress, such as Exar Kun, in addition, it is possible to be drawn to the dark side by proximity to a nexus of dark side energy, such as Malachor V or the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban.
Regardless of the reasons, almost all who fall to the dark side do so because they had been faced with challenges and difficulties they feel the light side is incapable of fixing.
[Again there is a brief pause and it might look as if he's going to say something but he simply reaches for his brandy and takes another sip to sooth his throat before continuing.]
As the dark side was often associated with darker emotions, Dark Jedi were portrayed to the galaxy as savage and evil. The Jedi Order disagreed so strongly with the purpose of the dark side of the Force that they distanced themselves from anything possibly related to the dark side.
A common point of debate among Jedi and their dark counterparts was the strength that laid behind the dark side. A major claim of Dark Jedi was that the stronger, darker emotions that fueled their power also lent them an edge over other Force users. The Jedi, and other groups who held to the light often claimed that the dark side was a shortcut to power, but also to suffering and destruction. It is true that many Dark Jedi noticeably advanced in their command of the Force following their conversion. Many were in fact capable of incredible feats of destruction, such as causing stars to go supernova, the Devastation of Katarr and Force storms, powers that seemed incomprehensible for a single being to wield.
One weakness that apparently lays in the dark side, which could be seen as giving the Jedi the upper hand, is the strife inescapably associated with it.
[This time when Charles pauses, his expression sharpens and he gently moves his pencil to underline something in his notes.]
The Sith embrace the emotions that leave them vulnerable to a fatal weakness that has been repeatedly illustrated in the dark side. This is the lack of focus that seems to stem from a reliance on emotions such as pride, anger, and fear, which heighten powers but also lead to clouded judgment. Thus dark Jedi are often defeated by their own hubris, when victory would seem assured.
It would seem that the dark side offers a more tangible sort of power: one that is direct and physical, while the light side provides a more subtle kind of power, that of focus and understanding, one which Dark Jedi often fail to understand and tend to underestimate, usually leading to their deaths.
[Sitting back for a moment, Charles brushed his fingers through his hair, then made to stand and walk away from the table and back to the window. His hands slid into the pockets of his slacks as he watched the Coruscant skyscape beyond the glass.]
Whether you see yourself as on the side of light or dark, Revan is winning this war, my friends and he's doing it through us. At this moment, we are his puppets, playing his games. We murder one another and others in the pursuit of our own personal agendas and he laughs at us and his power to roll this galaxy beneath his heel grows.
We deliberately fracture ourselves into alliances, groups, orders and vigilantes, wrapped in our own bubbles of concerns and struggling against ourselves, while he plays us all like puppets. The loss of our abilities that many of us experienced, weeks ago, the loss of Ithor, you can believe there will be more of those losses if we do not stop and look towards each other for a sound foundation against what is coming.
[Turning, he looks at the data device directly, blue eyes bright in a set face.]
I ask this simple thing of the leaders of these groups; I know you're out there and I ask this one small favor. Come together, to one central location and let us all talk. It needs only be a talk but we must know of each other, even if our goals are markedly different in the short term, our goal in the long run must be Revan's defeat.
With the institution of this draft by the Republic it is equally obvious that we can not expect unbiased support from that corner either. We are caught between these two forces, my friends and we stand now at a choice. Splinter between them and be used at their whim or find our own voice beneath the drums of war. We may not avoid taking up the fight but at least let these choices be taken from a position of solidarity, not frightened fracturing.
[For a moment, he pauses, before settling his shoulders.]
I look forward to hearing from each of you.
[With that, he shuts down the data feed.]
[ooc:
As I know these are sometimes TL;DR I tried giving them cuts to make them a little easier to flip through.
Information is shamelessly bastardized from Wookipedia and has been reviewed by the mods before posting.
Jedi Code
The Light Side
The Dark Side
Dark Jedi
Welcome home Leia! See!! He finally came through on your request, just took me him a bit of time.]
When movement comes, it's to lift a glass of brandy taking a sip before he turns away from the window and begins to speak.]
We use the terms 'Jedi' and 'Sith' because they are neat labels we use to differentiate friend from foe, enemy from ally. But the truth is, these labels are disingenuous as they are all Force Users, separated only by philosophy and ideology.
[And if that doesn't strike a nerve with yours truly ... yes, well. Moving on.
Reaching the table, he picks up a sheet of paper upon which lay his notes and then moves around to sit down a little closer to the data feed. Clearing his throat and taking another healthy swallow of brandy, Charles set the glass aside and began to speak.
His tone is the recognizable lift and fall of his 'Professor' voice, the one meant to work a subject like a pianist with a fine instrument. Or more to the point, not to put people completely to sleep.]
There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
(There is no chaos, there is harmony)
There is no death, there is the Force.
That is the Jedi code as based upon the meditations of Odan-Urr, yet that is not the original text. The original code read more like this.
Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Death, yet the Force.
The words sound so similar, yet in truth they could not be more different. The original Jedi code did not seek to eradicate, emotion, ignorance, passion or chaos. It recognized that these forces existed within the universe, that the Force itself had these in its building blocks. The original code, called for us to recognize these sources of chaos and to yet choose, peace, knowledge, serenity, harmony.
It was a choice, not a demand.
[Charles reaches for his drink, sipping at it and then slowly swirled the liquid in the glass, watching it spin with a thoughtful gaze. It was discreet but anyone looking closely enough, would see that he's got a death grip on that glass, were he a stronger man, it would be in danger of shattering.
Instead, with practiced calm, sets the glass back off to the side and continued.]
Given the variation between the old and the current, it might make one wonder why any Jedi follow their code and Council and the answer to that, I believe, lays in looking more closely at the Jedi code, not just what it says on the surface but the original philosophy behind these words. It is also rooted in the nature of the power granted by both the light and the dark sides of the Force.
[Give him a moment to shift around papers, just need to grab, ah yes. There it is.
Picking up a book, Charles flipped it open to a page he had marked trailed his finger down through it till he found the point he wanted and then began to read.]
A Jedi is known for his or her Self Discipline. The discipline of self sees a young Jedi learn to conquer arrogance; Jedi are required to learn that, although they are able to use the Force, they are no better than those who can not. Jedi are taught that they are only Jedi because some had taken the trouble to teach them, not because they are superior to others.
Young Jedi must learn to conquer over confidence as well as its counter part, defeatism. Also to be learned was to conquer stubbornness. Jedi are always ready to accept defeat if the cost of winning is greater than the cost of losing. Jedi are taught that it is always best to end things peacefully than to win or lose. They are also taught to conquer recklessness as well as curiosity and aggression.
Now comes what is perhaps one of the trickiest and most controversial tenets of the code; the need to Conquer External Loyalties. The idea that a Jedi must be a Jedi above and beyond all else, with not attachments outside of the order and the Jedi's duty.
[Charles reaches for his glass and takes a healthy drag from the brandy. It is difficult not to offer his own commentary on this idea, though he very deliberately keeps his thoughts to himself for now. People should be free to make their own determinations from what he's saying.]
Also important to the Jedi Code is the concept of Responsibility. Once a Jedi has mastered self-discipline, they begin to accept responsibility for their actions. Jedi who shunned responsibility are never trained, and Jedi who embrace it are never denied training.
There is also the basic of practicing honesty and truth, as well as honoring your fellow Jedi, Master, Padawan, Council and Order, which I will by pass for this lesson but if you wish to know the details I have them here. Of importance, however is the ideal to honor life.
Jedi are expected never to commit murder, for any reason. However, if confronted with a life-or-death struggle, a Jedi is permitted to kill to complete their mission. This act is not encouraged, as ending life strengthens 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 are also expected to think of those they had killed, and to think of the suffering caused by their deaths. A Jedi who does not care about his victims is on the path to the dark side.
[We pause for a moment so Charles can pound down the remainder of brandy in his tumbler and pour himself another tumbler full.]
A Jedi is expected to be a servant for the public. He or she is expected to do their duty to The Republic, to render aid when required and to all, defend the weak and provide support.
That last one, provide support is actually an interesting concept as it calls for the Jedi to, at times stand aside and let other people defend the weak, even if the Jedi feel they can do a superior job. Jedi are taught that they should assist by word or action as required by the situation, offering advice when requested to, warning when necessary, and arguing only when reason fails.
[He's very quiet for a long breath, his expression studiously neutral before he continues.]
So that is a very brief overview of the Jedi Code and its teaching and brings us to the concepts and ideas of the light side of the Force.
The light side of the Force, also commonly known as the Ashla or simply the Force, was the side of the force aligned with honesty, compassion, mercy, self-sacrifice, and other positive emotions. The light side of the Force is aligned with happiness, joy, love, and benevolence, which some believe nurture the light side and provided insight into its ethical uses. It is generally concerned with the ideas of good, generosity, healing, and wisdom, as opposed to evil, harm, and hasty judgment. In order to achieve harmony with the light side of the Force, its practitioners will often meditate to clear themselves of emotion; particularly negative emotions such as aggression, anger, and hatred, since these were shown to open a Jedi to the possibility of acceptance of the dark side.
Strangely enough, and despite obvious contradictions, the light side is treated as being both a semi-intelligent entity with definite intentions and a nonsentient essence of good. Which view is embraced appears to be a personal decision. According to the self-aware interpretation, the light side is held to actively influence events to the degree that some Jedi think of themselves as mere "tools" of the Force.
Though this implies a lack of choice regarding an individual's fate, the Jedi, as leading proponents of the light side, insisted that it is, rather, "the ultimate free will." This they explain as being because the Force (at least the light side) does not compel anyone. A destiny can be accepted or spurned. And all choices along the way are free to make.
[Sitting back with his brandy, Charles rolled the glass between his palms as he glanced over to the data feed.]
I understand this is all very long winded but I promise it is important, because to understand how the dark side works, you need to see where the ideals the dark Jedi stand against come from.
I believe we can all agree that the Sith do not wish to be seen as shackled to any hint of an institution that they believe constrains or subjugates their free will. Revan's actions, even when he was a Jedi Knight, speak to this clearly, when he refused to be obedient to the Jedi Council and the Republic and made his stand against the Mandelorians. I suppose one could consider that as his first step towards becoming what is known as 'Fallen'.
[Charles sets aside his brandy and shuffles through his notes before brushing a hand through his hair and continuing.]
The dark side of the Force, called Bogan or Boga by ancient Force-sensitives, is an aspect of the Force that draws power from raw emotions like anger, hatred, and passion.
The dark side is seen as having been used for selfish purposes, although many dark Jedi who are accused of such selfishness claim that their dark side was simply a means to achieve an end. Many find the dark side to be addictive, being unable to resist its pull the more they subjected themselves to it. Dark side users become more powerful as their physical bodies slowly decayed. Like the light side, the dark side is often treated as though a semi-sentient entity with purposeful design.
It has been theorized by some that there is no such thing as the dark side but only malevolent intent in the user, since most dark side users already had negative intentions in their being or fall victim to the temptations of absolute power and domination.
The Sith call it enlightenment. The dark side is extremely addictive and almost impossible to renounce. Every time a person in tune with the Force calls on the dark side, they became more and more addicted to the power it brings them. The dark side's corruptive influence can take control in moments. Although the Jedi primarily characterize the dark side as little more than a dangerous shortcut to power, those who embraced the dark side do so for many different reasons.
Some believe the dark side to be a more generous than the light, as it provides power, strength, and determination. Many of the original Dark Jedi in the Great Schisms of the Jedi Order held this idea, and believed it foolish of the Jedi to restrict themselves to a lesser interpretation of the Force.
Others believed that it was a necessary evil in dire times, Some embrace the dark side not out of personal desire, but as a means to battle the Jedi. Often the call of the dark side was felt following a personal tragedy. Others turn to it in times of need or distress, such as Exar Kun, in addition, it is possible to be drawn to the dark side by proximity to a nexus of dark side energy, such as Malachor V or the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban.
Regardless of the reasons, almost all who fall to the dark side do so because they had been faced with challenges and difficulties they feel the light side is incapable of fixing.
[Again there is a brief pause and it might look as if he's going to say something but he simply reaches for his brandy and takes another sip to sooth his throat before continuing.]
As the dark side was often associated with darker emotions, Dark Jedi were portrayed to the galaxy as savage and evil. The Jedi Order disagreed so strongly with the purpose of the dark side of the Force that they distanced themselves from anything possibly related to the dark side.
A common point of debate among Jedi and their dark counterparts was the strength that laid behind the dark side. A major claim of Dark Jedi was that the stronger, darker emotions that fueled their power also lent them an edge over other Force users. The Jedi, and other groups who held to the light often claimed that the dark side was a shortcut to power, but also to suffering and destruction. It is true that many Dark Jedi noticeably advanced in their command of the Force following their conversion. Many were in fact capable of incredible feats of destruction, such as causing stars to go supernova, the Devastation of Katarr and Force storms, powers that seemed incomprehensible for a single being to wield.
One weakness that apparently lays in the dark side, which could be seen as giving the Jedi the upper hand, is the strife inescapably associated with it.
[This time when Charles pauses, his expression sharpens and he gently moves his pencil to underline something in his notes.]
The Sith embrace the emotions that leave them vulnerable to a fatal weakness that has been repeatedly illustrated in the dark side. This is the lack of focus that seems to stem from a reliance on emotions such as pride, anger, and fear, which heighten powers but also lead to clouded judgment. Thus dark Jedi are often defeated by their own hubris, when victory would seem assured.
It would seem that the dark side offers a more tangible sort of power: one that is direct and physical, while the light side provides a more subtle kind of power, that of focus and understanding, one which Dark Jedi often fail to understand and tend to underestimate, usually leading to their deaths.
[Sitting back for a moment, Charles brushed his fingers through his hair, then made to stand and walk away from the table and back to the window. His hands slid into the pockets of his slacks as he watched the Coruscant skyscape beyond the glass.]
Whether you see yourself as on the side of light or dark, Revan is winning this war, my friends and he's doing it through us. At this moment, we are his puppets, playing his games. We murder one another and others in the pursuit of our own personal agendas and he laughs at us and his power to roll this galaxy beneath his heel grows.
We deliberately fracture ourselves into alliances, groups, orders and vigilantes, wrapped in our own bubbles of concerns and struggling against ourselves, while he plays us all like puppets. The loss of our abilities that many of us experienced, weeks ago, the loss of Ithor, you can believe there will be more of those losses if we do not stop and look towards each other for a sound foundation against what is coming.
[Turning, he looks at the data device directly, blue eyes bright in a set face.]
I ask this simple thing of the leaders of these groups; I know you're out there and I ask this one small favor. Come together, to one central location and let us all talk. It needs only be a talk but we must know of each other, even if our goals are markedly different in the short term, our goal in the long run must be Revan's defeat.
With the institution of this draft by the Republic it is equally obvious that we can not expect unbiased support from that corner either. We are caught between these two forces, my friends and we stand now at a choice. Splinter between them and be used at their whim or find our own voice beneath the drums of war. We may not avoid taking up the fight but at least let these choices be taken from a position of solidarity, not frightened fracturing.
[For a moment, he pauses, before settling his shoulders.]
I look forward to hearing from each of you.
[With that, he shuts down the data feed.]
[ooc:
As I know these are sometimes TL;DR I tried giving them cuts to make them a little easier to flip through.
Information is shamelessly bastardized from Wookipedia and has been reviewed by the mods before posting.
Jedi Code
The Light Side
The Dark Side
Dark Jedi
Welcome home Leia! See!! He finally came through on your request, just took me him a bit of time.]