I never understood the fascination with the Star Wars movies until a year or so ago. It just represented all that was geeky and pencil-pockety in the world. Well here I am now about to go into a spiel praising the movie.

Not too many people pay attention to the real life implications of it but I’m a firm believer that there’s actually something to The Force. Now I definitely don’t think there’s some magical “force” out there where we can pull ships out of the water and change people’s thoughts, but I think there’s something to the good and evil part of it.

Yoda talks to both Luke and Anakin about going down the wrong path, or the Dark Side. If you look at the Dark Side as mental illness, I think it may make sense. Here are a couple quotes by Yoda about it:

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.

Yes, a Jedi’s strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will.

When 900 years you reach, look as good, you will not.

I just threw that last one in there for the hell of it.

I’m pretty well convinced that slowly allowing your negative emotions to get the best of you can lead to mental illness and depression. I think this is basically what the force is about: that we all have the ability to turn to the dark side (I know it sounds corny but bear with me) if we allow fear, anger, aggression, jealousy and hate to rule our thoughts and actions. The more and more we allow these emotions to guide our actions, the less control we have over ourselves and we become consumed by them. Someone that has been lead by anger for 30 years will find it almost impossible to react any other way….and I think Star Wars shows this perfectly with the concept of Dark Side.

Star Wars illustrated how two people (father and son) took different paths when faced with these negative emotions we all face. Anakin let his fear of loss and aggression (that we all naturally have) turn him into a bastard, and his son Luke battled through the emotions and came out the hero. Although…Anakin/Darth Vader does turn back into a softie at the end when father and son are reunited.

The special effects are nice and all, but I love the movies for the underlying story they tell: that we decide our own path of sanity. Also, don’t let anger control your life, or you’ll look like you’re 500 years old when you’re 40 (or however old Anakin/Vader was).

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