The Spiritual and Religion In Star Wars : Concerning "Force"

            Luke Skywalker heard about the Force for the first time from Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, a Jedi who fled from the evil Empire and lived a hermitlike existence on the desert planet of Tatooine. Ben presented Luke with a lightsaber and taught him about the Force,which can be interpreted thus; 

           The Force is something that a Jedi Knight has no choice but to be involved with. There is still no clear or proper explanation regarding the force. Scientists have explained it as a source of energy present in all living things. Ancient people believed in its existence and they lived with this superstition for many thousands of years.

           When normal people proclaimed that they knew what the Force was, they were condemned. Some of them were branded as boastful, deceitful, mysterious or worse. Few people are able to use the Force and in most cases they have no control over it. The Force has power over people and those who can control it have always have been regarded questionably by others.

           The Force is around us. Some believe that it controls our actions. The knowledge regarding the Force and the means to control it is limited to the elite group of Jedi Knights. It is also their privilege.
    
           “You must learn the way of the Force too, Luke.”

             Ben Kenobi is also Luke’s first teacher and it is he who taught the young boy the way of the Force. After Luke’s life was turned upside down, he embarked on a journey with Ben and the Jedi master taught him how to master the lightsaber.
    
             You must cut straight and true. Do not wave the saber around. Remember, the Force is everywhere and always. It flows and circles around you. To a Jedi, using the Force is no different to using your own body strength.

    “Is it a magnetic field?” asked Luke

                It is like a magnetic field but it’s also like other things. It’s also a controllable halo. It’s like an energy so utterly extraordinary that even scientists can’t properly explain its use.            

                There is really nobody… Sometimes things are just too marvelous to explain scientifically but the way to the use the Force has its own theory. It is neither illusion nor trickery…”

                Yoda, the master of all Jedis, said of the force               

                “The Force lies in us all. It’s lying in wait and ready to help us. This Force is strong and powerful. Every living thing was born with it and has grown from it. This kind of Force flows plentifully around us all. We can exist happily in space because the Force allows us to do so.”               

                “To reach the limit of the Force, you must realize its existence. You must know the Force is everywhere; in your body, the space between you and me, between me and the trees, the rocks. The Force is in everything.”

                “The Force follows whatever we fix our eyes on. Its power will never end nor will it run dry. It needs no exaggeration.”

                This explanation of the Force can be easily comprehended by those who study or practice Tai Chi, ChuanYoga or any other related branch of oriental martial arts. In these arts, The Force can be referred to as “Breath” or “Chi” or even“Internal force”.

                But before we discuss the details of “Breath” or “Chi”, there’s a widely known idea relating to the Force from the author and public speaker Krishnamurti, and a man who was widely regarded as a leader in the field of ideas by young people at that time.               

                Krishnamurti talked about the Force as the vital force. And it can be interpreted thus;
    
                Truly, we humans are a form of energy. The force that we possess isthe forcesof ideas, feelings, interests, enthusiasm, wants, wishes, desires, ambitions and even hatred. The force is openly expressed in the activities of the human individual. This force also creates illusions, knavery and misery. Both the softest and the most destructive forces are born from this very same human force.
    
                From Krisnamurati’s ideas, we can understand that normal people are also involved with the force through theirphysical, verbal and mental activities.
                The way individual people express the force illustrates the type and level of the force that each one of them possesses.
                From this idea, it becomes obvious and unavoidable that we are all involved with the force one way or another. But for those on Dharma pilgrimages, practitioners, Wu Xia (warriors) or Yogi the definition of the force can be narrowed down to something in particular.               

                Yogi Ramacharaka wrote about ‘Breath’ in his ‘Science of Breath’ that
    
                “Breath is the most important part of all ‘power’ and ‘force’ in the universe.
           

                Breath combines everywhere in atomic mass and in both living and non-living organisms. The Earth’s gravity, impulsion, centrifugal force and other kinds of force also stem from Breath.

                Breath is in mass but it is not mass. It is in the air but it is not the air. It’s in the food but it’s not the food. It mingles in dirt but it’s not an element of dirt.               

                Breath in living organisms is called Vital Force. We can find it invarious living creatures all the way from single-celled species like amoebas to plants, animals and even humans.
    
                Breath cannot be seen yet its force is found in mass.  In living organisms such as humans, when we die, our Breath is no longer in our control. Breath and mind have a reciprocal relationship like a horse and its rider. Mind has total control over Breath and can balance the internal Breath with the external breath, which is as vast as any great ocean.               

                From the above definition, we can see that Breath is the link between thePhysical Body, consisting of particles, and the 4 types of external force namely gravity, electromagnetic force, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force.
    
                These 4 types of power can’t be combined according to the theories of leading physicists in 1997. Many scientists attempted to unify these 4 powers by creating a theory which was labeled as “The Superstring Theory”. However, their attemptswere far from successful and a host of flaws were found which rendered the theory widely unaccepted.                

                We can also see that Breath is connected to Mind. Not only is it the foundation of the physical world, Breath is also the fundamental factor of Life which consists of spirit. It is acceptable to say that Breath connects the Physical World and Mind together inseparably.
    
                If we envisage Breath as a particle, Breath must be the particle with a soul. It is entirely possible that Breath could be a link to objectivism as well. This is something which warrants further study.               

                What Breath is might not be as interesting as what Breath can do.               

                Chi or the Internal Force is the vital force in all of us. It can’t be seen by our eyes but it’s something we can feel especially if one has been trained to use it properly. This vital force flows around not only in humans but the universe, from the sky above to the dirt below or even trees and plants.If we only focus on the internal force or Chi, we can see that Chi is born from the basic elements of life of both the physical base (bodily health and wellbeing) and abstract areas such as mind, intentions and consciousness.

                They both reciprocate and interact till the energy or Chi is born within the body. If one is trained right and well, theycan possess a powerful and effective force far greater than one who is not.
    
                The use of practicing breathing for both body and mind is found in many books.
    
                Breath is also called Energy or sometimes, vibration. The names are adjusted and used in different contexts. They are different in details but they all manifest from the same source,               

                Undoubtedly the Force in Star Wars is the same thing as Breath or Chi. Luke Skywalker practiced using the Force surely represents one who practices the way to use and control Breath.