My Jedi rules for life
In preparation for tonight’s midnight debut of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, here’s my list of Jedi Life Rules.
This is my lightsaber. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Well, it’s mine now. It was given to me by this old grey hermit who lives in a cave and who everybody in town says is crazy. And he says he got it from my Dad, who wasn’t around much when I was a kid, to say the least. Whatevs. It’s mine now.
You don’t make a big impact on the Universe without knowing what an opportunity looks like. And you shouldn’t waste any time trying to establish the true ownership of any idea, or thing. If it’s an opportunity and you think you might be able to master it before it kills you, grab it in both hands. Nobody made it big while still trying to decide whether they were in, or whether they were out.
Most attempts to rescue a beautiful princess from jail are a team activity, and you need to develop your Jedi senses so you can tell who’s really going to join you when you ask for their help. Many friends will say yes at first, but won’t be prepared to join you on the final bombing run on the ventilation shaft.
Are they in a position to risk everything right now? Do they need to get permission from a parent, partner or employer? Is that sweet gig in Tractor Beam Services paying so well they hope to pay off their mortgage soon? Have they joined somebody else’s rebel alliance in the past and did it end badly for them? These are all good reasons for why they might need another week, another month or another year before they’re ready to join you. Focus your efforts on the lazy swashbuckling smuggler you met in that bar on Tattooine. He knows Greedo is looking for him.
It doesn’t take a Death Star
This seems obvious—the little guy really can take out the big guy. Ever since David and Goliath we’ve known this but all my career I’ve seen people turn away from the challenge before them just because the competition was a Death Star.
Death Stars suck. They can’t be in two star systems at once, they concentrate all the resources in one place, and they force thousands of well-trained professionals to wait until the grey-hairs in the conference room have been Force-choked into a decision before they’re able to do their job.
You’ve got to be able to spot the advantages you have when you go up against the Death Star, whether that Death Star is an incumbent software giant, huge banking conglomerate or government policy. The Rebel Alliance didn’t say, “well, we can’t build our own Death Star, so I guess we better surrender”. And they didn’t consider surrender while they still had an option to play out.
That said, you shouldn’t aim to take on every Death Star that moves into orbit. The right time to turn and run is when you’ve looked at all your assets and can’t see a competitive edge. If you’re really not faster, more nimble, more creative or more risk-friendly than the people running the Death Star, then sure, bail from Yavin 4 as fast as Chewie can get the Millenium Falcon back in orbit.
But remember: most Death Stars can be beaten, and it doesn’t take another Death Star to do it.
Don’t judge people by their midichlorian count
Scruffy kid from a backwater desert planet single-handedly takes out the most powerful space weapon the universe has ever known. Selfish smuggler and his shaggy friend turn out to be the best wingmen in the galaxy. Pampered young princess proves she can shoot better than any clone stormtrooper and will strangle a Hutt to death if you piss her off. And you can chop old crazy Ben Kenobi in half and you’ll just make him stronger.
When I was working as a waiter, a barman, a removals labourer and a hospital orderly, some people treated me like I always was — and always would be—in that role. Like it was all I was capable of.
You never know how your waiter or the guy lugging your couch will turn out, or what they might be capable of. Treat everybody you meet like someday they might be essential to the future of the Rebel Alliance, because maybe they are. The moment they show even a glimpse of something more, give them a chance. Hand them a blaster and point them in the direction of the struggle.
People never forget who first saw the potential in them, and they’ll make a great recruit for your rebel outfit when you take on your next Death Star.
