Potentially Patient for Potential and Patience
“Attachment leads to jealously, the shadow of greed that is.” — Yoda
Recently I’ve been binging Star Wars Episode 3 clips on YouTube, I’ve been more emotionally connected to Anakin Skywalker as of late. I share his frustration of unrecognized potential and eagerness to succeed. The scenes are also agonizing reminders on why without patience, one can face an existential downfall leading to more pain in the world.
Such a downfall was foreshadowed by Yoda when he tells Anakin that “attachment leads to jealously, the shadow of greed that is.” George Lucas borrowed Yoda’s “aphorism” from Hinduism and Buddhism i.e. “aparigraha” or non-attachment.
The most common advice one receives in situations similar to Anakin’s is to embrace patience which is a form of non-attachment, but potentially self-destructive. One has to inwardly provide patience for themselves to manage their ego, but they also need to display patience outwardly to the very people not recognizing them. It’s difficult to straddle between the two and it takes a heavy toll on the spirit without appropriate guidance, leading to resentment, and isolation.
It’s tough and you can feel lost. So here I am, feeling the way I do… but not alone. I’m learning from Anakin.
No, I’m not planning to go dark anytime soon, but I have to wonder what would happen if I do? I wonder if it’s really about navigating the” light” and “dark” sides as mutually exclusive paradigms or is it about seeing both as an inclusive whole.
We’ll see. 🤷🏽♂️
Word count: 238
Emojii count: 1
Twitter: @bhavprajapati
