Today, I am thankful for Star Wars for many reasons. I enjoy most of the movies a lot, and a number of the spin-off TV series have been enjoyable as well. I had various Star Wars toys growing up, and I can remember spending hours in my bedroom playing with different action figure sets like the Death Star and the rebel base on Endor. Hope pervades the franchise as a major theme. The Dark Side appears to be on the brink of victory countless times. Sometimes we have only Obi-Wan to rely on. Or perhaps two droids if we are looking for them. What are you relying on? What are you looking for?
In all things it is better to hope than to despair.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Hope is one of those infinite virtues. We can hold a limitless amount of it. Do we act on it, though? Are you a princess willing to get your hands dirty with hard work, or do you only hope passively while not pursuing any progress, young padawan? If you hope to be a Jedi, then you must be prepared to put in a lot of work. Any role worth doing requires hours upon hours of unseen training, focus, and discipline behind the scenes. The flashiest moments rarely happen without preparation and readiness. Hope is not luck. I would rather be hopeful than lucky. Both is best, but I know which to count on regularly.
It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.
-Eleanor Roosevelt
Any movement can start off slow and small. In time, with the right amounts of hope and perseverance, you can see it begin to take hold and spread. A few freedom fighters can turn into a full resistance. Then, before you know it, the empire has met their match. Hope is a flame that never needs to be extinguished. Will you keep fanning and fueling it?
Courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own.
-Michelle Obama
It boils down to what you choose for how to live and lead your life. Does fear drive your decisions, or are you hopeful for the future? Are you only reactive? Can you be proactive? Make your moves according to what is best instead of what you are afraid of. This shift may feel subtle, but the difference is significant. Run from the dark, or walk in the light?
Let us not go back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.
-James Thurber
The Force is all around us. Some may call it Tao. Others may simply call it nature or the universe. It is also subtle, yet it can also make such a difference. When you begin to tap into and feel the vibrations and flow of your inner being as well as the universe, you can rekindle a sensation that may have been lost and forgotten for a time. It does not need to stay that way. You can find your way back to the light. It may not easy, but it is worth it.
Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.
-Helen Keller
May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.
-Nelson Mandela
I will always be thankful for a new hope. May we stay on target and be forever hopeful.
May the Force be with you :)
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.