Brad Tracy Keeping Our Focus Here and Now Where It Belongs
In my article, “Your Thoughts Betray You,” I discuss the importance of keeping “your focus here and now, where it belongs.” By doing so you are able to get in touch with the Living Force. But what is the Living Force and why does it matter? In the Star Wars Universe, the Living Force is the energy field that is created by all living beings and is also the “light” that makes us “luminous beings — not this crude matter.” In our world, the Living Force goes by many names — soul, Being, Chi, Presence, God — and being in touch with this energy is what allows you to disengage your true self from your mind and its ever-present negative thoughts. In other words, you achieve enlightenment.
Being a Star Wars fan (which I assume you are because you’re reading my article), you are probably thinking that this enlightenment or connection to the Living Force can only be achieved by a spiritual being like a Jedi. To that I say you are wrong, and I will give a couple of examples. When I prepared for this series, I of course started by watching all of the films. (Any excuse, right?) I honestly did not think I would gain much insight by Rogue One or The Force Awakens, but it was actually these two films that taught me how to relate the Force to more common beings like you and me.
The most obvious example is my favorite Guardian of the Whills, Chirrut Imwe. He is admittedly not a Jedi but he is so in tune with the Living Force that it helps him overcome a physical disability that is his blindness. His mantra of “The Force is with me, and I am with the Force” aided him in hurdling one obstacle after another. While doing so he remains completely calm and fearless because “all is as the Force wills it.”
Though Chirrut’s use of the Force may seem unbelievable, perhaps a better definition of true “enlightenment” comes from the best barkeep in the galaxy, Maz Kanata. Her statement of “I am no Jedi but I know the Force” is my personal mantra as I write this series. She spells out the Living Force quite simply to Rey, who had little to no training up to that point. As she explains, “it moves through and surrounds every living thing.” She even describes (much like Qui-Gon) how to get in touch with it. “Close your eyes. Feel it. The light, it’s always been there. It will guide you.”
Throughout this series, I will be writing short articles — meditations, if you will — based on the Star Wars movies, cartoons, books and comics that will show how the characters were able to get in touch with the Living Force. We will go one step further and show how you can use those principles in your own life, and by doing so, how you can achieve enlightenment and lasting peace.
I will be using mostly Canon references, but I will not hesitate to delve into the Legends as well. If there is a particular character or topic on which you would like me to write, please feel free to leave me a comment. Hope you enjoy the series!
MTFBWY — Brad
JFK historian and assassination researcher. Member of Citizens Against Political Assassinations and Assassination Archives Research Center.
