Symbolism of "The Force"

Sorry for the blank post. Darn "enter" button!

GL claims to be a Buddhist. But, there has been great discussion about what "the Force" actually symbolizes. God? Zen?

Discuss George Lucas' concept and and symbolism within that concept

 

Well I don't know very much about any religons except Christianity, and that's by default, so I really have no idea what deity or religous belief The Force symbolizes, but I'd imagine that it symbolizes the one with an unimaginably vast presence that has to do with all forms of life whether it be a human being or a blade of grass. This would also lead me to believe that it represents a religious belief where the "thing" the religon revolves around doesn't play any favorites, meaning that people who don't believe in "the religon" or are even downright evil and have no hope of redemption aren't exempt from being touched by the "thing", whatever this "thing" may be.

That is what I believe The Force symbolizes religously speaking.

 

The Theology of Star Wars

More of the interview

The two sides of the force: separate or part of a whole?

Balance of the Force

 

As I see it, the Force symbolises love.

 

Love between "you, me,the trees and the rocks" etc?
kinky...

 

As I see it, the Force symbolises love.

Interesting. Could you perhaps explain?

 

Well, I believe that love is a mystical energy. I believe that it's "created" by living things. And I believe that love is what holds the world together- every family and every friendship is essentially bonded by love.

I believe that if you live to serve love, to give love to others, it makes you a stronger, better and happier person. And I believe that if you attempt to use/abuse the love of others for your own ends, it can only lead to misery.

"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

Love has it's dark side; if you can't deal with it and allow it to distort your perspective, it can lead to negative things like jealousy and posessiveness. That if you make decisions or take actions that concern love when angry or fearful, they can only be destructive; to make a sensible choice concerning your emotions, you should always be calm, and never selfish.

And I believe that when you allow true love to guide you, you can achieve anything. (Not literally- I'm not talking about mind tricks and telekenesis here, obviously!)


What it boils down to is that I think that most "Gods" are supposed to be analogies/metaphors for love, wrapped up in a mythical story/stories- I know Christianity explicitly states as much in the bible- "God is love." And I think the Force in Star Wars is essentially another analogy for the same basic idea- that there is a very real "force" out there which you need to have faith in. (Not that I'm aligned with any particular religion myself, I should probably point out.) Which is why I think so many myths and religions seem to tie in so well with the Star Wars philosophy; not because Star Wars is based on one (or all) myth or religions, but because Star Wars and the religions are based on the same fundamental idea.

 

#prods thread#

 

Meh...when ever I think if the force I think of my martial arts and TaiChi training