Death of a Jedi

Tonic Pop

Fair warning – In today’s episode we are going to talk about death in a candid and forthright way.

Originally titled, simply, ‘Star Wars’, this film was retroactively given the title ‘Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope’. It is the first installment of the original Star Wars trilogy, the first of the franchise to be produced, and the fourth episode of the "Skywalker saga".

As always, there will be spoilers:

The moment we are pulling out of the film to take a lesson from is when Jedi Knight Obi Wan Kenobi is battling one of film history’s greatest and most iconic bad guys, Darth Vader. Midst battle Obi Wan was taunted by Darth and in response, likely in acceptance of his inevitable demise, the sagacious Jedi returned serve with a warning;

“Strike me down and I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”

Obi Wan had in life learned a technique from his mentor Qui-gon Jin that would allow him, after death to continue to communicate with the living. So could Ben have considered his ability to be a kind of 'spirit guide' as being more powerful than his physical presence in the world?

Partially I think. That coupled with a moment of realisation that occurred just before he was killed. Obi-Wan, turns and notices Luke. Luke has to this point not quite understood the gravity of accepting and pursuing his role in the fate of the galaxy. In noticing Luke, in that short but lucid moment I think Obi sees a motivational opportunity. He isn’t scared of his own death but rather is scared of the death of everything he stands for and fights for. He knows that Luke is the hero needed for the time, for the rebellion to succeed and so if witnessing his mentor’s death at the hands of Darth Vader will drive Luke into accepting his role as a future Jedi Master and subsequently battle and bring down the evil empire, then he will, through Luke, become more powerful.

Death as a motivator is a theme that is used in a lot of the Star Wars films from, Obi-Wan training Anakin after Qui-Gon Jinn is killed by Darth Maul to Rey staying the course and searching for Luke Skywalker after Han is killed by Kylo Ren.

It can be very hard to accept but life and death go hand in hand. Whether you believe in the afterlife or that death is the full stop in a person’s life one thing is true; death is only the end of a chapter. Just because 1 character dies doesn’t mean the story has ended. The book continues to be written on the pages that follow and the characters that have come and gone can continue to influence the story.

Obi Wan’s death was a motivator for Luke - how can we use death as a motivator?

When my granddad recently died at the young age of 100, many of us lost a close friend and an inspirational figure. The days that followed saw family gathering and sharing stories of his many escapes from death, his adventurous lifestyle and his powerful work ethic. In the mix was discussions of his many faults and failings. There was no political correctness or fear of insulting the dead because that would have been a dishonest remembrance and Granddad being someone who had no trouble speaking his mind would have come back to haunt us. But what was discovered was that everything he did rippled into our existences and speaking for myself, I found motivation as I used the excuse of his death to remember his life.

So how can we take the opportunity that death presents, to become more life motivated?

1. Gather the Lessons Left Behind.
The body may join the earth below but the lessons remain. It’s up to us what we learn from those lessons, or whether we learn anything at all.
In an age where multiple incessant distractions have become a real threat to productivity, and our attention spans have become shortened, the death of a loved one can be a good opportunity to pause and consider the expanse of their physical existence and pull lessons from their life into yours.

2. Get Some Perspective
The death of a loved one is a great time to pause and gain perspective on what really matters in life. How quickly do any petty concerns we might have with someone melt away when they pass. Little disturbances disappear, we become less myopic and for a time, if we allow it and don’t withdraw into ourselves, we can see things with a greater scope.

3. Realise the Value of Time
There’s nothing like a death to force a revisitation of the adages “life is short” or “you never know when you’re gonna go”. It’s hard to stay motivated when consequences are delayed because action is delayed. When the delay is because of our own inaction then regrets can be debilitating. We don’t need to fool ourselves into thinking that we need to play catch up for years of procrastination though. It’s the next move forward that matters most.

4. Consider How Indelible Your Impression Will Be
What impact did your loved one have on you? What impression will you leave on others? Rarely if ever is a funeral rife with talk of all the expensive clothes the person purchased or how big their house was. That is fine and impressive in life but in death it is more often the substance of a person that is discussed. It is how a person made you think and feel that leaves the strongest mark.

I'll leave you with a quote from author and more Jack Kerouac.

"I hope it is true that a man can die and yet not only live in others but give them life, and not only life, but that great consciousness of life."