What Color Is Your Focusing Crystal?
March 6th, 2008
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Image from Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
This post is for Ian Denny and Nez, who managed to turn a Harry Potter post into a Star Wars post with comments here and here.
Anyone who was alive in the 80s will recognize the Star Wars lightsaber, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. It works by using a focusing crystal to compress energy into a blade.
All Jedi students (good guys) have to undertake a particular journey. It is considered a rite of passage, and part of the trials for becoming a Jedi. It is long and perilous, and a time for introspection. At the end of this journey, the Jedi student reaches some caves where Illium crystals grow. They choose one that they will later use as the focusing crystal for their lightsaber. The Jedi lightsabers are all different colors because of natural variations in these crystals.
The Sith (bad guys) do not take part in such a ritual. They use synthetic crystals, which are always red because of how they are made. This spares them the long trek to find a crystal, but it also deprives them of the self-reflection they would have done. The synthetic crystals can be more powerful but are not as pure as the natural ones.
In 1968, when people said “I’m tired of this job, I’m going to bail out,” Richard Bolles jokingly asked “What color is your parachute?” Of course, this later became the title of his bestselling book on finding a career path. The book calls for focusing on yourself before focusing on the market. Most people haven’t taken the time to do a self-assessment to identify their interests, skills, talents, and personality traits. But only by doing so can we learn our true colors.
Is it worth taking the time to do some soul searching to find out who you really are? Or would you give in to the dark side if it meant saving effort and gaining power?
(Note to Star Wars buffs: The information contained here is highly subject to dispute. There are many different variations out there depending on the source, so let’s not get hung up on the details, OK?)
(Now that I think about it, I remember Star Wars being mentioned in a self-help book I read years ago. The author was reluctant to see “Return of the Jedi,” but happily changed his mind when his kid told him that what he writes about is exactly like what the Jedi teach. Does anyone know what book that is?)
March 6th, 2008 at 1:21 am
I found your site on google blog search and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. Just added your RSS feed to my feed reader. Look forward to reading more from you.
- Randy Nichols.
March 6th, 2008 at 2:53 am
Hi Hunter,
With blogging, we never know where the inspiration for a post will come from, do we?
I vote for soul searching, no matter how much time it involves.
I like the cliff hanger video. I’m assuming the good guy (Jedi) wins.
Barbara’s last blog post..Your First Line Can Sink You
March 6th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
LOVE the analogy, Hunter. Good form.
Bob Younce’s last blog post..Drop some knowledge, win a prize.
March 6th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Hi,
I saw your post on MwP and thought I’d drop by. I’d just like to say that a post on Star Wars is brilliant
Not only do I love those movies, but now I’ll remember your advice because of the reference!
RLD: Taekwondo Happiness’s last blog post..Invincibility
March 6th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Glad to be of help, Hunter!
A lot of the Jedi “path” can be found in the computer game from a few years back, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, where you, the player, undergoes the same path — although you can choose the path to the Dark Side as well.
Of course, George Lucas originally based his Light and Dark Jedi concepts on a lot of earth-based philosophies in the first place. And now we get to talk about it with a “new” frame of reference” — “The circle is now complete.”
Thanks for the thought provoking post.
Nez’s last blog post..The Wonders of Bread
March 7th, 2008 at 1:16 am
@ Randy, you found me in Google? Wow, I’m finally ranking for something! I’ll look forward to seeing you here again too.
@ Barbara, we’ll see about your assumption in the next post. Stay tuned…
@ Bob and RLD, thanks for visiting, and glad you liked this post! More Star Wars is coming soon.
@ Nez, I thought the only Star Wars information outside of the movies was in the books. I didn’t realize there were games that went into that much detail, and now I wish I had played them!
Much of Star Wars came from other sources. Samurai sword fighting styles inspired the lightsaber duels, many sequences of the dogfights were lifted frame for frame from WWII movies, etc. What George Lucas did was bring it all together with his masterful storytelling.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:33 am
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