Dogma and the Force

As a forever student of the Force and its ways, I have to wonder sometimes. I have browsed many websites about the Jedi way, and each one had their own rules, creeds, doctrines, or how a friend of mine referred them to: dogmas. I was surprised by that. Why would someone call the learnings and wisdom and dealing with the ways of the Force a dogma? I meditated on that and I started re-reading all the doctrines, circles, prayers, etc. And they all had one thing in common: they tell you how to behave. Not a favorite part of the free soul. It’s being used by Jedi to put other Jedi down, some even post a doctrine in forum posts to prove how well they know it, missing the point completely by lacking humility.

Is the Force real or a fantasy? Do you feel the Force? Can you move objects with your mind? What is the Force? Does it have a Light and a Dark Side? So many questions and even more answers. The dark lurks in every answer that is presented as the truth and can be quickly dismissed as Dogma. Does this truth lie in the many doctrines, codes and creeds, or is it something we have to connect to on an individual level?

To love the Force above all else means that you embrace the Force for what it is. It binds everything together. It makes sure we are all connected and yet we look for things to drive us apart. In that sense it makes sense that an individual Jedi might perceive the creeds as Dogma. But the thing is, I don’t think there is place for Dogma in the teachings of the Force. So the way I deal with it is that I read the creeds, codes etc., try to apply them to my life, keep them in the back of my head, deepen my studies further, and not throw it in other peoples faces when it fits us.

I think as Jedi we are always a little lost, searching, but most of all joyful that we can learn as much as we can about the Force, unhindered by limitations, not hindering others, but pushing each other forward, little by little.