“Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering.”  -Yoda

When we live in or act out of fear, we invite Darkness into our hearts and homes. This is true for all of us. Everyone. Every. Single. Person. And “the dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is.” We find ourselves lost.

People will hurt us. But more concerning, we will hurt ourselves. We will betray ourselves. Sometimes in the name of those very others who have betrayed us. “Happens to every guy sometimes this does”, but “many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view.”

The problem is that we’re often unaware of the way in which our Fear inspires us to act. Or not act. And how it shapes our perception of reality. And “named must your fear be, before banish it you can.”

We fear the loss of things. We fear the loss of people. We even fear the loss of things and people that no longer serve us because we fear the prospect of being lonely, or without. “The fear of loss is a path to the dark side”, and “once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will.”

Fear was meant to save us in life-and-death experiences, to tell us to escape or avoid dangerous situations. But in everyday life it is a hindrance more than an aide. But we can overcome this. “Train yourself to let go of things you fear to lose.” Practice going without, and discover that your fears are largely unfounded. Practice being alone, and learn that it does not necessitate loneliness. Play out worst-case scenarios deliberately and mindfully, and learn to see them for what they really are: overhyped and overstated.

“Already know you that which you need. ” It is simply a matter of accepting it as truth and implementing it unwaveringly. “Mind what you have learned. Save you it can.” Floss your teeth. Eat your vegetables. Treat others as you wish to be treated. “Do, or Do Not. There is no try.” All these basic truths that we are taught from such a young age. Perhaps they lose their meaning over time, having been repeated endlessly.

Ultimately, “you will find only what you bring in.” The most powerful truths in this life are simple, just not easy to implement. But what defines us are the actions we take on a consistent basis. This is what we are made of – what we make ourselves of. Thus it is paramount that we develop the ability to be honest with ourselves, but not harsh or judgemental, and to get down to what we know really matters most to us so that when “in a dark place we find ourselves…a little more knowledge lights our way.”

We can’t lash out at those who wrong us, for “to answer power with power…a danger there is, of losing who we are.” Instead we must “…face the truth, and choose. Give off light, or darkness…be a candle, or the night.”

And “Luminous beings we are…not this crude matter.”

“…in the end, cowards are those who follow the dark side.” It is those who follow the light who rest easy and fear not ends, and fear not death, for when the time comes, they know that “soon will I rest, yes, forever sleep. Earned it I have. Twilight is upon me, soon night must fall.”