Balance in the Force - what means it?

[Force Master Hunter]

I have heard some say that good must balance evil. I would say that this is a lie.

The balance spoken of has to do with a spiritual concept. It has to do with the line separating good and evil being clear and distinct. That there is a moral black and white.

The imbalance comes in when the line is blurred -- grayed. For instance, an imbalance might occur when the Jedi start thinking they can use the dark side of the Force for good purposes. (The ends justifies the means, so to speak.). Or the Sith say they can fall in love and use love as a motive.

So, when Luke turns away from that (killing Vader, on the surface, would be a good thing for the galaxy . . . except that it would mean Luke takes Vader's place, and brings about a worse evil ...) he essentially restores the balance. He being the lone Jedi left (and his act of selflessness also redeems his father, turning the tide of the darkside back...) he then teaches others what he has learned of the balance between light and dark. That the dark side cannot be used for good purposes. Thus, the corruptive element (the Sith) are destroyed, and balance is restored in the Jedi.


Jedi, think of this. And always know, there is no inbetween. There is half measures. You are Light Side or you are corrupt. Never think good can come from evil, and evil does not come from good.

[Gurney Devries]

While good and evil cannot (or rather should not) intermingle, I don't think that's quite the intention of the of the paradox of good and evil. Neither one can exist without each other because they are defined by each other: Without knowing what 'evil' is, how can someone make a claim to 'good'? If you don't know the wrong answer, how do you know which one is right? The idea isn't to try and blur the lines between the two, but to make each one acknowledge the other's existance and better understand it. To deny knowledge is to admit defeat.

[TUJK]

"Balance of the force... what a novel concept... and yet, most interpretations can be easily labled as wrong.

Most beings that are sentient give abstract concepts names like "good" and "evil" "chaos" and "order".

While they remain truely undefinable.

What is good? Truely define it, with absolutes... and then realise it cannot be done, the same is true with evil. It's simply convient labels placed on actions

Balance of the force has neither room for good or evil. It only has room for nature to run it's course.

And yet, that's impossible with the presense of those who alter the flow of the force, to stay nature from it's course.

In the end the only way the jedi can preserve the balance and harmony of the force is to become unnessisary, to work towards a time when the Jedi can turn back to thier studies of the force and philosophy, rather than take up the learnings and the lightsaber as they do now, to combat those that manupulate the force to thier own ends.

[Master Yoghurt]

When and how did Anakin Skywalker bring balance to the Force?

Was it when he trained to become a Jedi..?

Was it when he step by step became more and more colored by bitterness and anger, starting his path to the Dark Side..?

Was it when he held the Galaxy in an iron grip as a Sith Lord..?

None of the above.

It was when Anakin finally realised his errors, and in a grand sacrifice to release himself from the Emperors influence, he turned away from what he had become, destroying the man who had caused the inbalance - Darth Vader along with his creator. Finally, he was free. Finally, he had found peace.

That brought the balance.

Finding the Balance is not about dark and light.. good or evil. It is about bringing an end to the conflict and chaos. It is about about having the courage to face yourself, taking control and walk the path you were meant to go. To realise your purpose. That is what every Jedi should try to do.

[Christian Lightheart]

*The young learner kept quiet, listening to those intelligent words which came from the Master's and Knights of the Jedi Order. Contemplating and trying to decide on a true answer, a question formed in the head of Christian.*

Excuse me for asking, but talk of Anakin Skywalker and his son, Luke has brought a question to my mind.

*He paused, trying to think of how to word what he wanted to say.*

The great Mace Windu of the Old Republic once said that Anakin would bring balance to the Force. To me, this means that he brings a balance to the side of good, where peace and order are restored into the galaxy. He did just that when he defeated the battle within himself and defeated Emperor Palpatine. But what you have said, to me at least, seems to mean that each person has a balance within themselves.. a balance of peace and harmony. But What Mace Windu said sounded as if when one brings balance, it's for the whole picture.

My question, does balance in the Force mean a more individual level or more along the lines of "Galactic Peace"?