Having a talk (Kyle Krogen)

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei was taking one of his usual sunset strolls in the gardens.

"There's always a lot to learn from the silence of a sunset," he said to himself.

It was a nice night, but not many people were out. One in particular caught Wei's eye.

"Kyle! How are you!"

Wei had seen the Padawan around. He seemed to be a bright person.

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle turned around and saw Wei standing there "hello Wei, its nice to see you again"he gave Wei a warm smile

"going for stroll I see, do you mind if i join you on this fine evening?"

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Not at all. What have you been up to? Have you been learning how to be a Jedi well?"

Last Wei had checked, Kyle was not learning under any sort of teacher. But Wei's question wasn't referring to Force techniques. He was referring to the Jedi lifestyle.

[Kyle Krogen]

"well i've done several spars with other padawans and i've been working on the few skills i know to pervect them......but its very hard work."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei nodded. "Fighting skills are good."

Wei looked up at the oranges of the sky and let his thoughts turn over in his head.

"And I'm glad to see that you have learned one important lesson: fighting is indeed hard work. However, there is more to being a Jedi than just swinging around a lightsaber and lifting things with your mind."

[Kyle Krogen]

"yes i know there are many thing other than fighting that a jedi needs to know.......but without the help of a master finding those things in more difficult"

Kyle thought back to when he and his old master trained at the Jedi Acedemy and how much he had learned since then.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei stopped on the pathway and turned around to look Kyle right in the eye.

"Well, let's start in this manner. What does it mean to be a Jedi, in your opinion?"

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle stoped next to him

"i think to be a jedi is to protect the unprotected to help keep peace in the galaxy and help in anyway you can."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"I think you are correct. It is important for us to help protect people," Wei said, continuing the stroll, "And it is also important that we help people out."

Wei reached out and plucked a small leaf from one of the trees, turned it over in his fingers, then let the breeze carry it away. "Yes, a Jedi must indeed be compassionate. Compassion is when you see someone who needs help, and you want to help them. Would you agree with that statement?"

[Kyle Krogen]

"yes i would agree with that"

he watched the leave as it blew away until he could no longer see it.

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Now, mercy is when you give someone a second chance, even when they don't deserve it. You can't have mercy without compassion, but mercy is even more important."

Wei pushed up his glasses. "Now why is mercy important? And why should we give people second chances if they don't deserve them?"

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle thought harder than he had ever thought ,Wei's questions where very hard

"i guess Mercy ia inportant becuase..... if you give someone a second chance it could help better yourself and you could make a new freind."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Yes. You could make a new friend, and it could better yourself. But what about the other person? What have they to gain from that second chance you gave them?"

Wei looked at Kyle and shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, suppose I am fighting a Sith, and he is at my mercy. His life is in my hands, and I let him go. What has he to gain from that?"

[Kyle Krogen]

"he could gain a new insight on life, maybe chnage his evil ways, and if you truly inpacted his life you might be able to change him from a sith to a jedi."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei stopped in front of Kyle, looking the young man right in the eye. Wei couldn't grin big enough. "Exactly! How much better it would be, if everyone's lives could be changed for the better without someone having to die."

"Confrontations are to be avoided as much as possible. Naturally there will be times when you have no choice but to fight. But I have found that giving a little bit goes a long way."

[Kyle Krogen]

"yes i fully agree with you Wei, what the galaxy would be like if we didnt have to fight

but since we do , we need to be able to do something that can help change someone instead of killing them."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Exactly. And you know how we do that? We figure out why people do what they do. You will often see in your life time, Kyle, that people who wreck things, or hurt other people are hurting on the inside, and they don't know what to do , or how to express their feelings."

Wei continued the walk once again. "Let's go this way," the Jedi Knight said, motioning to the path that diverged to the left. "Probably the one thing you could do to totally catch a Darksider off guard is to be concerned about him or her. To show up wherever they are wreaking havoc and saying, 'what's wrong?' as opposed to 'what you are doing is wrong.' Do you see what I mean?"

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle followed closely behind Wei

"yes i do see what you mean, if every Jedi helped a darksider in any way there could be less and less problems and more peace."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei smiled. "I like you, Kyle. You catch on rather quickly. Now, how does peace come about?"

[Kyle Krogen]

He paused for a moment as he thought over Wei's question

"peace it acheived when everyone agrees with each other, beacuse if we agree then we wont get in a fight over who right and whos wrong."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Ok, then let me ask you another question. How is it that people get into fights about who's right and who's wrong? What drives them to such things?"

[Kyle Krogen]

"when someone says something that go's against another they tend to want to fight to show that you souldnt mess with something they dont want."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Or maybe they are just unwilling to listen to what the other person has to say."

Wei hoped that's what Kyle had been trying to say, but Wei hadn't understood him clearly.

"Most people hate compromise, but I find that when I yield to my opponent, it turns out much better in the end."

[Kyle Krogen]

"yes, something like that"

He was having a really hard time answering Wei questions, Kyle wasnt the smartest person.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei looked over at Kyle. "Hmm...Perhaps I should show you what I mean when I say it is more effective to yield. That is, if you think it would help you to understand."

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle nodded ,hopeing he would be able to ubterstand better.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei looked around until he found a tree with thin, bendy branches. Wei found one that went to about Kyle's chest and motioned for Kyle to come over to the tree.

"Kyle take off your shirt and stand with your back next to this branch," Wei told him, pointing to the branch he had found.

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle did as he was instructed and stood next to the branch without his shirt

He turned his head to look at Wei "now what?"

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei pulled back on the branch, watching it bend into a nice U shape. Then he let it go. THWAP! The branch hit Kyle's back like a whip, leaving a red mark on his back.

"So, tell me. Did that hurt at all, Kyle?"

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle winced, the pain felt like his back was on fire "yes...it hurt"

he said through clenched teath, holding back the urge to screem.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei smiled. "Good." Wei then took Kyle to a tree with thick branches that didn't bend.

"Stand next to this branch like you did with the other one."

Wei wiated for Kyle to do as he had been told, and pulled the branch as hard as he could. The branch broke in Wei's hands, and Kyle was unharmed.

"Now that didn't hurt at all. This branch, that I hold in my hand, is thichker, stronger, sturdier. But that other branch is thin, an dflexible, and easily gives way to an outside force. And yet, that branch hurt worse than this one. And the reason why it hurt worse is because it was able to yield to the outside force. Be like that thin wispy branch Kyle."

Wei healed Kyle's back and then healed the tree. "There is strength in yielding. Remember that."

[Kyle Krogen]

"yes, i will remember that"

Kyle went over to where he had left his shirt and quickly put it back on ,then he walked back over to Wei.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei waited patiently for Kyle and when the Padawan returned, Wei had only one other question for him. "Is there anything on your mind that you would like to talk about?"

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle was puzzled at Wei's question

"yes there is one thing, why are you asking me all theys questions and slaping by back with branches?"

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Wei smiled. To teach you something. What have you learned from all these branches and questions?"

Kyle had potential, but it appeared to Wei that he had trouble seeing the big picture. Wei would deal with that later.

[Kyle Krogen]

"well... i've learned its better to be flimsy and bend then to be strong and break."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Well, not quite," Wei said with a chuckle. "The idea is that there is strength in yielding, and that it is important to be understanding."

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle nodded "yes i understand now."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei nodded. "Kyle, you must bear in mind that there is a lot of responsibility that rests on our shoulders as Jedi. We are the stuff of legends, Kyle. The light in the darkness, the hope for the hopeless. Countless people look up to us, and as such we become role models. Everything you say and do will be remembered by the people you meet. And though it may not seem like no one is watching, they are. Such is the fate of a role model."

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle nodded again "yes, you are right Wei, everyone does look up to us, it would be a bad thing if we gave them the wrong impeshon(sp)."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei nodded. "That it would give them the wrong impression. A violent Jedi that solves everything through fighting doesn't really help a youngster learn to get along with his friends and family, now does he? And if he sticks with the wrong idea that it is ok to use violence to solve problems, then imagine what sorts of things he would do to his wife or his children?"

Wei sighed. "I would be so ashamed to know that a person acted like that because he saw a Jedi get angry and violent over something instead of keeping a cool head. But I digress. You're training will start as soon as I've decided what I would like to teach you first. I'll call for you when I'm ready. See you later, Kyle."

[Kyle Krogen]

Training Kyle though to himself as Wei walked away "bye Wei" he shouted as he waved until Wei was out of sight

he walked of in the oppesit derection toward him room.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei waved back and continued his walk, thinking deeply on the lessons he would be teaching soon.