My dearest partner in crime ‘SAV’ just made me go through a ‘Star Wars’ Marathon (12 movies, approx. 24.5 hours). I was never really a fan, but these movies really touch upon some real interesting dilemmas. I’m going to spare you the details and get straight to one of my favorite dilemmas: Anakin Skywalker vs Darth Vader. George Lucas, the creator of ‘Star Wars’, depicts this dilemma throughout the first six ‘Star Wars’ movies.
[WARNING: spoiler alert for those who never watched Star Wars ]
Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker was a young slave from the planet ‘Tatooine’ who was discovered by a Jedi Knight named Qui-gon Jinn. Jedi Knights are the protagonists in the story. Qui-gon believed that Anakin is the chosen one who could restore balance to the Force and save the Galaxy.
Unfortunately, Qui-gon died during battle and could not train Anakin. Jedi Masters, refused to train Anakin, because they sensed that there was too much fear in him, which could inevitably lead to anger. Qui-gon’s apprentice, Obi-wan Kenobi, took it upon himself to train Anakin to become a Master Jedi.
“Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering”
– Jedi Master Yoda in Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Master Yoda foreshadowed Anakin’s fear and his character arc in becoming Darth Vader. Years later, a teenage Anakin has visions of losing his wife, Padme. He also has visions about his mother in danger but despite his attempts he is unable to save her life. Master Yoda advises Anakin to learn to let go of his fear of losing those he loves. He continues by explaining that death is an essential component in the balance of life and death. In other words, death is inevitable. But Palpatine, the main antagonist, tells Anakin a story about a Dark Lord so powerful that he could save people from death. As Palpatine preys on Anakin’s weaknesses (anger, arrogance, fear of loss), Anakin falls deeper into the Dark Side.
“The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural”
– Palpatine in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Darth Vader
Anakin believes that he is doing the right thing in saving Padme and chooses to compromise all his principles as a Jedi Knight. He surrenders to the Dark Side and became Palpatine’s apprentice ‘Darth Vader’. Palpatine then orders Vader to kill all Jedi’s, including the children. All his subsequent destructive actions are rooted in fear. As a result, he loses his compassion, trust, and connection to others.
Later in the story, Darth Vader finds redemption by saving his son, Luke Skywalker, who was about to be killed by Palpatine. Darth Vader’s redeeming act restores his consciousness back to his former self, Anakin Skywalker. In the process of killing Palpatine, Anakin sacrifices himself in order to save Luke and the Galaxy. In his final moments, he overcomes his fear and accepts death.
The Good in Vader
The previous article was about incorporating symbolism for self-expression. Working with symbols can be a great tool to facilitate insights into difficult situations in life and contribute to personal growth and development.
My partner, SAV, inspired me to incorporate Darth Vader as a symbol in my 2020 theme ‘overcoming fears’. Anakin gave in to fear and consequently lost everything. Remember what Master Yoda said? “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering”. However, there is always a way to restore the balance when you’ve lost the battle to fear.
“If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine”
– Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episode IV: A New Hope
Darth Vader / Anakin Skywalker is a multifaceted character that many people could relate to, including myself. He is overly passionate when it comes to those he loves and he’s willing to protect them at any cost. Ultimately, his passion becomes his greatest folly because he is afraid of losing the ones he loves. Emotions can cloud one’s judgement and decision-making. That’s how rationality comes into play. One must try to keep emotions in check by using rationality for self-control and self-healing.
Sometimes, when you feel like you’re in a negative rut, it feels like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. Your emotions create clouds of darkness and everything you do becomes part of a vicious cycle. The story of Anakin Skywalker serves as a constant reminder that there is light even in your darkest moment in life. Giving in to your fear doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end.
The moment you become aware of your emotions, such as fear, you can use your rationality to try and understand where this feeling comes from (e.g.: Why am I fearful? When was the last time I felt this way? What happened?).
Once you’ve learned to understand where it comes from, self-compassion is the next step to overcoming fear (e.g.: This feeling comes from insecurity. Insecurity was caused by years of bullying. It’s understandable to feel this way, but fear is instilled by environmental circumstances. Bullies prey on the weak to fill in voids in their lives and boost their egos, because they themselves are insecure). Self-compassion is an essential part in the process of self-healing, in this case, overcoming fear.
The process of overcoming obstacles and self-healing is a strenuous process, but it’s worth the time and effort. If an evil space wizard (who by the way nearly wiped out the entire Galaxy) can find his way to redemption, then you can too.
Thanks for reading!
This article captures what I consider to be the highlights of movies that have inspired me and should only be treated as such. If you enjoyed this article, hit the follow button for more articles and summaries.
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NELUMERA 