Question No. 23

In the fictional novel Star Wars: Wild Space, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi travels far outside the known galaxy into what is referred to as Wild Space. He is traveling with a rather famous Senator, Bail Organa of the illustrious Alderaan system. It is a very entertaining and well-written book (by Karen Miller) for anyone who is the least bit interested in science fiction and the Star Wars saga.

I bring up this book because in it is the analogy that answers the question above. In this story, Obi-Wan and Bail crash land on a most unfortunate planet out in Wild Space - a Sith planet called Zigoola. If you are unfamiliar with the Sith, they are a another group of force-sensitives that embody the worst manipulative and cruel evil. Thankfully, at least in the Star Wars universe, there are only two of them. Anyway, they survive the crash on this planet and immediately Obi-Wan, being a most-hated enemy of the Sith due to the constant battle between good and evil, begins to endure the mental and physical onslaught of attack by these Sith 'through the Force'. Now, surely you have heard of the Force - in the simplest terms, the Force is that unseen motivator of the universe.

OK, so you're trackin' right?
Stay with me...

Our unfortunate travelers, since they crashed, now have to find their way across the inhospitable landscape to the demonic source of evil without the help of Obi-Wan's Jedi skills and/or Force-abilities - this is is a bad scene. Not only is Obi-Wan limited in his abilities, he also is ravaged by nightmares of horrific, traumatic scenes from his past. The duel-to-the death with an evil sith apprentice that culminated in the death of his master. His padawan and friend getting his arm cut off in a traumatic saber-duel. Falling into a nest of flesh-eating fire beetles during his padawan training. The closer they get to their destination, the more he gets physically and mentally beat up, and the more he loses his ability to feel the Force.

A Jedi not being able to feel the Force would be similar to losing all the senses at once. Being Force-sensitive is like having an enhanced, extra-sensory perception of everything and everyone. It is something a Jedi always feels and lives with - an acute sense of knowledge, skill, physical and mental strength and endurance. A Jedi without their Force-sense is no Jedi at all.

And there is my analogy. Similar to a Jedi that has lost their Force-sense, being devoid of the Spirit of G-d within me would destroy me - I would be nothing at all. The Spirit has always been with me, talking to me, guiding and directing me, comforting me, and giving me extra-ordinary knowledge and strength when my human endurance is depleted. The Spirit gives me the ability to love as He loves, to give as He gives and to see as He sees. Without the living, all-encompassing, all-powerful Spirit of G-d dwelling in me, I would cease to exist.

And, in this story, that is how Obi-Wan felt when he couldn't feel the Force. He was desperate and grieved to his inner-most core, and he was more than anxious about getting it back. He couldn't feel, and if he could no longer sense the Force, then he was no longer a Jedi. And, now we're talking identity.

It was such a powerful analogy for me, I had to just put the book down and think about it for a long time. What would I do if I couldn't feel the Spirit? I most certainly would feel the same as Obi-Wan. Panic. Sheer and utter panic at the very least. Empty. Alone. Useless. Worthless.

I really don't have an adequate answer.
I hope I never have to find out.
I certainly wouldn't want to go for a minute without the Holy Spirit within me, much less a day.

(So, what happened to Obi-Wan and Bail? Well, I don't want to give anything away, but neither one of them die...haha! It's a worthy read, if you are into that type of thing. "Let's hear it for the puny human!" Geeks rule!)