This is a question I have been asked on many occasion, and instead of making a YouTube video on the subject, I will make the answer the subject of this websites first Blog post.
So. JediKnightofTheWoods...whats that got to do with Bushcraft, wild camping and the like? Well, to be honest its more of a representation of a belief system that I have held for some time. I was Christened, but I do not consider myself to hold Christian beliefs. I am not Muslim, Siekh, a Scientologist, Buddhist or following of any other religion. I am a Jedi Knight. Sound crazy?! Well hundreds of years go the notion that the Earth was anything other than flat sounded crazy to many people! Thousands of people in the last few years have list 'Jediism' as their religion on census reports up and down the country, some of those people will be a bit barmy, but others, well they may just see something in it. Lets go a bit deeper.
Definition of 'The Force' as described on Wookieepedia...
"The Living Force was thought to be present in most living beings, surrounding and penetrating them, thus making all living things connected by it. The Jedi believing in the Living Force relied on their instincts and were attuned to other living beings around them. They were mindful of the future and the possible consequences of their actions, but remained focused on the present. The Living Force was viewed as having both the light and the dark side. The Jedi always had to be mindful of their actions to avoid the temptations of the dark side. Through following the Living Force, several Jedi were able to retain their identities after their physical death, becoming one with the Force and able to manifest themselves as Force ghosts."
That probably best describes my thought process, my belief mechanism and the way I try to live my life. No I do not pretend to have a Lightsabre, and no I have not yet mastered the art of levitating objects through channeling The Force...although I am working on it...see video on my YouTube channel on that one!
I do however believe that the Universe does have a Force running through it, I do believe that we humans can feel connected to this Force (some may call it Mother Nature etc). i do fully believe that we should be mindful of the future and the consequences of our actions, but also that we shouldnt look to far ahead as to ignore 'the moment'. Temptation is all around us with jealousy, greed and all manner of unhealthy and unproductive emotional experiences available to us if we entertain them. My mind is my own, I am in control of it, and I decide whether I choose to allow those influences into my life, or whether I choose to fight them. Its as simple as that really. The experience that I have had in my time producing my YouTube channel, has been insanely positive! I have never known generosity like it in the form of regular videos from many other YouTubers freely giving tangible gifts to help others in need, or who may find themsleves short. But perhaps the greatest gift of all is knowledge. The generosity of the vast majority of the Bushcraft, Outdoors, Wild Camping, Lightweight backpacking community is immense, sharing ideas, skills, methodologies and new ways of doing things, is unconditional, and in my opinion very, very powerful. We all grow together, we all develop together, those more experienced help train and develop other people to a higher level of proficiency, and actually in turn grow themselves! See my short video on 'Conscious Competency' and my views on how it enables us to better ourselves.
So there you have it! Thats my first blog post finished! I hope that goes some way to answering the common question of why I call myself JediKnightoftheWoods. Yes I am probably a bit batty, yes I do poke a little fun at my belief system, and no I dont take myself too seriously, but I cant find a better way of describing how I feel about, life, the Universe, and everything, and it works for me! So...I choose to be a Jedi Knight! May The Force Be With You!
So. JediKnightofTheWoods...whats that got to do with Bushcraft, wild camping and the like? Well, to be honest its more of a representation of a belief system that I have held for some time. I was Christened, but I do not consider myself to hold Christian beliefs. I am not Muslim, Siekh, a Scientologist, Buddhist or following of any other religion. I am a Jedi Knight. Sound crazy?! Well hundreds of years go the notion that the Earth was anything other than flat sounded crazy to many people! Thousands of people in the last few years have list 'Jediism' as their religion on census reports up and down the country, some of those people will be a bit barmy, but others, well they may just see something in it. Lets go a bit deeper.
Definition of 'The Force' as described on Wookieepedia...
"The Living Force was thought to be present in most living beings, surrounding and penetrating them, thus making all living things connected by it. The Jedi believing in the Living Force relied on their instincts and were attuned to other living beings around them. They were mindful of the future and the possible consequences of their actions, but remained focused on the present. The Living Force was viewed as having both the light and the dark side. The Jedi always had to be mindful of their actions to avoid the temptations of the dark side. Through following the Living Force, several Jedi were able to retain their identities after their physical death, becoming one with the Force and able to manifest themselves as Force ghosts."
That probably best describes my thought process, my belief mechanism and the way I try to live my life. No I do not pretend to have a Lightsabre, and no I have not yet mastered the art of levitating objects through channeling The Force...although I am working on it...see video on my YouTube channel on that one!
I do however believe that the Universe does have a Force running through it, I do believe that we humans can feel connected to this Force (some may call it Mother Nature etc). i do fully believe that we should be mindful of the future and the consequences of our actions, but also that we shouldnt look to far ahead as to ignore 'the moment'. Temptation is all around us with jealousy, greed and all manner of unhealthy and unproductive emotional experiences available to us if we entertain them. My mind is my own, I am in control of it, and I decide whether I choose to allow those influences into my life, or whether I choose to fight them. Its as simple as that really. The experience that I have had in my time producing my YouTube channel, has been insanely positive! I have never known generosity like it in the form of regular videos from many other YouTubers freely giving tangible gifts to help others in need, or who may find themsleves short. But perhaps the greatest gift of all is knowledge. The generosity of the vast majority of the Bushcraft, Outdoors, Wild Camping, Lightweight backpacking community is immense, sharing ideas, skills, methodologies and new ways of doing things, is unconditional, and in my opinion very, very powerful. We all grow together, we all develop together, those more experienced help train and develop other people to a higher level of proficiency, and actually in turn grow themselves! See my short video on 'Conscious Competency' and my views on how it enables us to better ourselves.
So there you have it! Thats my first blog post finished! I hope that goes some way to answering the common question of why I call myself JediKnightoftheWoods. Yes I am probably a bit batty, yes I do poke a little fun at my belief system, and no I dont take myself too seriously, but I cant find a better way of describing how I feel about, life, the Universe, and everything, and it works for me! So...I choose to be a Jedi Knight! May The Force Be With You!