At a hockey game, I crossed the fingers I placed on my heart during the National Anthem..
This is not something I made a big statement about, nor did I ever think I would do such a thing in my lifetime, yet here we are.
I also never thought I’d be fighting against the vile budding of genocide and fascism in my lifetime and on my own soil. It terrifies me to my core that people see El Salvador and Guantanamo and feel nothing is wrong, even applaud the monstrous atrocities of a wrinkled, bitter crone who has no emotion beyond anger for anyone who is not himself or wears the weight of his cowl in alliances of scorched flesh and twisted metal.
And one week from now, a few friends of mine will watch the same story unfold in the guise of a different time and a place claiming to be far, far away…
Never has a Sith’s revenge ever felt closer and more imminent than 30 years after the First Galactic Empire was founded on the silver screen.
I implore you all to head to the theater, or even watch Episode III of Star Wars at home however you can, not for Disney’s sake. It’s not the box office that’s important right now. What is imperative, critical even, is that you watch it for your sake.
For far too long we have idolized the Vader effigy and laughed at the cringeworthy humanity of Anakin because we are more comfortable with an evil made faceless than the admittance that the evil has a face to begin with, a face that can be anyone and everyone too afraid to admit they have cringe within themselves. Anyone who has faced trauma can be misled, and everyone has faced trauma.
I want you to see all the ways the Jedi were blind and do the opposite in order to help democracy prevail. The Jedi were good, but they saw that good as pure and infallible rather than addressing the anger and pain within their own ranks. The Jedi were good, yet they relied too much on the military to help spread their cause. War might be Inevitable, but relying on it for morality statements is how we get a sense that following orders is a patriotic act every time.
Most importantly however, is that the Jedi were good, yet they laughed and dismissed their own suspicions and sight of imminent corruption not only because they were spread too thin, but because they felt their good was infallible and threats were exaggerated until they became real, whispers became screams, and friends became enemies.
Speak out, we must. Rebel. Resist. All these verbs we have been ingrained with by our Masters, Generals, and legends for our entire lives are becoming more and more pressing everyday in a Republic whose democracy is about to die with thunderous applause.
The most important thing we can do is not applaud, to speak out against the actions of darkness, and realize we have the potential for darkness to consume us, no matter our intentions.
If that doesn’t work, then let The Rebellion begin, and let it begin with me.
May The Force be with you all, always.
Calm and Cultured 