Even veteran ‘Star Wars’ supporters still struggle with the ins and outs of the Force

When you’re a child, any confusion surrounding the Force, the perennial Star Wars element, often stemmed from why you yourself weren’t able to move small objects with your mind, or why your Jedi mind tricks failed as you attempted an unsuccessful raid on the cookie jar.

But it’s after the fleeting innocence has run its course, and that child becomes an adult, that the true confusion surrounding the Force begins to take shape. Namely, what exactly is balance? What is the dark side? What is the light side? Is balance possible?

And one brave redditor, unsatisfied with whatever answers they had previously been given or not given, sought kinship in the pursuit of these questions and took to r/StarWars to air their possible misunderstandings in hopes of learning more about George Lucas’ storied essence.

In a hefty post, the user ruminated on a number of different nuances and narratives that have involved the Force over the years. From their understanding, the existence of the Force’s dark side means that there can be no true balance, as the dark side involves drawing power from the worst aspects of yourself; an act that will eventually consume anyone. This was sparked by their reading of “grey Jedi,” those who allegedly reject both the light and dark sides of the Force, thereby creating a balance, which the original poster was, of course, doubtful of.

One responder pointed out that a Jedi isn’t simply someone who uses the Force; it’s a religion built around the Force, just as the Sith are.

This was preceded by a user who pointed out Ahsoka as a great example of what a “grey Jedi” might look like.

Another user backed up the original poster’s calling out of the Jedi practices of detaching oneself emotionally.

But another would point out that voiding one’s attachments were different than doing so with one’s emotions.

Indeed, the thread inevitably blossomed into one of the most fruitful discussions the website may have hosted in quite a while. And the fact that it took place among the infamous fanbase that is the Star Wars one? Well, perhaps balance is possible after all.