Why you have failed

"That is why you failed..."

"The ancient Jedi Masters knew that Jedi training must proceed at a slow pace. Too much power gathered too quickly can corrupt even the most selfless and devout Jedi apprentice. A Jedi student must be properly humble in his powers, and mature enough to embrace the tremendous responsibility that comes with wielding the Force. A student impatient with the slow pace of the tutorship, a gifted student eager to dispense with 'pointless excercises' and embrace the true power of the Force misses the entire point of being a Jedi. The Jedi does not crave power, but seeks to serve others, without the expectation of becoming 'great in the Force'. The true Jedi is cautious, and reluctant to learn too much too quickly. Overeager students run a fearful risk of opening themselves up to the temptations of taking the deceptively easy path of the Dark Side." - Mitth'raw'nurida

The first and most important thing that I feel one must learn is to believe. If you don't believe that you can accomplish something, then you won't. See yourself accomplishing your goal. Feel how right it is. For example: on Dagobah, after Yoda lifted Luke's X-wing out of the swamp, Luke said, "I don't believe it!". Yoda replied, "That is why you failed." For if you don't visualize yourself accomplishing your goal and believe in yourself (a Jedi believes in himself and his abilities), then you may fail. However, do not be afraid of failure, for the only true way to learn is from your own mistakes and others'. Do. Or do not. There is no try. To try is to fail. When you have it in your mind that you are only going to try and put half effort into something, then you are more likely to fail. To do is to accomplish. Keep this in mind.

Patience is one of the most important values of a Jedi. I can't stress this enough. As Mitth said above, becoming a Jedi is not about becoming "great in the Force". An apprentice cannot rush through his training in order to learn how to levitate things, or to influence others with the Force. He must first understand the Force. The better the understanding a Jedi has of the Force, the better the Jedi.

Many apprentices have been foolish enough to think that they could embrace both sides of the Force, and not be consumed by the Dark Side. Among them were Kyp Durron, and Ulic Qel-Droma. They both thought they could use the Sith knowledge for good. Both were mistaken. The two sides of the Force are clearly separated. To use the Dark Side of the Force would be to become controlled by it. Very few were strong enough to be released from its iron grip.

Death is an unfortunate and tragic aspect of being a Jedi. A Jedi is sometimes forced to use his abilities to kill. One must always remember that killing is wrong, but in the defense of another's life, it is in some way justified. Now, you may ask yourself... who is to judge whose life is more important than another's? This I cannot answer. One might say that one who does evil could be killed in the defense of one who is good. However, does a Jedi not practice forgiveness? Never forget, that the death of another by your hands leaves a stain on your soul that is never wiped clean. It is indeed a complicated matter. One which you must discover on your own. You may say that I've already explained it, so what is there to discover? No... my words have little ability to explain such things. You must experience them yourself.

"Evil ones can harness the Force to their will - and, by doing so, lose something of their humanity, becoming virtual avatars to the Dark Side of the Force. For the Master of the Dark Side, as for a Master of the Light, it cannot be said whether one controls the Force or the Force the Master. To ask which is the actor and which the acted upon is a question of no meaning. It was inevitable that some would use the Force to slake their base lust for wealth and power. The Dark Side is easy and seductive; the first successes brought thirst for more. These evil ones brought the great Jedi low, hunting down and killing all of their ancient order. All - or almost all.

Time must be used wisely. Patience must be attained for the Jedi to progress along the path to the light. Every Jedi progresses at his own pace, regardless of the pace of the people around him. Some take years. Some take months. However, to gather knowledge quickly and easily would be to court the dark side of the Force. In time, knowledge would then be forgotten, and the Jedi would be lost. A Jedi who increases his strength, and his knowledge in the Force too qiuckly, even with good intentions, is heading down the path to destruction.

A true Jedi is selfless. He does not pride himself in his achievements, nor does he take credit for assistance he has given, nor does he ask for anything in return. Therefore, he who is selfless, can achieve enlightenment.

A Jedi does not take advantage of chances to show off his abilites. He only uses the Force when necesary. If a friend was injured, and you were far from civilization, in the forest for instance, what would you do?

Streen
The Jedi Creed