Week 9 post 2

 

 The survival and advancement of humankind has relied heavily on the power of storytelling. This is a concept that has been discussed previously and with varying degrees of scrutiny. Yet, every time whether it is a loose or tight connection, it has been proven repeatedly that storytelling is essentially what has ensured the survival of humans. This being said, as humans advance and their entertainment advances, so do the methods of storytelling.  One of the most extraordinary modes of storytelling to date is movies.  Star Wars has arguably been one of the most influential sets of film in the world’s history. This means the storyline of Star Wars has had a significant influence on moral philosophy, whether it is a conscious or unconscious influence. Star Wars spread the idea of mindfulness; it spread the idea of paying attention to what is happening to the inside of a person and how when one looks inwards, they might find something larger than themselves; Star Wars promotes the idea that fear leads to anger and negativity and downfall and it uplifts the idea of positivity and interconnectivity that is strikingly similar to the philosophies of Buddhism. George Lucas himself has created philosophical works that remarked as ‘superb in their entirety”.  George Lucas made films that denounced populism and promoted socialism,  yet somehow and the capitalistic world, people embraced it deeply. This leaves the question of whether people critically think about anything at all?

On a deeper level, this relates to philosophy because rather than books written by men like Aristotle and Plato who believed in a hierarchy that placed them above others,  Star Wars was made by a man who had humble means initially, and was made for the whole world. Depending on how you interpret the film, hierarchies are present yet still the movies still denounce them. Through such subtle cues, George Lucas has virtually connected capitalist believers with socialist thinkers that would otherwise be denounced. What is particularly interesting about these films is that they are so widely embraced in a capitalistic world that is fearful of socialism, yet some of the heroes of Star Wars or modeled after the Vietcong and resistors of colonialism. At the same time, the villains were supposed to represent American and British imperialism. When Republicans and conservatives relate themselves to Star Wars and give it such high praise, I think that it is lost upon them that they would be a potential followers of the dark side. “fear is the path to the dark side,” says Jedi Master Yoda and The Phantom Menace. “fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” this line resonates that deeply with the miserable attitudes which have consumed the minds of many because they have lost themselves to fear of the world-changing.