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Yoda-Inspired Musings

Thoughts Based on Some of Yoda's Famous Quotes

By Mimo le SingePublished 6 years ago 6 min read
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Photo courtesy of Earnest and Associates

1. "Do, or do not. There is no try."

You hear it all the time, whether at home, school, or work, that if you don’t try, you can’t succeed. We’ve been conditioned by this industrious society to foster that mentality, so that we enhance productivity and maximize profit. Funny how it all goes back to business.

But whatever happened to doing something out of genuine passion? To showcasing our talents, and perhaps even enlightening others or contributing to something greater than ourselves?

For the longest time, I’ve also conformed to this notion of putting my best effort into everything I do. But in this past year or so, I’ve come to question something: what does that really even mean? Am I supposed to invest my time and labour inasmuch as I’m meeting expectations, or affecting the outcome of a potentially significant event?

Or what about when I’m told to go above and beyond what’s expected of me? Am I actually being permitted to approach the task at hand in my own, innovative way, or am I unknowingly still supposed to be following some form of guideline?

In other words: does "trying" guarantee "success?"

If it does, where exactly does the ‘success’ come from: obeying orders, or going out of my way to make magic happen?

There are several reasons that make me realize I don’t entirely agree with the age-old saying, “if you don’t try, you’ll never know.” I anticipate that most of you, if not all of you, are already preparing your counter-arguments. But before you proceed to perform Franz Liszt’s La Campanella on your keyboards, please hear me out. I have actually thought this through and am not just spouting out declarations without an explanation or out of apathy towards hard work.

First, allow me to clarify why I don’t think trying necessarily equates to success. I sincerely believe that it’s a misleading concept, because it suggests in a way that it doesn’t matter how you go about accomplishing something so as long as you ‘put in the effort,’ so to speak, which in and of itself is already a relatively vague statement. Thus, it can possibly cast doubt on ethics, (artistic) integrity, and generally doing things the ‘right’ way or with coherent thought put into it.

More often than not, you aren’t even completely sure of what you’re doing and where it will go. I get that the unpredictability is usually what makes the whole experience exciting and all the more motivating for people. But it can also backfire if you don’t have a concrete, feasible plan or even just a sense of what you want to see come out of the final product. One of the biggest burdens anyone could bear is the feeling of disappointment when their work doesn’t amount to anything worthwhile.

We’ve seen many projects put out by industries where they try experimenting with too many ideas at once, according to what consumers seemingly want or are accustomed to, and it all turns into a mess. This is especially due to the fact that the ideas put forth have a tendency to lack full realization, and much of the substance ends up being relegated to flashy effects and pop culture references‚which is particularly true in cinematography and gaming.

Once again, it’s all about conformity. One of the biggest problems I have with this perception of “trying” is that it subtly implies productivity for the sake of someone else’s interests or standards rather than deciding to do something out of inspiration, and using one’s wits and imagination to bring that vision to life.

Now, I know that school and a lot of routine-based jobs are the obvious exceptions to this definition of "trying." School, in particular, is the institution I’d avoid making reference to here because it doesn’t count as the real world. The way I see it, it’s a controlled environment set to arbitrarily determine who might survive in the real world and who probably won’t.

Actually, this analogy works in helping to explain my next point. I feel that “trying” is that limbo between achieving goals or failing at them. Its only purpose is to determine one of the two scenarios; simply put, you either succeed in completing the mission, or you don’t. Sounds familiar, right?

You must have confidence in your product, and be certain that what you’re doing is well-thought-out and well-grounded. “Trying” doesn’t denote any of this for me. It doesn’t automatically warrant creations a gold star if they aren’t functional or particularly groundbreaking. Another major element is creativity; you can’t “try” to be creative, because ideas simply come to you with some exploration of your surroundings as well as abstractions. Brainstorming should be fun and adventurous rather than a mundane chore, which is what “trying” really is, if you ask me.

“Trying” to appeal to everyone will also prove to be fruitless, as not everyone will be able to relate to, understand or find endearment in those ideas the same way you do. Those who acknowledge and appreciate your work will speak louder than those who don’t.

I am in no way dismissing the importance of strong work ethic. Rather, I encourage my readers to rethink their definitions of “try,” figure out what exactly they’re striving for, and if it’s worth their time and capabilities. True success comes from illuminating oneself and others through wondrous and thought-provoking work, and enjoying every moment of progress.

2. "Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."

Yoda is among some of the most quotable characters in cinematic history; needless to say, I find this other quote of his interesting and agreeable. Starting with the first part of it, I think it's something a lot of people can probably relate with, but don't want to admit to. It's true that people can become possessive of the things and people they hold so dearly to their hearts, as well as any special skills and talents that they're proud of.

It can get to a point where they're scared to lose them or get upstaged by someone else, and will go so far as to treat certain things that shouldn't be considered property as such to ensure that they don't get taken away from them. They allow such things to define them, rather than their character, and get so wrapped up in their insecurities instead of focussing on what makes them happy and how to live peacefully with them. It becomes less about what they enjoy, and more about how to make sure they aren't left "vulnerable."

This is why I think that the second part of this quote is extremely important to keep in mind, because it's legitimately good advice. People need to realize that they aren't always in control of what they have, and must learn how to live with whatever happens to them while looking back on them fondly. It can admittedly be, depending on what we're talking about here, a very difficult thing to do.

Still, it can nevertheless be a true testament to character. Not to mention, it's crucial for the conscience; it's really the only way you can do what's best for yourself, while also sympathizing with or at least trying to understand others that you're probably envious of.

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About the Creator

Mimo le Singe

First, there was Mailchimp. Then, there was Wordchimp. And now, you've got a “Storychimp” sharing writing-related advice and other random musings. Happy reading! All works are written by me, not by AI.

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