The Star Wars universe has always fascinated me since I was a very little boy. I do often wonder why Star Wars has captured the imagination of so many people over the years. For me, the childhood memories of dueling with “lightsabers” with my brother and watching The Phantom Menace on repeat as a 9 year old are hard to forget. Then, as a middle schooler, struggling with how Anakin could become Darth Vader.
My love for Star Wars certainly passed into adulthood. I sit now with a wall of Star Wars posters and puzzles proudly displayed behind me. I read as much as I can warrant about the saga. I love it and probably always will, but I wouldn’t have to. I could break away from my childhood nostalgia and become a passive fan. We’d do well to take some unexpected advice from Star Wars itself.
Advice from a Droid?
In Solo: A Star Wars Story, we are introduced to a spunky new droid named L3. L3 is not like other droids. She has much more personality and a strong desire to gain equal rights for droids. At one point the movie, she exclaims to a fellow droid, “Don’t just blindly follow the program. Exercise some free will.”
Have you ever thought we might be just like droids? Of course not, we make logical choices, right? We don’t just follow a program created by someone else. Think again! There is a substantial amount of research suggesting just that.
Most of our “programming” develops from birth to age 7. It becomes a part of the subconscious mind. Much of how we experience life is determined by this programming from early in our life. How we perceive the world is greatly affected by this early life “programming.” This can be detrimental to our happiness and success in life. Our response to many stressors in life is a programmed response not necessarily a rational one.
“Exercise Some Free Will!!!”
The good news is we don’t just have to blind follow the program. We can learn to recognize why we are responding a certain way and reprogram our response. We can replace thoughts of despair and negativity with hope and positivity. If we perceive the world as a dangerous place, we can actively test that theory. It might actually be safer than you thought.
As a child, I learned to love Star Wars. You could even say I was programmed to love Star Wars by my dad. But I have choice, I could decide to let it go because it no longer serves me in my life. I find this unlikely, but I have a choice. Is there anything you are holding onto that holds you back? Is it time to “exercise some free will!”?