Imperial Bases at Hoth

Red Alert! Red Alert!
Hmm.. Yoda keeps hearing the sirens blaring loudly
In the silence and stillness of the Jedi Temple
Sitting meditatively with eyes closed
Ears peeled and sensing the awareness of the Force all around..

Great disturbance at Hoth..
Greater than before..
Yoda gets a sense of Imperial Forces approaching..
This is no laughing matter if I say
Yes, Yoda senses the Imperial March
On the move, the Drak Side of the Force is..

Something stealthy
Something sinister
Something abominable
Seems to be unfolding..

Already some Young Padawans have been captivated
By the brash confidence of those from the Empire
Suave and cool-mannered
The Young Padawans follow in tow..
Deceived that this is how Jedi should look..
Image comes before the Code of the Jedi

Indeed
History keeps repeating itself
Another Attack of the Clones is coming
Some Generals have gone into hiding
As they too have sense great disturbances in the Force at Hoth

Hmm.. Does that mean Yoda has to escape now too?
The Wookiees are hardy.. Good for them..
But Yoda is getting on in years..
Uphold the Jedi Code or sacrifice Young Padawans
Lost in this Great Disturbance?

Obi-Wan and Plo Koon are safe at Coruscant
Although they return to Geonosis and Kamino
To see to the Peace Missions there..

The Imperial March brings Yoda great foreboding
Yoda will contemplate what to do best..

Hoth - Mind Tricks

Hoth may be a cold place with more machinery than life..
But nevertheless there is still life present on this part of the galaxy..
The trap is to think that Hoth is only a physical place, a tangible surrounding..
No..
Hoth is also a state of the mind..
Cold, robotic, devoid almost of any sense, sensibility or sensation..
A God-forsaken place in Earth language..

Beware! Even Siths can play mind tricks..
Make you feel you are in the right place doing the right thing
With the right intentions and right virtues..
One must not be swayed..
Like Toydarians.. Mind tricks don't work on them..
But Jedis are largely Force-sensitive..
With mindfulness cultivated from the silent awareness of
The extremely subtle disturbances in the Force
Caused by the Sith..
Only with this keen recognition can a Jedi
Sift truth from flaw, deception from true virtue..

And so even if one is in Hoth or one is at Coruscant..
One can be in the Old Republic State or in the New Empire..
The true reality is created in the mind..
Well-said my faithful Master Qui Gon!
He was told Anakin: What you focus on becomes your reality..

So be mindful of what you focus on..
If you focus only on what is on the outside..
You will have fallen into the mind tricks of the Siths..
And soon you will think and behave like them..
YOu too will create disturbances in the Force, instead of restoring Peace..

Remember your Jedi Code..
Let it guide you well with its noble goals of Peace, Mercy, Unity..
Strengthen your mind with quiet meditation and silent contemplation..
It does well to study one's behaviour and the behaviour of the Siths..
We are not much different..
The only difference is we use mind tricks for the good of life
And not for the destruction of life..

May the Force be with all!

Sages and Guides

To be a guide on the side,
not a sage on the stage..

Yoda I am

Three Kinds of Sith Lords

After being at Hoth and other God-forsaken parts of the Galaxy,
I can safely say there are three kinds of Sith Lords I know...

The separatists, the extremists and the terrorists...

The separatists are usually those who were once Jedis
But because of trials and tribulations
Accidents, failures and unanswered questions
They begin to doubt in the truth of the Jedi Code
Hence they embark on their own agendas
They begin on their own journeys...

The extremists are are those who believe only in absolutes
Much like the garlics I spoke of in my previous blog...
They are either black or white
Yes or no, will or will not..
Do or die,,
Rigid and stifling, the have no room for mercy or compassion
Empathy is never a necessary element...
Extremists ofteen become victims of their own absolutes
And all who cross their path have no peace..

The terrorists are those who abuse their power
Which comes with their rank, status and authority
These are the ones who use their power irresponsibly
For personal gain, recognition and glory..
They succumb to the Dark Side of the Force
They are agile, intelligent, even graceful,
They can tolerate much pressure, but unfortunately
They are the counter-class of Jedis..
Peace is not their mission
Deceit is their way of life..

Onions and Garlics

When life becomes very difficult,
If you are an onion, you must become a garlic
And if you are a garlic, you must be an onion..

Let me explain..
An onion has many layers and a core
(occasionally two cores!)
A garlic has only one layer and a core

Here's the difference:
The thoughts, perceptions and attitudes of onions
Like electrons, can orbit from one layer to another layer..
One minute, it is summer
Next minute, it is spring
Today, it is winter
Tomorrow, it is autumn..
The world of onions can be rather chaotic
Their intents are often maybes and possiblies..
Their paradigms are often anywheres, anyhows, anytimes..
There is hardly any rigidity with onions..
Their limits are only the orbits they are on at the moment..
Onions like chameleons..
Because of their sensible and sensitive nature
Can function on different layers at the same time..
Or function on the same layers at different times..

Garlics have only two layers:
Yes - No
Right -Wrong
Black - White
Can -Can't
Do - Don't
Will -Won't
I - You
Me -They
Mine - Others
On - Off
Simple and precise,
Clear and concise..
No ifs, no buts..
At best, confident and sure
At worse, intolerant and pompous..

So here is why I mean:
Know yourself whether you are an onion or a garlic..
It does well to learn to be both
In order to survive this mad, mad world..

Life is like a cookery lesson..
You cannot use only one ingredient
Neither can you use too many..
Taste and texture..
Method and colour..
Time and speed..
Hot and cold..
And all the others in between..

But one thing remains:
You cannot compromise the common good for self interest
Meaning you cannot jeopardise the whole dish
Just for the luxury of a few or many exotic ingredients..

After all the work and the fire
The end-dish should still be season-worthy
The contribution still be reason-worthy
And this is the meaning of living life

It is an art to learn to be
BOTH an onion and a garlic..
Life for you and others
Will certainly be more flavourful..

Yoda's Seven Pitfalls

I - inertia (I can't...)
M - money-mind
L - laziness (I won't...)
U - untimeliness
V - vanity
D - dishonesty

Yoda's Comforts

C -cyling
O - origami
M- music
F - food
O - organize
R - roller-blade
T - The Word
S - simple pleasures