When I think about the path, I am constantly coming back to the concept of the knight. In the fiction, knighthood is the training goal of Jedi. Most of the fiction is geared toward the attainment of this end. We follow Anakin on his quest for knighthood, then we follow Luke on his quest. That is all fine and good in a world with lightsabers and space ships, but it really does not answer the question of why we, in the real world, would want to attain this end. So, I would like to look at what being a knight means for us as Jedi realists.
When we talk about knighthood for a Jedi what are we speaking of? For most sites around the web, it is a rank given for completion of a number of courses. The assumption is that these courses will give someone the necessary skills to be a knight in the real world. There are usually also a set of “trials” one must be put though in order to demonstrate proficiency with this skills. The question then becomes do these requirements create the character of a knight if they are internalized?
I would argue that proficiency is just that, not knighthood. To me, one becomes a knight, when they have developed the will to act. This is of the utmost importance because it does not matter how much training someone receives, it is all wasted time when the time to act arises and they do not. For the knight, it is having the will to do something when they are pushed out of their comfort range into an event that causes other people to shut down.
It is important for a Jedi to know if they have the will to act or not. This is the purpose of the trials. To put the Jedi in a situation that will cause them to act and be successful or do nothing and fail. Deep down the trial is not of their skills, but if their will to apply them.
A Jedi becomes a knight when they know that in an emergency they will be able to act in a positive way instead of in a panic or shut down all together. The training that they have received is not as important as the will to use it. All the training does is make it more likely they will succeed when they do act. You can be a very inexperienced knight and still be of more use in an emergency than people who have taken years of classes and do not know to apply them.
Not everyone will develop this ability. Hopefully with time it becomes something they can work on, but not everyone is cut out for knighthood. That is fine because there are many roles to play in life. Knighthood is the path of action.
If you believe yourself to be a knight; ask yourself, when the time comes to act, do you know, not think, know that you will do what needs to be done? It is not an easy question to answer, but if you have a yes, then you are ready mentally to become a knight.
