by TheMadDreamer

Created on: May 14, 2008

So what is the real question here, which offers more power to those who seek it? Or which is more likely to overcome those who believe in the force? Well, if we've learnt anything from the Empire, it is that with the dark side comes great power. So I would say that the dark side is generally more powerful, in the literal sense of the word. But which one, in fact, has a greater power when it comes to drawing individuals to it? Well, that's a different question.

LIGHT VS. DARK

This all comes down to a question of morality. It is much harder to be moral, to take the higher ground. And when something is hard to do it generally lacks followers, and lacks power in itself. The light side of the force also has nothing to offer its Jedi Knights, it has no strength, no power over them. The only fulfilment available to them is knowledge of the great telekinetic powers they possess. However, this only encourages the Jedis to develop a sort of arrogance about their position. Luke felt this arrogance about his power, and like his father before him he was tested. But whereas Luke restrained his emotion, Anakin gave way to arrogance. By doing this he gave into the power of the dark side. The difference between them is that Anakin gave in to the dark side whereas Luke did not. The dark side was as powerful as they let to be

Yoda said that anger is the path to the dark side, well, I'm in the belief that it is actually arrogance. Believing yourself to be better than others, can only lead to evil. Remember what Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker (Spiderman): "with great power, comes great responsibility". Of course, it is the neglect of this responsibility and vanity of self that leads to the dark side. And giving into power is what makes the dark side powerful over you.

JEDI VS. SITH

So, which side of the force is more powerful? It actually comes down to what kind of person you are. Are you arrogant, do you crave power? Jedis are essentially good, but can turn evil. The Sith are evil, and that's pretty much it. The significant difference between The Jedi (the light side and The Sith (the dark side) is the amount of empathy they possess. The Jedi use the force to understand and to feel, and to make life better for those around them (Luke). The Sith, however, feel a decided lack of empathy and indulge in selfish acts (Darth Vader). If you want to help others you will inevitably go the light side of the force, if you want to help yourself, you will go over to the dark side. By craving power you eventually go over to the dark side. It is your own personality that determines which side has more power over you. Well in the 'Star Wars' world anyway.

IN THE REAL WORLD

The fact is, is this a great philosophical question. Which is a human being more likely to be, good or evil? The fact is, is that a human being is more likely to be immoral than moral. They are also more likely to be lazy than active, and greedy as opposed to giving. The dark side of the force is the easy way to get what you want. And what is worse, is that once the dark side is chosen it is hard to escape. Because after giving yourself over to the dark side the power you possess increases exponentially. Making you happier with your choice, and less likely to go back to the light.

In the end, the dark side will always be more powerful. Because the dark side is the easy way to get everything you want. But it is essentially up to you to choose, do you want to get what you want, and easily? Or are you prepared to work hard to do the right thing and achieve rewards without harming others? As Albus Dumbledore once said: "Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy".

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