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Light side

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Why is it my six-year old son, who is a good boy, follows rules, treats people with respect, and who cried when Charlotte the Spider died, is completely obsessed with Anakin Skywalker, only after he chose the Dark Side, and ultimately becomes Darth Vader? His favorite past-time is acting out the scene between Obi and Anakin in which they are light saber fighting on the lava mountain. With great conviction, my son will proclaim, as Anakin did, "If you are not with me, you are my enemy!" Or, "In my point of view, the Jedi are evil!" His obsession with the Dark Side would bother me if my son was a bully, or even had a tendency for wrongdoing. However, when he accidentally maims someone with one of his pretend light sabers, he genuinely apologizes and ensures he truly didn't hurt them.

My conviction is that he is intrigued by the fact that evil exists in the world, and by "playing out" the Dark Side, he is affirming his own existence of "bad feelings" that include fear, anger and hate. Everyone has experienced these feelings at one time or another, even if hate breeds from external forces of unthinkable crimes. While on the surface, we understand that hate boils down to an unhealthy level of egoism and power, and we all internally struggle to find the essential balance of egoism and selflessness. Even when we're six years old. Or, perhaps especially when we're six years old.

Am I bothered by my own offspring's obsession with the Dark Side? No. Of course, I realize he has seen Return of the Jedi and understands that Darth Vader, the symbol of evil, eventually brings balance to the force by overthrowing his master. And when goodness is restored in the World, my son is reassuring himself that he is also good. The Star Wars metaphor is a common theme, but is brilliant because it works at so many levels of the human spirit and circumstance. And while I never heard the antithesis of the "Dark Side" referred to as the "Light Side", I would argue that goodness prevailing over evil IS the power that keeps our universe alive.

Learn more about this author, Stefanie Kramer.
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