Entry 4: Knowledge, Will and Power
There is power in knowledge. All walks of life understand this principle, yet few truly understand why. The process of life requires survival, and survival cannot be done without evolving to face that challenge. Evolution requires a push- the challenge- and knowledge- what faults they possess and how to overcome them. Without knowledge, there is no change. Without change, life will stagnate. And stagnation is the prelude to death.
Thus, to face a challenge and survive, to live, power is required. And that power lies in knowledge. How to obtain the food needed to sustain the body. How to use the mind to derive a solution. How to do so little as breath, if you are a species that requires such in order to survive. To do all these things, knowledge is necessary.
But why does knowledge grant power? Perhaps a better question to ask is: what does it mean to have "power"? The word itself takes on different meaning depending on who you ask. Ask a physicist, and they will say that "power" is the rate at which a force is applied over a distance per unit of time. But ask a general, and they will say that "power" is the military strength of the state. In this context, however, "power" is defined simply as "the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events". A little long-winded, but the idea is the same. To have power is to be able to direct change upon people or events.
So why does knowledge provide such an ability? If you have trouble understanding this concept, consider the following scenario. There is a contest taking place, one in which you are competing along with your archrival. Both of you possess equal skill in all things, and both of you want the prize being offered. But the difference between the two of you is that, while your rival does not know the nature of the task required to obtain the prized, you do. Because you possess knowledge your rival does not, you will be able to prepare in advance for the task, thereby ensuring your victory. Possessing knowledge, and using that knowledge to your advantage, will give you more power than any strength-enhancer ever will.
Of course, this brings up another question. If knowledge is the path to power, why are there some who have knowledge but appear to be weaker than others? What do some with less knowledge but more power have that others with more knowledge and less power lack? Think of knowledge as its own element, and power as a compound it is part of. In order to create that compound necessary for survival, a third component is needed. That component is called "will".
A person's "will" is their deliberate desire or intention, and is the faculty upon which they decide and initiate action. If a person wills for something to be done, they will use the knowledge at their disposal to see it through. Knowledge and will are both needed, as the two work together to create power. If two people possess equal knowledge but one has a greater will, the one with the greater will is more likely to achieve their own desires, since they will be more powerful. This is why some with less knowledge will still be more powerful than those with more knowledge. Not because of luck or fate, but because they possessed greater will than their adversaries.
So the same can be said when utilizing the Force. The Force, in its Living aspect, is the energy passively created by all life in the galaxy. There are Force-Users, particularly the Jedi, who believe that the Force therefore possesses its own "will" and is capable of making decisions that affect life on a galactic scale. And since the Force itself is the more powerful aspect of the galaxy, its will is greater than any being alive.
However, is the Force is an energy field, as well as know it to be, how can it possess a will in the context the Jedi phrase it? And furthermore, if it does possess a will, does that mean it has a conscience? And is that conscience in any way similar to that which we possess?
One can argue that the Force possesses a will in the same way that other energy fields possesses a will, such as gravity and electricity. Gravity wills objects to move towards its center, while electricity wills its particles to seek out other particles with a change opposite their own. If these energy fields have a will, it is argued, then an energy field such the Force must possess a will as well.
There is a flaw in this argument. Gravity and electricity do not "will" objects to act as they do, nor do these actions occur with any desire or intention in mind. The nature of gravity that it naturally pulls on objects without any goal, for no arbitrary purpose. Similarly, opposite charges do not have the "desire" to lower the distance between each other. It is simply a natural occurrence, one that happens without any sort of "will" initiating events or knowledge of how it's done.
Similarly, the Force does not possess a "will" in the definition used here, and not at all in same manner as you or I. It does not have an intention or a desire, and the Force does not initiate action or change. And while it has been confirmed that the midichlorians, the organism that enable one to channel the Force, do possesses their own collective consciousness, this does not mean that the Force itself does. It must have a will in some form, as that is how its shapes the galaxy in its Cosmic aspect. It is known that the Force has power, and both knowledge and will are needed for power to exist. But the nature of that "will", should it ever be discovered, will be beyond the comprehension of any living creature, much less an entire sect of Force-Users following an doctrine that still divides the Force into a "Light Side" and a "Dark Side" then claims that the side they follow is the Force's true form.
So then it is said. To be powerful in the Force is to have both knowledge of how to use it, and the will to do so. The greater your knowledge and the greater your will, the greater power you shall have. And with that power, a person may instigate change, evolve and live. Such is the process of life.