If you’re a Star Wars fan, one of the many stories from that galaxy far far away you’ve probably enjoyed lately is the one about Andor.
For anyone not familiar, this is a spinoff where we learn the backstory of the resistance and get to know the character who becomes key in destroying the first death star. For anyone even less familiar, it’s another version of the age old story of antagonist and protagonist and the struggle between them.
The story centers around Andor, but another character we get to know is Karis Nemik, an early member of the resistance who throughout the season is working on a manifesto. In the final scene of the final episode, we get to hear part of what he has written.
The words we hear are powerful in the context of the struggle between the empire and the rebellion, but they are perhaps even more striking when we look at them through the lens of inner struggles.
Karis starts off with a bang
There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy. Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction.
This last part, that freedom occurs spontaneously and without instruction, reads as a fundamental truth about peace of mind. It is effortless. It happens by itself without any blueprint or plan.
We are invited to keep tuning in and aren’t disappointed.
And then remember this. The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural.
Another passage sounding like a hidden message about our inner conflicts. Suppressing what is inside us becomes desperate because it’s impossible, our thoughts and emotions will naturally become amplified when we attempt to control them.
Finally a striking revelation.
“Tyranny requires constant effort”
It can be quite counterintuitive because it can look like anxiety or insomnia or whatever is bothering us is a stable and powerful construct that has a life of its own. But this isn’t true. The struggle requires constant effort or it won’t exist. It requires confusion, it requires us to think something is wrong, it requires attempts at trying to have control.
This is why our inner struggles are fragile
Remove just a little bit of misunderstanding, a little bit of self criticism, and the construct starts to come apart.
The same principle makes dictatorships inherently unstable and gives democracy stability. The option that requires less effort will happen more easily and last longer.
If you haven’t heard the manifesto, consider checking it out. How does it sound to you in the context of our inner experiences? Do you have other Star Wars quotes or principles that apply?
Let us discuss in the comments!
