Happy Star Wars Day! I love talking about the life lessons we can learn from our favorite geeky movies and shows, so I’ve decided I will go through 1 Star Wars movie or show each Star Wars Day until we’ve covered them all! This post is on lessons from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, focusing on a quote from Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi that highlights the importance of balancing mindfulness of the future and the present moment.
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I just finished reading the book, Master and Apprentice, that follows Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi before The Phantom Menace. And then I rewatched the movie to prepare for this post. So these 2 characters have been on my mind a lot.
I actually shared this quote that I want to talk about today in a recent video for Joyce Meng’s channel. Her channel does a lot of deep dives into MBTI and the Jungian cognitive functions, with panel discussions from people of each personality type.
In this particular video there was a panel of female INFJ content creators. They were my people! It was such a lovely time getting to talk with them. When we were talking about our inferior cognitive function of “Extraverted Sensing” (which, in very simplified terms, is the function involved with being very present and in the moment, using your 5 senses), I thought of the following quote from The Phantom Menace:
Qui-Gon: Don’t center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs.
Kenobi: But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future.
Qui-Gon: But not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, young Padawan.
I don’t know about you, but I am someone who is constantly focused on the future. What’s next on my list, what’s happening tomorrow, what do I need to finish this week, what do I want my life to be like in 1, 5, 10+ years. I find great pleasure and peace in planning and preparing.
However, these strengths can become a weakness when I’m too focused on the future and miss the present moment. You could say this fixation on the bigger picture is like missing the trees for the forest.
When you drive a car, you have a destination you’re driving to. However, if you’re only looking ahead at the farthest point on the road, that would be dangerous! You could miss what’s right in front of you, like a pedestrian crossing the road!
It’s the same in real life. Sure, it’s important to plan and have at least some sort of general aim in life, but we shouldn’t be so focused on the future that we miss out on what’s right in front of us or fail to adapt.
Everyone has a different approach to planning. Some people thrive with more freedom, general aims, and developing awareness of their values, priorities, and the life they desire as they flow with what life brings. Others, like myself, prefer much more detailed and structured plans. However, regardless of our planning style, it’s important to have some sort of intentionality while not becoming too attached to our plans when unexpected circumstances arise. This flexibility allows us to adjust our plans to align with the present moment and any new information that comes our way.
In my own journey, I’ve worked on learning to embrace adaptability and live more in the moment, which has contributed significantly to my personal growth. It was even my main focus of 2021 to “make mistakes” and in 2019 to “experience” so I could try to break out of my own rigidity and attachment to the plans I made (which was especially helpful to learn during a pandemic that disrupted everyone’s lives!).
Don’t get me wrong, it is definitely still a work in progress for me, but it’s important we work to find the right balance for us between what’s ahead of us and what’s in front of us so we don’t miss out on precious moments of life or wake up one day to realize we’ve wandered where we never meant to go.
There’s another quote in The Phantom Menace that goes along with this topic. Qui-Gon Jinn is talking to Ani before the pod race. He says, “Concentrate on the moment. Feel. Don’t think. Use your instincts.”
I don’t know about you, but whenever they say things like this in Star Wars, my first thought is: But you need to think! I think more people need to think more! It’s like how I hate the phrase “trust your heart” because our hearts actually aren’t very trustworthy. It must also work alongside our rational mind.
Now, in these fictional movies Ani is already very strong in the Force, so Qui-Gon’s advice is good for the situation. But in real life, when you’re a child, you don’t have very well developed instincts yet. But the longer you live, experience, and observe life, you begin to pick up on the patterns (even if it’s subconsciously). You hone your instincts over time. And over time you can begin to trust those instincts more and more.
Because it’s not even just trusting your “instincts” or your “gut” like it’s some separate part of you—it’s trusting yourself. All of those life experiences, stories, your own thoughts and feelings, your values—they’re filed in your brain. It’s why people who’ve been through abusive childhoods or relationships often end up being better at picking up on things than most other people because they had to hone their instincts very quickly for their own survival. Every mannerism, tone of voice, word choice, and action was a crucial indicator of if something horrible was about to go down.
Even if you’ve never experienced any sort of trauma, your mind is still picking up on things and learning along the way. Developing your own wisdom. Sharpening your instincts. All of this accumulated knowledge and experience will help you get through each present moment.
So be mindful.
Mindful of the future: where am I heading? Who do I want to be? Where do I want my life to go?
And mindful of the present: what is happening right now? What is in front of me? Where might I need to make some changes to my plan to adapt to my new current circumstances?
Your turn! Comment Below:
How do you balance being mindful of the future and the present?
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