The Deepest Commitment - Something Our Children Must Have

“A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind.” – Yoda

What are you passionate about? What is the focus of your life and what drives you in the direction and journey your life is leading you? These are all questions that we must ask and answer as we determine that path that we will each take. We all have something we are committed to, and that commitment and passion drives us forward in the face of impossible odds, which is something most Jedi understood better than others.

Imagine, as a parent, that one day there is a knock on your door. When you answer, you find representatives from an ancient religious order there to greet you. They inform you that your young child is to be tested for admission into their order. This is a group dedicated to serving others and of seeking peace and justice for the world. To be asked to join this exclusive society is an honor above all others.

Yet there is one catch. As wonderful as this experience could be for your child, and as important as this decision is, it means loss. If accepted, your child will be whisked away to a far off temple at some distant location. You will never see your youngling again, and their life will be dedicated to the path you have set them upon this very day.

This life, this path, will encompass every area of life. The order would become their lifestyle, and would in turn, become their commitment. Their entire focus would be Jedi, and this commitment would mean their life. In the prequel trilogy, we had the opportunity to see what this would look like. From a young age, they were shown what being a Jedi means, and the younglings ordered their life around it. From sleeping to eating to training – everything was all about being a Jedi and living that mission.

This very message is what Yoda was trying to communicate to Luke as he talked to him, “A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one, a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph.” Yoda knew that Luke must understand the commitment that was needed to fulfill his destiny and become the Jedi he dreamed of.

As I have shared in other chapters, we live in a fast paced society. One that is impatient, and one that does not see often see beyond the immediate. Many times, only the end product is showcased, but the commitment and dedication that lead to that end result are absent from the story.

I often have kids talk about their dreams and goals (which are all good), but in the conversations there is no understanding of the work required to get to that dream. The most common dream I hear from students involves sports. They are going to be the next star on the court, field, etc. As we talk, many just think they are good enough, and that there is a scholarship just waiting for them. They see Michael Jordan or Michael Phelps or some other star and have no idea the time and work it took them to get to that place.

Children see the finished product, but miss the “baking process” that was required to get to that point. As parents, this is something that is difficult to help our children see and understand. In a society with an attention span of a 30 second commercial, it can be hard to get them to focus on a goal and commit to it, especially when the going gets tough.

Giving up is often much easier, and keeping with it when it is tough, is not always fun or rewarding. Commitment takes time and energy, and it requires a dedication to keep going even when you do not feel like it. With so many things so easy to come by in life these days, our children need to see the benefit of committing to something, committing to it, working hard, and then seeing it though.

As parents, this is something we can help them with. Now, I don’t mean we simply force them to do it (although there are times we all have to do it), but we need to help them see the importance of persevering, and not giving up. We need to show them some of the stories of the dedication and commitment that were required for these athletes or others to succeed. We need to show them all that was required for them to succeed and encourage them on this path.

Years ago I had a student who was struggling in school but he loved basketball. As I sat and talked with him one day, he told me, “My grades don’t matter because I am just going to play in the NBA.” This is the mentality of many of our kids. Often, they want the benefit, without the commitment and work that goes along with it (and honestly, sometimes as adults we are the same).

As we talked more, we discussed how he would get to the NBA, and the importance that grades were to that success. We also talked about what his life would need to look like to succeed. In our conversation, we discussed players like Michael Jordan and the path they took to become successful.

Whether he understood or not, time will tell. I have had the same conversations with my own children. They had dreams and aspirations, and they must begin to understand what it means to commit to something and diligently pursue it. To order your life around what you are pursuing. 

As parents and adults, we must help our younglings see that many times, the important things or things that are worth something take time and do not come easy. They come with commitment and dedication. They are accomplished through hard work, and focusing on a goal that drives you even when your heart might not be totally in it, or you just might not feel like it that day.

Our younglings must see the importance of committing to a course and following through, even when the going gets tough. Even when quitting looks easier, we need to help them persevere and fulfill the dreams they have through a commitment and dedication that will drive them forward in the face of even the most impossible and overwhelming odds. This commitment drove Luke to change a galaxy, and it can drive our young ones to great things as well.