Obi-wan once said, "Who's the more foolish, the fool,
or the fool who follows him?" I am sure we could all think of someone we
feel fits into this category, but even "fools" have their place.
Today is one of the best holidays ever conceived – April
Fools’ Day. It is a day full of fun, practical jokes, and laughter. Many people
take a slight break from the reality of every day life, and just let themselves get a little silly. It is a day where even adults can be kids again.
As I thought more and more about this post, I realized
that fools are something we all have to deal with. While it is fun to let your
hair down and be “foolish”, there are people in each person’s life that most of
us would feel fits this label.
Whether it is we or our children, all of us, if we are
honest, can think of someone we would consider a “fool” or “idiot”. Now we
don’t often say it, but it is definitely something that goes through most
people’s minds at least some point during each week (for me, it most often
happens when I am driving).
When kids are using this term, it most often is describing
someone that is different. Someone that does not fit our idea of how a person should
think or act. In the Star Wars universe, that individual was Jar Jar Binks. Jar
Jar would be frustrating beyond words to most people. While many kids loved
him, many adults considered him the scourge of the prequel trilogy.
Even Obi-wan and Qui-gon seemed only able to take so much of him.
While I must admit that Jar Jar is not my favorite
character, in this individual we see a wonderful lesson that we can share with
our younglings. As Episode 1 plays out, Queen Amidala, who’s home planet is
under attack, decides to take matters into her own hand, and with the help of
others, free her planet from the terror of the Trade Federation.
As they land, she asks Jar Jar to help her. She needs to
raise an army. Most of the people of Naboo have been captured. She has limited
resources, and almost no manpower. This is where Jar Jar comes in. He knows the
Gungans have a “grand army”. An army that can help the queen restore freedom to
her people. Jar Jar seeks out his people, and the rest is, as they say, history.
The Gungans join the fight. The Trade Federation is
overthrown, and the two peoples of Naboo usher in a new era of peace and unity.
As I thought more about this scene, I realized the every “fool” has something
to contribute.
Earlier in the movie, Obi-wan was quick to write Jar Jar
off. He referred to him as a “pathetic life form”. He saw Binks as a complete
waste of time. But consider how different events might have been without Jar
Jar’s help. Would the Gungans have come to the aid of the queen? Would they
have joined the fight? Would the people of Naboo have been freed?
The answer to all of these questions is probably not. None
of these things would have happened without Jar Jar’s help. He had something to
offer. He could do something no one else could in this situation. If he had
been dismissed, or seen as simply worthless, the end result would have been
very different.
Each day, people come in contact with others that they are
quick to write off. Individuals that they see as “pathetic life forms” or ones
that they feel have nothing to contribute. Yet all of these people, everyone,
has something that they can contribute. Each person has something that only
they can do.
If we look at others this way, and teach our children to see
others this way, we are all less likely to simply dismiss others, or see them
as fools. When we look at someone as one who has something to contribute, we
see and individual with value and worth, and that changes not just our
perception of them, but our actions towards them.
Who are the “fools” in your life? How do you view them? How
do you treat them? We can all learn a valuable lesson from Star Wars’ biggest
fool. Each person has something special to contribute. The question is are you
giving them the opportunity, as Jar Jar was, to do this, and are you
teaching your youngling’s to do the same?
April Fools’ Day is a wonderful holiday. Hopefully, we can
see, that no matter how big a “fool” one is, each person has something to
contribute. Each person is valuable and worthwhile. Jar Jar brought two
cultures together - what are the "fools" in your life capable of?
Happy April Fools’ Day!
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