Lesson Two - The Dangers of Training Jedi
"Training Jedi is a most rewarding pursuit, but one ringed with many unseen perils. Never, oh Master Jedi, rest easy when your pupil begins to grow anxious to learn at a pace greater than that which you have set for him. Such impatience is natural in the young and inexperienced, and a commendable trait in a student. But it also signals a time when the pupil is most open to the temptation of stepping into the broad path of instant gratification and easy advancement that leads to the dark side. Beware, Jedi Master, lest through carelessness and inattention you loose on the galaxy a monster..." --Bodo Baas
The Ancient Jedi masters knew that Jedi training must proceed at a slow pace. Too much power gathered too quickly can corrupt even the most selfless and devout Jedi apprentice. A Jedi student must be properly humble in his powers, and mature enough to embrace the tremendous responsibility that comes with wielding the Force.
A student impatient with the slow pace of the tutorship, a gifted student eager to dispense with "pointless exercises" and embrace the true power of the Force misses the entire point of being a Jedi. The Jedi does not crave power, but seeks to serve others, without the expectation of becoming "great in the Force." The true Jedi is cautious, and reluctant to learn too much too quickly. Overeager students run a fearful risk of opening themselves up to the temptations of taking the deceptively easy path of the dark side.
In the days of the Old Republic, the Jedi teachers kept a careful watch on their apprentices, ever alert for the telltale signs of the headstrong apprentice who wanted more than they were ready for. Every Jedi disciple soon heard the dreadful cautionary tale of the gifted Jedi Exar Kun, and how he was lost to the dark side by the arrogant belief that he could embrace Sith teachings and not be dominated. If a great Jedi Knight could fall, their teachers told them, they themselves must tread with special care.
While Jedi teachers in the past could draw upon centuries of tradition an experience in training Jedi, I have fewer resources available to me. I regret that I have known less than I should of the tremendous dangers which arrise in training Jedi. In the early days of the Academy, I failed to anticipate certain problems with my star pupils Gantoris and Kyp Durron. Gantoris lost his life for my failings, and Kyp was almost lost to the dark side.
Rest assured that I have come out of those experiences with a new respect for the awesome responsibility that comes with being the teacher of a new generation of Jedi.
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From the Jedi Academy Sourcebook