Baal Legato and those who helped to run the Jedi Academy had a love for Star Wars and the fictional parables contained within. But with some years of growth under them, both in the Idea of Jedi as a form of real life practice as well as advancements of the Internet. The Jedi Academy had a much more pleasing look, it’s own Logo, and a wealth more of information that was non fictional while still adding quotes and paragraphs of Star Wars fiction to relate and back up the lesson contents.
Texts from authors of Philosophical origins were commonly suggested both in their online forum as well as in a suggested reading list on their website. Books like: Zen In Martial Arts by Joe Hymans, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Art of Peace : Morihei Ueshiba, On Becoming a Leader : Warren G. Bennis, The Tao of Pooh : Benjamin Hoff....these suggested reading materials are still commonly referred to today.
Throughout the site and lessons provided one would find authors of philosophical origins with the title “Jedi” or “Jedi Master” - back then, members of the Jedi Community used these titles as a way of showing profound respect to those of great wisdom. It can be a bit alarming when seeing a quote by “Jedi Master Miyamoto Musashi” but over time the practice faded and is rarely used today.
The Jedi Academy first started out as a BBC Message Board before switching over to Ezboard. Like many other blooming Jedi Boards, The Jedi Academy went through several changes as both the Internet and Ezboard went through stages of advancements.
Due to the new and improved options of Ezboard management. The Jedi Academy became the first to provide an Administration team for helping members learn about Jedi in a more realistic viewpoint and giving lessons on swordplay, ethics, philosophy, and Force theory.
One key lesson of note was finding a lesson based on the concepts of “Justice.” This is notable because it is a great example and starting point of future Jedi Concepts that leads into the idea of Jedi as a religion and the creation of Maxims or Doctrines.
As mentioned at the start of this text, all religions first start out as ideas and plenty of
Trial and Error.
Jedi and the Chivalric Code : Justice
'When I draw my saber, I speak aloud the word 'Justice', for that is the only reason for which I might ignite it.' - Jedi Lark Kedder
We have recently come into possession of what is allegedly the medieval knight's code of chivalry and were stunned at how well this meshes with what we strive to teach here at the Academy. What I'd like to do is take a portion or two at a time and talk about them. Thank you to whoever posted these on our forums.
Justice: Seek always the path of Right, unencumbered by bias or personal interest. Recognize that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be tempered by humanity and mercy. If the right you see rings true, agrees with others, and you seek it out without bending to the temptation of expediency, then you will earn renown beyond measure.
This may be my favorite. The legend and mythos of the Jedi paint a picture of being wise and just, trusted by people to make fair judgments, and to mediate difficult situations. So great was their commitment to seeking the path of right that their word and judgments carried the weight of a virtual, though unofficial, law.
Seeking justice seems an easy goal to attain, and in fact many of us choose the path of justice without much thought. Causing injustice because of not having the right information is unfortunate, and often preventable, but is not as damnable as the other reason for causing injustice. Bias or personal interest. Hard to overcome are they...
Choosing Justice in the face of bias and personal interest are what separates those who walk the path of a Jedi from those who do not. The path of justice presents other challenges as well. The code speaks of the 'sword of justice', this too is an important point to make. Justice is justice, it can be gentle and it can be scathingly harsh at times, but we are Jedi and must always be mindful of how we wield and serve justice. It is our lot to protect and serve and must respect that tether in the face of justice, or we will lose the respect and trust that are needed to be our community's agent of justice.
We as Jedi do not seek fame or renown, but we seek to do good things and when this is done we will earn trust and respect. Your actions are your own, take responsibility for them, and make a difference within you sphere of influence.
Who says chivalry is dead?
-Baal Legato
'An ounce of justice for a pound of chaos' - Jedi Campion Brodie
But as all good things go, in the year of 2003 the Jedi Academy fell apart due to very heated debates. Memberships divided into new Jedi Groups. Some moved forward into an educational mindset while others returned to the story role playing of earlier interests.
