On the Sith Code

Every now and then the question crops up as to whether the Sith Code – a work of fiction – is applicable to “Sith Realism”. However, in the shark tank of the Dark Side, it has continued to prevail as one of the few things the Sith generally agree on. “Peace is a lie” remains the war cry of the up and coming would-be apprentices, as well as the established practitioners. It stands to reason that there is value in these words, resonating so strongly within each of us.

The truth is that the Sith Code serves us in the same way as any other tool, and is precisely as useful as the hand that wields it. It ensnares us quickly with the opening line, “Peace is a lie”, because we all feel the weight of that statement. We are all familiar with the concept that “life isn’t fair”, “the status is not quo”, and we are all very familiar with the feelings that result from these concepts. Anger, frustration, helplessness, desire – these are emotions we all experience in reaction to unfairness. “Peace is a lie”: the very statement grants us permission to say: “You know what? This DOES suck. And I’m not happy.”

Having acknowledged it, we are now in a position of choice. Do we choose to let things remain as they are? Or do we choose to change them? If the situation arouses enough emotion – enough passion – we find ourselves suddenly fuelled to take on the challenge of creating change. We find the strength to start making choices. And consistently creating choice is what eventually leads to power.

Power and strength are almost inextricably linked. Strength creates choice, and eventually those choices will involve power – the gaining of ground, the gaining of influence, and decisions as to whether or not to exert it. A strong person can choose power. They can also decline it. There are responsibilities that accompany power.

That “power” is included in the code implies it is a value of the Sith; and as with anything valued, there must be conscious recognition of when power presents itself, and acceptance of the responsibilities for the choice – whichever way the Sith chooses. In this the Sith practitioner becomes a creature that lives very consciously. We all have people in our lives over whom we hold sway. We all are presented at times with power.

From power, to victory. A strong person, passionately seeking his goals, in full awareness and acceptance of his power, is going to succeed eventually, at something. Whether they’re passionate about politics or crochet, eventually their drive will lead them to victory. From there we build victory upon victory. We count the small ones as well as the great ones, piling them up into great castles we get to be our very own kings and queens of. We value the process of victory too, the stumbles and the falls, every opportunity we are given to learn more about victory. And finally, our chains break. Those chains of self-deprecation, self-doubt, self-denial, the “shoulds” we tell ourselves. Finally, we know ourselves to be great.

The Force shall free me. I have freed me.

It is a common belief that there is no order to the Sith; but the values that do bring Sith together aren’t values that involve sitting around peacefully sipping at tea. Passion invokes argument; strength invokes strong wills; and in an environment where the freedom of the individual is highly valued, there are more likely to be disagreements than there is to be peace.

But the secondary purpose of the Code is that is presents us with these values, and in times where our all too human beings crave the company of others, these values serve as a reminder that there are other beings in the world with a similar perspective to our own. In this, the Code becomes something human, more than a set of guidelines or pretty sounding words. It becomes a shared expression of the way we live, an expression of “us”, and a connection in a path that is comprised of a thousand individual paths. In this, the Code offers more value than the cursory example of how we might live our lives. It identifies our common Path and lets us identify as “Sith”.