Mercy

What is mercy? In very simple terms, I've heard mercy described as ‘not getting something that you deserve.’ This is kind of accurate, but it doesn't fully express what mercy is. More appropriately, mercy is withholding a punishment or consequence. It is preventing pain and hardship from coming to someone. Sometimes that is deserved pain or punishment or hardship, and sometimes mercy is simply the act of making a hard choice or sacrificing to withhold that pain from the person. 

Mercy is defined as: “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.”

Matthew 5:7

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

The Force

It's the 4th of May, Star Wars Day, so I thought I'd write a bit about The Force today.

The Force is the energy, power, life force within the Star Wars universe, that is in and around everyone and everything. Certain beings draw power from The Force while alive and every living thing becomes a part of The Force when they die. The Jedi and Sith are capable of using/controlling/manipulating The Force, in the case of the Jedi, to selflessly protect and defend and promote peace, in the case of the Sith, to selfishly pursue personal gain and power by any means necessary, including destruction and death. The Force is what allows Jedi and Sith to wield lightsabers efficiently, dodge blaster rifles, levitate, read/control minds, move objects, have advanced senses and reflexes, etc... It is essential to life in major and minor ways. It drives the stories of Star Wars.