5 Moral Lessons From Star Wars

My three sons are huge fans of Star Wars. We have the entire suite of Star Wars on DVD(Episodes I to VI). At home, when they are short of time, they would select one chapter from one of the episodes to watch. On weekends, they might even watch entire episodes again and again. They would also bring the DVDs with them even while they are on holiday. On top of that, the Star Wars Wii Game is one of their favourite electronic games.

What is this timeless appeal of Star Wars? After all, the first instalment which took the world by storm was released way back in 1977, some 3 decades ago.

Observing the children, I can see that they, being typical boys, are enthralled by the considerable power of the Jedis, the dazzling fighting sequences with light sabres, as well as the giddy array of weird creatures from across the galactica, thanks to Lucas Animation. Son No 1 is also impressed by the visual and sound effects.

Son No 2, on the other hand, is fascinated by Yoda. He would occasionally walk hunch-backed, doubled-over, pretending to walk with a walking stick a-la Yoda. Among his prized possessions is a miniature Yoda figurine (a gift from his loving uncle) which accompanies him to bed every night. I have also noticed that the colour green has recently become Son No 2's favourite colour. I did not know why until it was revealed to me that it was because Yoda uses a green light sabre. Thank goodness he has not adopted Yoda's sentence structures... not yet, anyway.

That aside, there are many reasons why I like Star Wars. Now that I have re-watched all 6 shows through the eyes of a mother, I can see at the heart of the story strong and sound moral lessons that the children should learn from. I have listed them below as follows:

1) Triumph of Good over Evil - I love the unambiguous ending in Episode VI when the Good side (Jedis) finally won. Good over evil is also portrayed when Darth Vader finally redeemed himself at the end. There was once when Son No 3 wanted to be Count Dooku for he was in awe of the evil lord's power. I gently reminded him that Count Dooku "lost" in the end. Well, every child wants to be on the winning side - so Son No 3 has since ditched Count Dooku.

2) Power of Love, particularly that between the father and the son - This is one of the main themes in the show - how Darth Vader saved Luke and how Luke persuaded his father to return to the good side.

3) Choice and Consequences - Anakin Skywalker was not a victim of circumstances; he had a choice whether to turn to the dark side. Having made the choice, he must live with the consequences. I feel this is an important learning point for young people (teenagers) who are constantly faced with such temptations and influences.

4) Size is not Might - A small band of rebels can overcome the mighty empire, the diminutive Yoda can be a powerful Jedi. Ya, small can be beautiful ... and not necessary a liability. To all the little people in the world, this is a comforting thought. The same can be said for the citizens of a certain Little Red Dot.

5) Embracing Diversity - Earthlings are largely divided based on skin colour and religious affiliations but they are all humans. But in Star Wars, we see the seamless interaction between specimens that are totally dissimilar. While some are arch-enemies, there are also many who just co-exist peacefully. It's not such a big challenge for us then, is it? Mankind is really just one species.

End here, I must. May the Force be with you.