George Lucas’ fictional religion named the Force and real-life ancient Chinese religion Taoism actually have many similarities with one another. First, Taoism is a religion that started in China 2000 years ago, it “emphasizes doing what is natural and ‘going with the flow’ in accordance with the Tao (or Dao), a cosmic force which flows through all things and binds and releases them” (Ancient History). On the other hand, the force is “an energy field that connected everything in the universe. The Force was generated by all living entities, and therefore, resided in all lifeforms” (Wookiepedia). Both the force and Taoism rely on an invisible energy that connects with the world and guides one in their lives. They also believe in the idea of evil and good. Taoism uses the yin and yang symbol to reflect the battle between both sides, while Star Wars uses the Sith and Jedi. Without evil or good, there would be no balance in the world.
Similar to The force, Taoism believes in the power of telekinesis to move objects. Followers of Taoism believed one could do this through Qigong, “a form of gentle exercise composed of movements that are repeated a number of times, often stretching the body, increasing fluid movement (blood, synovial and lymph) and building awareness of how the body moves through space” (Energy Arts). According to Paul Dong, once one masters this art form, they would become clairvoyant and have the power of telekinesis. This is very similar to the Force because users of it are able to move objects and perceive certain events before they happen,
Works Cited
Broughton, Richard (1991). Parapsychology: the controversial science. New York, [NY]: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-37958-0.
This source is a book that discusses a bit on the concept of Quigong and how users of it are able to become telekinetic. This is important to my comparison of the Force and Taoism.
Frantzis, Bruce. “What Is Qigong?” Energy Arts, 8 Nov. 2018, www.energyarts.com/what-qigong/.’
This article discusses the history of Qigong, its usefulness and purpose. Qigong is a very important aspect of Qigong, so it must be talked about in my discussion. I used this article to further the connection between the Force and Taoism.
Mark, Emily. “Taoism.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 27 Nov. 2018, www.ancient.eu/Taoism/.
This article discusses the history of the ancient Chinese religion Taoism. It is important to my discussion because I need to tell my audience what the religion is about. In other words, it is a great base to start on argument on.
“The Force.” Wookieepedia, starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Force.
This article discusses the basic information on what the Force actually is. Although it is a fan-based site, it is known to be very reliable, accurate and comprehensive. I will use this article to inform my audience on what the force is defined as.
