The Story Behind "Try"
One shot
Well, I can honestly say that I’ve read far too many Star Wars stories when I start writing stuff like this. Also, note this story is responsible for my lack of sleep…or for that matter “trying” to sleep.
The Story Behind “Try”
He watched Luke look at the dirty, covered in slim from the swamp X wing in doubt and inexperienced disbelief. The body language of the semi laxed posture, the shoulders sagging, the slightly faster than normal breathing, and the stance of the feet told him in an almost like precognitive way what the youth was about to say.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try,” Said Luke.
“No, try not. Do or do not. There is no try.”
Even as he said these words in exasperation and annoyance, he felt the old sting of a memory, dating back more than eight hundred years back before the practice of recording spoken thoughts was done. Bitter sweet pain mixed with age embarrassment seeped through his small and old body. One would think with all the emotional control, coupled with practiced in the Force and the ways of life, embarrassment was beyond him, but only he knew better. Somehow, this memory still had the same impact it had years and years ago.
He watched Luke stare at him, taking in what the saying at meant, yet from personal experience, he knew all too well the truth behind the message had yet to appear to Luke. He slowly blinked, hardly aware that the body action happened, for he was lost in time and space. He observed Luke gathering the will and energy to do as he was told…..
Eight hundred and some years ago, back to the core of the galaxy, during the birth of the Republic, of life, and of the Jedi, stood Yoda standing somewhat shorten and much younger looking in front of his master. He was like any other of millions of Jedi students after him, in that he wanted to only please his master, and would rather die than to refuse an request. He had just been given an order, one that seemed impossible to complete, and had informed his master in totally utter acceptance that he could not do it. He watched the man look down upon him in an almost bored look, asking the student why not. Yoda looked up at him, surprised and confused by the man. Surely, what he asked just could not be done and anyone with half a brain could see that. He looked at his master carefully, wondering for a brief second if the man was feeling ok. The man smiled at the all knowing student, saying even if the task could not seemingly be done, the master still wanted the student to do it anyway.
Yoda shook his head in sad disbelief, suppressing a heavy sigh and began to gather himself. He told his master that he would indeed try to do as he asked, but privately he clung to the sole fact that his master had set him against the impossible. He heard that certain, nearly dreadful sound of displease disappoint that keen told the student he had said the wrong thing. He looked up at his master with forming shame, questioning him as to what he had said that was so wrong. The master said in an rather grown up and wise tone never to use the word “try” is his presence. Yoda nodded and said he would never do so again, failing to understand why this was being ordered. The word try was a perfectly good word, used by billions of people each day to describe the attempt with unknown results of an action. Still, he was young and determined to please his master.
He went about doing the task; the details were not important and did not stand the test of time. It was not the task that had any impact on him for eight hundred years, but the aftermath of the lesson. He had done a less than perfect job, but all the same felt he had done his best, or certainly all he was capable of doing and to ask more of him would be unreasonable. His master thought otherwise.
He was sternly lectured on the meaning of try, saying Yoda had sealed in his certain failure when he said the word try. Words spoke feelings and words also spoke of power of the future. When the two were combined, rarely any event could resist that impact. So, when the student said the word “try” he has already meant that he thought and therefore could not, do the task. He would not feel any need to push himself beyond his unknown limits and would nothing from the end result, which of course was failure. In order for him to succeed, it was vital that the student already see the path completing the task, no matter how it seemed to define reality and truly believe he would do it.
This lecture was a strong one for the young mind and meaning from it was strong enough to carry on even to this day. Time after time or forty nine thousand million, six hundred and twenty three times to be exact, Yoda told a similar lecture in the same stern, unforgiving told, to Jedi and other unfortunate beings across the galaxy. And each student responded with the same reaction as he had, some being quicker than others to find the meaning. Some, it seemed, never did learn the meaning and as a result, failed for the rest of their life….
There was a loud rumble in the murky, smelly swamp water as the x wing was shaking under the control of Luke. Slowly, without fine control, the ship slightly rose out of the flith, hovered for mere seconds and then sink back down to the bottom. A depressed and embarrassed Luke walked back to his teacher with shame, but a certain “I knew this would happen” look clearly written on his face. Of course Yoda knew this would happen, and despite the sting of his own memory of failure, he could not have pity upon the youth.
He lectured the boy and when the young man walk away in annoyance and disbelief, he knew the only way to get the point across was to show it. The X wing rose again, this time quietly and gracefully, gliding through air, and gently rested on firmer, dryer muck. He sighed, releasing his mental hand on the Force, watching Luke circle the ship. Finally, after inspecting the X wing, Luke came back, mouth open, eyes wide, and whose body spoke his feelings and thoughts.
“I…I don’t believe it,” said a humbled and shocked Luke.
He looked at the youth, once again remembering the same exact feeling so many eons ago. Luke lied unconsciously with he said he didn’t believe it. That was all too clear, but all students always wanted to stand by their original statement and not accept the fact they could be wrong. Still, the student spoke of more than what he knew and in time would understand it.
“That is why you fail.”
Luke tried to comprehend the meaning of this sentence, but was too much in shock. He was not the first, although Yoda’s last student, not the last to make this mistake.
The Story Behind “Try”
He watched Luke look at the dirty, covered in slim from the swamp X wing in doubt and inexperienced disbelief. The body language of the semi laxed posture, the shoulders sagging, the slightly faster than normal breathing, and the stance of the feet told him in an almost like precognitive way what the youth was about to say.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try,” Said Luke.
“No, try not. Do or do not. There is no try.”
Even as he said these words in exasperation and annoyance, he felt the old sting of a memory, dating back more than eight hundred years back before the practice of recording spoken thoughts was done. Bitter sweet pain mixed with age embarrassment seeped through his small and old body. One would think with all the emotional control, coupled with practiced in the Force and the ways of life, embarrassment was beyond him, but only he knew better. Somehow, this memory still had the same impact it had years and years ago.
He watched Luke stare at him, taking in what the saying at meant, yet from personal experience, he knew all too well the truth behind the message had yet to appear to Luke. He slowly blinked, hardly aware that the body action happened, for he was lost in time and space. He observed Luke gathering the will and energy to do as he was told…..
Eight hundred and some years ago, back to the core of the galaxy, during the birth of the Republic, of life, and of the Jedi, stood Yoda standing somewhat shorten and much younger looking in front of his master. He was like any other of millions of Jedi students after him, in that he wanted to only please his master, and would rather die than to refuse an request. He had just been given an order, one that seemed impossible to complete, and had informed his master in totally utter acceptance that he could not do it. He watched the man look down upon him in an almost bored look, asking the student why not. Yoda looked up at him, surprised and confused by the man. Surely, what he asked just could not be done and anyone with half a brain could see that. He looked at his master carefully, wondering for a brief second if the man was feeling ok. The man smiled at the all knowing student, saying even if the task could not seemingly be done, the master still wanted the student to do it anyway.
Yoda shook his head in sad disbelief, suppressing a heavy sigh and began to gather himself. He told his master that he would indeed try to do as he asked, but privately he clung to the sole fact that his master had set him against the impossible. He heard that certain, nearly dreadful sound of displease disappoint that keen told the student he had said the wrong thing. He looked up at his master with forming shame, questioning him as to what he had said that was so wrong. The master said in an rather grown up and wise tone never to use the word “try” is his presence. Yoda nodded and said he would never do so again, failing to understand why this was being ordered. The word try was a perfectly good word, used by billions of people each day to describe the attempt with unknown results of an action. Still, he was young and determined to please his master.
He went about doing the task; the details were not important and did not stand the test of time. It was not the task that had any impact on him for eight hundred years, but the aftermath of the lesson. He had done a less than perfect job, but all the same felt he had done his best, or certainly all he was capable of doing and to ask more of him would be unreasonable. His master thought otherwise.
He was sternly lectured on the meaning of try, saying Yoda had sealed in his certain failure when he said the word try. Words spoke feelings and words also spoke of power of the future. When the two were combined, rarely any event could resist that impact. So, when the student said the word “try” he has already meant that he thought and therefore could not, do the task. He would not feel any need to push himself beyond his unknown limits and would nothing from the end result, which of course was failure. In order for him to succeed, it was vital that the student already see the path completing the task, no matter how it seemed to define reality and truly believe he would do it.
This lecture was a strong one for the young mind and meaning from it was strong enough to carry on even to this day. Time after time or forty nine thousand million, six hundred and twenty three times to be exact, Yoda told a similar lecture in the same stern, unforgiving told, to Jedi and other unfortunate beings across the galaxy. And each student responded with the same reaction as he had, some being quicker than others to find the meaning. Some, it seemed, never did learn the meaning and as a result, failed for the rest of their life….
There was a loud rumble in the murky, smelly swamp water as the x wing was shaking under the control of Luke. Slowly, without fine control, the ship slightly rose out of the flith, hovered for mere seconds and then sink back down to the bottom. A depressed and embarrassed Luke walked back to his teacher with shame, but a certain “I knew this would happen” look clearly written on his face. Of course Yoda knew this would happen, and despite the sting of his own memory of failure, he could not have pity upon the youth.
He lectured the boy and when the young man walk away in annoyance and disbelief, he knew the only way to get the point across was to show it. The X wing rose again, this time quietly and gracefully, gliding through air, and gently rested on firmer, dryer muck. He sighed, releasing his mental hand on the Force, watching Luke circle the ship. Finally, after inspecting the X wing, Luke came back, mouth open, eyes wide, and whose body spoke his feelings and thoughts.
“I…I don’t believe it,” said a humbled and shocked Luke.
He looked at the youth, once again remembering the same exact feeling so many eons ago. Luke lied unconsciously with he said he didn’t believe it. That was all too clear, but all students always wanted to stand by their original statement and not accept the fact they could be wrong. Still, the student spoke of more than what he knew and in time would understand it.
“That is why you fail.”
Luke tried to comprehend the meaning of this sentence, but was too much in shock. He was not the first, although Yoda’s last student, not the last to make this mistake.