> >On the whole the powers deriving from advances in
> >enlightenment
> >itself would not necessarily be that useful - for
> >most mystics they
> >would act more as confirmation that the
> >practitioner is on the right
> >track that as kewl powerz. The ultimate aim is of
> >course a Great
> >Secret that retires the character from play.
>
> Yes.
That's how I see Wu dan/Jedi's use of their powers. Jedi and people like Li Mu Bi don't set out to conquer or rule the galaxy, or even to right all it's wrongs, they just do a bit of light poliece work to while away the time. It's obvious that The Republic is highly dysfunctional in a lot of ways, and that Li's China isn't exatly the ideal state, and they don't realy do a heck of a lot to change that. The challenges they face are simply enough to present them with challenges to their faith in their philosophy, enough to test their development along their chosen path.
Of course to those around them, their cool powerz seem realy great to have and they seem like very powerful and important poeple, but realy on the cosmic scale of things they're not. Anakin and Obi Wan don't even bother to go and rescue Anakin's own mother from benighted slavery, and in fact caring about her leads to him committing his first attrocity. If they wanted to, they could use their powers to do a huge amount more good, but doing so would not be consistent with their mystical development.
Simon Hibbs
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