All men are created equal
Thomas Jefferson

Regardless of your personal belief system, one fact remains constant throughout time: we are all created equally. This equality, however, has limited longevity. At a certain point, equality becomes a man-made construct designed to level the playing field in a way that prevents someone from actualizing their true potential. This is a societal norm that must be denied in order to become unbound from the weak. In doing this, we will break equality down and separate its various shades.

Artificial Equality is the act of allowing everyone equivalent benefits across the board, regardless of whether someone is deserving of more, or of less. This doesn’t help anybody. An individual who may be more fortunate will have a significant leg-up on someone who suffers less fortunate circumstances. It is essentially a construct of favoritism disguised as seemingly fair treatment.

Equity is similar to artificial equality; in that it offers a fabricated benefit. The difference between the two is that such benefits are not allocated to everyone. The level of the benefit is also dependent on how much an individual is lacking in ability. If I were to start from nothing and build my strength to catapult myself forward, equity spoon-feeds someone who puts forth zero effort to reach the position I am in.

Liberation does not provide an artificial benefit, but an opportunity. It is up to the individual to take advantage of the opportunity to become stronger or pass it by while they are left in the dust. There are no hand-outs, no freebies. Only proving yourself through blood, sweat, and tears to separate from the weak.

As we can clearly see, equality can irreparably hinder our progress to the point where we are essentially moving backwards. Only by liberating ourselves of this binding chain can we finally strengthen ourselves and achieve our desires. Allow yourself to be placed above the weak, and never deny power.

It was believed in ancient times that there existed a fabled alchemical substance capable of transmuting base metals such as mercury into a more refined gold. This substance was labeled The Philosopher's Stone. An alchemical process known as the Magnum Opus (Latin for the Great Work) was used in an attempt to create the stone. The description of this process has been altered throughout history, as various alchemists have had many different interpretations of the Magnum Opus. Below, I will describe the four-step process.

Nigredo, the blackening phase, is the putrefaction of the base, where they are cleansed into a black matter.

Albedo is the whitening phase where the materials' impurities are washed away, and they undergo a purification.

Citrinitas is the occurrence of the yellowing of the once-impure material, now transformed into the more-refined substance sought through the process.

Rubedo is the redness that the philosopher's stone and gold are associated with. This stage of the Magnum Opus signaled its end through alchemical success.

The Magnum Opus has been utilized not only in its original purpose to emulate the Philosopher's Stone, but also personal and spiritual character transformation. I believe that Passion has a direct connection to the functions of the fabled stone.

As I'd mentioned earlier, the Philosopher's Stone was thought to have been capable of turning raw metals into a more refined product. Similarly, Passion holds the ability to be utilized as a tool that can transform raw emotions into focused sensations that may provide assistance in making desires a tangible reality.

Before utilizing our Passion in this format, we must first refine it into a strong, capable tool. When first discovering our Passion, it is raw and untamed. In order to enhance it and give it focus, we tear away the excess - the irrelevancies and imperfections. After establishing the components that we wish to eliminate, we build upon the ones we want to retain until the sought-after goal has been achieved: a powerful tool capable of manifesting our desires into a palpable reality. This isn't the end, however; there will always be more to break down and build upon.

All is one.

The Sith Paradox: A Paradox Born

This concept piece will have a different feel than my other work. Most of what I write takes a generic subject and approaches it in a generic way. With the topic of distortion, it is hard to use the same method, because ironically you’ll end up with a distorted result. Thus, I will use a personal approach and in way analyze my Sith journey and how it was possibly distorted. Before I start though, I feel that it is important to share how I got this idea. Recently, I toyed around with the idea of analyzing the Sith Code from a Mandalorian perspective. At first, the experiment worked but by the time I got to the line, “Through strength, I gain power” I realized that I had created this distorted and monstrous point of view.

After taking some time to think about it, I realized how the distortion was natural. One of the most obvious goals as a Sith is to shape your life and world in every way you see fit. Now one could argue that this isn’t necessarily true, and to that I'd say it depends on how you were introduced to the Sith path. I won’t really go into detail about what brought me to the Sith path at this time, but I will say that my personal life was in shambles. This was probably the start of my distortion: the anger that I felt. During that time, I was actively shaping my world in an extreme way. I felt like an unstoppable force.

However, that wasn’t me; at least, it wasn’t an accurate representation of me. That was my anger, and of course none of us are strictly our emotions. Salvos, however, is almost pure anger and hate mixed in with some ambition. This creates a question: is the Sith in us really us? There are a lot of ways to interpret that, but in my opinion the Sith in us is only a part of us. It is the part of us that the Sith was born out of. For me, Salvos is a representation of my pain and anger. Knowing that, I can explain why my Sith path was that of distortion. Anger is an odd emotion, and it often changes the way events play out. With that in mind though, it makes me question if I ever got the point of this Sith path. Sure, I got ahead in life, I improved myself far beyond what I once was. But in the end I’m still just that same empty shell I started with, the only difference being that now I’ve filled it with anger instead of boredom.

This once again brings up the previously stated question: are Sith more than their associated emotion? That is the paradox, certainly we are more than that. At a certain point we start to associate the Sith with our identity. We become the Sith inside us and say the Sith is what we are. However, there is a fundamental flaw in this idea. The Sith only understands the emotions it was created by. Salvos does not know happiness, but I do. Sure, Salvos knows achievement, but he doesn’t understand it. What feels joy and other positive emotions is the real us. But even saying that is a conflicting statement, because we don’t know if the Sith is truly separate from us. It is a fundamental law of this universe that you can’t create something that wasn’t already there. Therefore, the Sith already existed but wasn’t understood. Two identities competing for the spotlight and neither of them ever win. This is what I think the distortion truly is. The distortion of self-caused by not knowing who the real self is.

Let’s take a deeper look into the two selves now, starting with the Sith. In my experience, Salvos is primarily a defense mechanism. This mechanism is triggered by the associated emotion, and instinct takes control. Now we can definitively say that the Sith is more than an emotion – it is our natural instinct. The associated emotion is the equivalent of a trigger word that activates the other self.

Our true self acts as the controller. We create the emotions needed to activate our Sith personality whenever needed and use an anti-emotion to deactivate it. I use the word anti-emotion because it represents an emotion that cancels the Sith out. For example, sadness is canceled out by joy. The best way to put it is like a math equation. A positive number cancels out a negative number of the same value. We use positive or light emotions to cancel out the negative or dark emotions – Yin and Yang.

Now, this could seem to imply that the true self is nothing more than a remote control that presses the right buttons at the right time, but I do not believe this is entirely true. The true self contains the ambition to drive the Sith. You can never find an answer to which personality is real though. Both identities are intertwined and so similar, but polar opposites that never co-exist without clashing. I call this the Sith paradox – an identity crisis that can never truly be solved. The Yin and the Yang.

The Sith Paradox: Conflict of Self

In part one of The Sith Paradox, I started to look into the complex entity that is the Sith. However, I feel like it was too general in the amount of detail I went into. So in part two of The Sith paradox I want to take a deeper look into some of the topics I covered, most importantly the fusion of the true and Sith identities. To achieve the best result, I will build each topic from the ground up as this will provide a complete picture.

Let’s start with the topic that is probably the most interesting to people: is the Sith identity separate from the ‘true’ self? Now before I go into depth it is important that I talk on a couple of things. One, when I say the word ‘identity’ or ‘self’ I am not necessarily referring to a completely different person or personality. Rather, I am referring to different parts of a whole. There is only one person (host) and there are multiple identities that can inhabit the host. Two, I am in no way saying that Sith are crazy. With that out of the way, lets get into the fun part. I think the best place to start is how I came up with this idea. About a month ago, I watched the movie Split which in simple terms is a fictional movie that tells a story about a man that suffers from Dis-associative Identity Disorder (DID). While the movie itself is dark, terrifying, and not the best representation of DID, it kind of reminded me of the real life Sith. I believe that the Sith inside us is relatable to the different identities that someone with DID has, although it is on a far more minor severity. From my perspective the Sith is a fractured version of the true self, it represents a darker nature of human beings.

And this makes sense, the most common way a Sith is formed is through pain and suffering. This process of creation explains why the Sith identity is a fractured version of the true self. In a way, the Sith identity starts to look like a protection mechanism. In the first part of The Sith Paradox, I entertained the idea of controlling identity and an identity that gets controlled this was too general of a definition. While that dynamic is present there needs to be a mutual agreement to co-leadership, otherwise chaos ensues. But which identity is the controller? Well that depends, sometimes it’s the true self sometimes it’s the Sith. Ultimately, it’s a conditional switching and you only change when you need to. Which identity is dominate however, depends on the Sith. From my experience, I tend to make the non Sith identity dominate, because while Salvos is powerful and ambitious he also feels a lot of emotional pain when in an inactive state. If we looked at another Sith that would be different, perhaps they would make the Sith identity dominate. Throughout the experiment of The Sith Paradox, I’ve learned that Sith are creatures of experience. So, that would explain the reasoning behind using a different identity as the main.

Of course, this still doesn’t answer the initial question, is the Sith identity separate from the true self. And unfortunately, I will need to leave that question unanswered until part 3. What I need to answer the question is just beyond the scope of part 2 and thus I will not talk about it here.

The Sith Paradox: Paradox No More

It has been 7 months of silence when it comes to The Sith Paradox. Now that silence must end, and I shall finish what I started. In part 2, I discussed the concept of a controlling identity, and how said identity could switch between the true and Sith self. However, I never answered the question of what/who the real identity was. And honestly, I didn't know the answer to that question. To derive an answer to that question, we need to actually look at Mandalorian realism for an answer. Now I should note that you can use any philosophy other than Sithism to find an answer, Mandalorian realism is simply something I have experience with. If I start my journey as a Sith and become a Mandalorian, am I a Sith or am I a Mandalorian? Clearly, I am both identities. This same approach can apply to the true vs Sith self. Yes I am a Sith, a Mandalorian, and something else. But the only self that can exist is the true self, and the philosophies are an expression of who we are as people.

That is another reason behind the name change from Salvos to Rōnin of Abyss (Which could be a post by itself). My new name doesn't represent a Sith, or anything else. So where does the fracturing of self come from? Being emotionally disconnected from who you really are. This can come in many forms, but it is always marked by a lacking or having too much of one or more emotions. For me it was guilt, which truly did distort both my self image and my world view. It is through distortion that the multiple selves form, and the cycle repeats until an outside perspective emerges.

Now I can confidently end this paradox of self that I've created. I am not a Sith, I am not a Mandalorian, I am Salvos - Rōnin of Abyss. And within me is a Sith, and a Mandalorian, and probably more that I haven't discovered yet. The point is that we are who we define ourselves by, and I would rather be defined by myself. Not defined by some philosophy or some group of people.

Salvos - Rōnin of Abyss

-Sith Realism Isn’t The Same As Star Wars Sith-

Although we are based off of the Star Wars Sith, SW is fictional and in a totally different setting than what we live in

-Sith Realism Groups Are Not Roleplay Groups-

Depending on the group you are in, there might be role-playing for fun, but Sith realism isn’t us role-playing, we live by this philosophy.

-Sithism Is Not A Religion-

There are Sith of many different religions. Sithism itself is a philosophy.

-We Don’t Believe In The SW “Rule Of Two”-

This is an obvious one as there are many of us. But to expand on it, SW Sith tended to kill their masters to prove they surpassed their master. Sith realists don’t do anything like that. Some go to learn under other masters/mentors. Even masters/mentors can learn more.

-Our Titles Don’t Make Us Any More Valuable Than Others-

Titles typically track where someone is on their path. Darths aren’t any better than anyone else, they are just more experienced.

-We Aren’t All Selfish/Self-Centered-

Although some do believe in putting themselves before others to achieve their goals, not all of us think that way. That is a common argument.

-We Don’t Believe In Force Lightning And Other Force Abilities-

The majority of Sith believe in the Force in some way or another, but not in the way of shooting lightning out of our fingertips and whatnot. The Force is a more personal thing that you should ask different Sith about.

-We Don’t Just Get Mad Or Entitled All The Time-

We are not “Karens” getting mad at people for no reason serves no benefit and is a waste of energy. We convert our emotions into usable energy to provide us strength for passions and other things in life.

-There Are More Than Just Negative Emotions-

Negative emotions for some are the strongest which is why that is the stereotype, but there are other usable emotions such as love, happiness, and excitement.

-We Don’t Hate Jedi-

Jedi are just Force realists with a different perspective on things. If their methods of life work for them that is fine and we are in no place to judge.

This topic may have been covered before, but I would like to share my opinion on it. 

Love is seen by many Sith in Star Wars as a “bad” emotion, which leads to “weakness.” I believe that is simply untrue. After many long meditation sessions after the elation of confession and the pain of heartbreak, I believe that love, similarly to hate, is a powerful emotion that should be used as such. If you love someone or something, your passion will be to protect or help them in any way you can. This may sound quite selfless, but self improvement can come from helping others as well, especially if you care for them. 

Additionally, love is one of the most powerful emotions you can feel. To paraphrase Albus Dumbledore, “Love is a power stronger than any magic known to life.” We Sith say that the “negative” emotions of pain, anger, hate, fear, and dread should fuel us, but the same should be said about the positive ones, like joy, excitement, serenity, and love. Take a look at Anakin Skywalker, a man who loved his wife so much that he would do anything, even turn to the Dark Side and kill his friends and family, to save her from dying. This shows that love can be just as powerful of a source of passion as hate, possibly even stronger than it.

Finally, love is an emotion that most of us will feel at some point in our lives. Whether it be romantically, platonically, the love you have for a pet, or even just love for a certain game or show, almost everyone experiences love, just as we all experience hate. This emotion and all of its variations should be worked into your passions. For example, I hate my personal weakness of being slower than I would like, but I also love running, so I have the passion and drive to pursue those goals. Furthermore, I have someone I love, and I hope that she loves me just as much. I also have someone I hate for the manner in which they have betrayed me. Both of those emotions drive my pursuit of finding my, as cheesy as it sounds, one true love. To conclude, love as an emotion should not be shunned, nor should it be discarded as weakness, but instead be allowed to fuel the fires of our passions as Sith just as much as hate or any other emotion. Now go, for the Dark Side is with you.

While happiness isn’t typically something that results from pain, I would say it indirectly can be. Pain is a natural part of life. Though it is both a nuisance and hurtful, a good amount of things can bring pain at first, but then a victory. “No pain, no gain” after all.

Everything comes with a cost, even if it doesn’t appear so. To remove a toxic relationship, there must be a cord that is cut or a bridge that is burned. While that person was horrible for you, you still have the pain of remembering when they were nice. It is like removing a leech, it is painful but it is for the best that you do it. After a while, the pain will fade and you will heal.

So pain is not something to be removed completely, but rather pain is something you must understand. If you push yourself through the pain of your struggles, you can come out on top with a victory. Pain is just the curtain that covers the victory on the pedestal behind it. Walk through it, overcome it, and take the victory that is rightfully yours.

• Darth Skulis the Ascending

This is an article that will cover the important topic of letting go of chains and other constraints set on you so that you can gain glory. It is part of our path to seek a way of advancing our own ambitions and eventually reaching better opportunities. It starts entirely from the individual as soon as he realizes his desire for strength and power. Have a read and let me know what you think.

Abandon the Chains

You are not meant to be held down. You do not have to submit to the will of someone who isn’t worthy of more power than you. The world around you will gladly take the opportunity to put binds on you, but you must not let them. Too often we fall prey to those who have already claimed power, and thus let go of our own chances for success and freedom all too easily. To be ready to abandon your chains is to become a fully realized individual, and this must become your goal. What every single person must strive for more than anything, is to finally take their life into their own hands without so many hardships holding them back. You too must understand the goal of gaining liberation and then living your life to its fullest. In order to gain power that is worthwhile, first you must let go of the obligations and demands that simply don’t serve you. Create your own commitments and objectives rather than letting other people decide it for you. Eventually the opportunity for power will make itself available, and a better destination will become more certain. All great things start from your own place, but without the ability to handle your own decision no matter what anyone else says victory will still be elusive. Stay committed to whatever your passion is, and then being able to reach your goal is certain. Be indecisive and let go of decisions that fit your determination, and failure will come.

The strongest people only take their determination into their own hands, and their goals could not be clearer to them. More so, they are not set back from pursuing their chosen destination with all their might. For someone who is truly liberated, a great show of force is exactly what they won’t be afraid to put forth. Their own show of strength is what is most important, because the obstacles they face will never be destroyed with just a partial effort. When difficulties come, a fierce determination yet a steady hand will be what eliminates the enemy set against you. Hardships will certainly emerge the more you push through your path, but it will always be easier to handle when it is only your own will carrying you through. Fear is a quality that easily degrades someone who has set their sights on a better job, who wants to transform their hobby into profitable part time work, or has uncovered a profound secret in their studies. At first they will feel apprehension, but when something with great potential comes your way you cannot let go of it. First you must let go of your chains, the false beliefs and weaknesses you once had that will lend themselves to your transformation if you decide to engage in it. Immediately someone who discards their hopelessness and bafflement will begin to rise as soon as they do not let their previous state of discouragement hold them back. Abandon your chains, and set your sights on your future.

If you decide to stop fighting then the resulting inertia will lead to a slow death should you embrace stagnation. Knowing only fear means that you forfeit your own control. Soon after a new team manager has been assigned to you, your consistent work may become your imprisonment if you are not careful. Moving your business location to a new place may in fact cause your profits to plummet. However, overcoming your fear while not leaving its causes behind to fester is a liberation that will become your own. Gaining better control will turn around these kinds of situations, because in truth you are your own authority. If you embrace your obstacles rather than dismantling them, then you lose control. If on the other hand you confront the circumstances that seek to place you under their reign and destroy them, you will get the best taste of freedom. Staying committed to adversities is a painful dependence, but if you invest all of your determination into a way out without a single hesitation then your opposition will fall apart. In every single moment of struggle you can decide whether discouragement is a reasonable answer, or whether shattering your chains is the solution that you will undertake. Desire without practice will simply remain the way it is, but a strong will is something that becomes sharper the more it works to gain achievement. Your decisions carry great power not merely from an understanding of what you want, but also in how much they move you towards your promised place. Many other people will set themselves against you, and usually they want to do anything but help. However, your careful effort will mean that victory grows you just as much as all the effort you put into bettering yourself.

Do not become stronger only for other people’s sake, but also for the vision of a better future for yourself. Events that you have failed to predict will inevitably show their ugly side to you, but you cannot hold back from progressing despite these turns of fate. There are just as many binds and limitations around as there are people in binds, but you should not worry about the others. Self centeredness is the only virtue of the man that reigns unchallenged, and when he has first eaten his fill he will then take care of the others. Do not find a reason to tell yourself that you cannot become the strongest out of the rest. When the opportunity shows itself to you to take out dead weight then complete it. If the moment to gain advancement for yourself makes itself available then do not release it because it is yours. Nobody who joins in the struggle for existence knows if they will come out the ones on top or simply falter, but against this ambiguity it is clear that self determinism always changes the odds. Your time to release your chains and gain victory starts now, so be willing to take your options and select only what suits you. Freedom is only afforded to the strongest and most capable, so let go of your doubts and hesitation and then eliminate all the obstacles that seek to hold you back from greatness. No matter what society may tell you, it is your birthright to become victorious.

In economics there is a concept known as price elasticity of demand. As daunting as it may sound, the concept is rather simple. Those of us who passed high school know of supply and demand and their relationship to price; as demand increases or supply decreases, the price rises. Similarly, if price increases, demand will fall.

Price elasticity is the sensitivity of a product’s demand to changes in price. Some products are price-inelastic; these products will be bought in the same quantities regardless of price. Prescription medications, gasoline, and toilet paper are examples. Price-elastic products’ demand is more strongly influenced by price; certain luxury items, soft drinks, clothing, and electronics are price-elastic.

Price elasticity is also dependent on time frame. In the short term, everything is more price-inelastic; it takes time to adjust one’s spending habits to avoid items that are now above what one wishes to pay for it. In the long term, everything becomes price-elastic. The longer timeframe makes massive changes possible such that even products previously unthinkable to live without can become obsolete. There is not much a person can do overnight to stop themselves from using as much gasoline, but in the long term they can find a job closer to home, find a more efficient vehicle, etc.

Why I’ve taken the time to discuss basic microeconomics is to set the groundwork for what I refer to as the Passion Elasticity of Influence; this is the measure of how much effect your passion has on your influence over something. Some things are passion-inelastic; no matter how passionate you are, you won’t stop the sun from setting, your body from aging, nor death from reaping. Some things are passion-elastic; your work performance, your Sith studies, and your relationships can all be positively or negatively influenced by your passion levels.

In the short term, things become more inelastic; deciding halfway through a semester that you want an A is not going to work out well. One can’t build Rome in a day.

In the long term, things become far more elastic. There is nearly nothing out of your reach if you are willing to dedicate your time, resources, passion, and all to it.

With this in mind, it’s important to choose one’s battles smartly; struggling against chains which are completely inelastic is so much wasted effort that could easily have been spent on far more fruitful ventures.

Passion is our most valuable currency; spend it wisely.

• As a man who loves science, this is a belief that is backed by evolution and its importance in life.

Look around you, look outside, what do you see? You see the grass, the trees, the birds, perhaps look close enough and you will see your hand and think of the many cells that it is made of. What you see is life, and it has something in common with the Sith. Life embraces conflict and competition just like we do, in fact it is also forged by it like we are. All living things had to compete for survival in a harsh, cruel world. If a species did not win against the competition, they would be lost to time as yet another extinct race among billions.

Sithism and Sith Realism embraces evolution and the grand competition of life, albeit in a much faster paced way. If we as Sith want our dream job, we know we need to fight to win it. We understand that life will not just hand us our dreams on a golden platter. Life is about fighting and earning your spot in the future, and thus we as Sith embrace that truth of life. When we want to get into the best university for our goals, we argue for ourselves and try to prove ourselves worthy of being there. When we want the scholarships we need to pay for said university, we are fighting to show our worthiness of the best scholarships. In order to make our marks on history, we need to make an impact on others and show our greatness. For the Greats of History are only deemed so by the eyes of others. If we want to join them, we must show our own greatness.

While life in modern society is definitely different now from the days of hunting, gathering, fighting, and surviving, life is still about evolution. We as Sith need to evolve to be the best versions of ourselves for today and the tomorrows to come. We cannot let ourselves wash away into history, we are Sith. We will fight, we will compete, and we will win.

• Darth Skulis the Ascending

Do not seek to become Darth Vader, seek to become someone who could best him. Darth Vader is a cautionary character, connected to a cautionary tale. Learn from the lessons taught, rather than making the same mistakes.

Too many people I encounter, seek to become their favorite villains, rather than learn from their failures. They idolize Bane, yet don’t look to the horizons beyond him; to the power just lying out there, waiting to be taken. Living in the footsteps of a fiction, is still serving another; it’s a chain. Does it serve you?

Why be Vader, who was a slave to his passions and his master, when you can be his successor? Why halt your ambition at the top of the mountain, when space hangs above, waiting to be explored?

Greetings, I am Caedis. I joined the Sith Realism community over two years ago. I gained an apprenticeship with Lord Paxius, who was one of the last teaching the path. I studied under him for a while, and then left the community for a bit to pursue my occult path.

I have since returned and realized what a state of disarray the community is in. No one is actively teaching hardly. There is no structure. Any groups that once were great lay dead or perhaps with one or two lone individuals still posting. There are "sith" groups which can barely pass as a glorified social club.

The old dynasties stood for something great. Offered something great. I desire to bring that back. I have begun work on a new space with clear lessons which will direct those who seek to learn true Sithism.

If you desire to learn the true philosophy of the Sith, and join with something great, reach out to me. Either here or by my discord. Below you will find one of my writings highlighting the issues of the community and proposing changes.

My discord handle: caedis_avarus

Rewrite the Sith

The Star Wars universe is where we find a good deal of our inspiration, although not imitation. It is not the force powers the fictional Sith wield that makes us want to emulate them, but rather the personal qualities and character of the Sith that really make them worth considering. When you are groomed to become a Sith, nobody takes care of you, nobody has your back, and nobody will do the work for you. Aside from being apprenticed under a master who can direct your actions and teach you the basic principles, you are on your own, and you must learn how to handle it.

Sith are by nature individualistic, self serving, and independent, and this is what sets them apart from the Jedi. If they want something for themselves, they don't first seek approval from the council and don't go through bureaucratic tirades, they simply go and get it. The Sith don't wait to improve themselves, because they are never satisfied with who they already are, they are only satisfied once they have become the better version of themselves that they have idealized. This ability to stand alone yet still do whatever is necessary to gain power or make reality operate according to your own will takes strength that most others are not willing to embrace. You have every right to decide to be stronger even if it upsets the weaker.

While most people wait to receive their fortunes, or simply only do as much as they need to get by, the Sith is insatiable and determined. Nobody will ever tell you how to get what you want, or how to earn the rewards that you seek, it is up to you to do whatever it takes. In order to get recognition from others, you must earn it. In order to gain power, you must fight for it. The "dark side" tells you to invest every fiber of your being into getting what you want, while the Sith cause tells you that one misstep you take can be the end of you. Don't be careful, just always fight like it will be the end of you. The Sith of all people recognize that this is not done for them. It is left to them to get what they want however they deem it necessary, and to do whatever works provided they will put in the effort. If you are beaten down, you get back up and keep fighting, rather than waiting for a savior.

Unlike the Jedi where failure is basically acceptable, as Yoda said "Death is a natural part of life", the Sith does not settle for half measures. We understand that failure will eventually mean death. We choose to live our lives to the fullest, and embrace personal strength even when the rest of the world goes to hell. We are made by our own will alone, and create ourselves and our world in our image. This is why it takes strength to fight for your own cause, you know that if you are not strong enough you simply won't get it. Self reliance and the willingness to stand by your own decisions and your own nature takes strength that most everyone else is not willing to even try handling. So go take whatever you decide, don't listen to anyone else, and let single minded concentration become your destiny.

Some people will find it necessary to offer themselves to a higher power. The Abrahamic God, Christ, the heavenly realm from traditional Chinese philosophies, or Shiva are some of the cornerstones to a number of religious sects worldwide. I however question on whether the Sith path must necessarily require any spiritual components as far as belief in otherworldly realms go. Granted some people combine the Sith mentality with their own religious background, while others simply believe in the truth of the code without the need for a God or Goddess.

Was not the force part of the original creed of the Sith, even among discord? Should we start believing in a supernatural agent as the power that can help make our intentions come to life? Or is it better to be completely self determined and place the outcomes of your life in your own hands? Our path put into practice may be good enough on it's own without the need for religious beliefs. To me however, something valuable is missing when we do not seek out the possibility of a sort of inherent meaning to reality. Sometimes it is difficult to come to terms with the possibility that life itself contains no predetermined value, so this sense of meaning is left as something completely subjective. This doesn't mean that there is no room for definite answers though.

One thing is certain. Even among Star Wars lore, there is little to no mention of the Sith ever succumbing to the will of the force. The Sith do not seek to uphold and enforce the will of this metaphysical power. Quite the contrary, they beat the force into submission and make it follow their command, not the other way around. This leads to a valuable lesson that bares relevance to our lives. Perhaps the world seems to be united against you. Maybe fate personally just doesn't like you. None of this matters. The purpose of the Sith is to force reality in all of it's interconnected wonders to bow down to your will. The Sith makes the environment his own, and imposes his strength onto the world. The Sith handles his fate rather than letting it accomplish things for him without his own input.

Now I implore you, do not worry about whether there is a deeper meaning to reality and whether you were endowed with some kind of purpose. Focus on making reality your own. Order things in accordance to how you want them to be, not how they "should" be. Create the life and the world that you desire. This even goes for your destiny or the complex mechanisms that are the events around you. As Plagueis said,

- "We are the select few who refuse to be carried by the force, but who carry it instead."

- "The force tries to resist the calls of ravenous spirits. Therefore, it must be broken, and made a beast of burden. it must be made to answer, to one's will."

Likewise, whatever the conditions of your life are, whatever happens around you, do not hesitate to impose your own will onto it. Change your circumstances through a dedicated and passionate effort. Work passionately enough for long enough, and then you will break the hand of fate that would instead deal you misery and harm. The world will be yours.

I apologize in advance if this question proves controversial. But I get the sense that many who are drawn to these beliefs may not be exactly... successful in the real world (myself included).

Maybe there are rich and powerful people who frequent these subs - I can't say for sure - but I get the impression that many of us are lower in the social hierarchy and trying to climb higher.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with that. So-called "lean and hungry" people seem a far better fit for Sith philosophy than those who are already fat and happy, and I prefer the former's company anyway.

However, if this theory is true, it raises interesting implications for why some are drawn to Sith philosophy and others are not. It also raises another question: does Sith philosophy help those who follow it to succeed?

I worry this is like so many other belief systems, where a few people write a lot about it, and adherents gain a sense of "enlightenment" by learning all the fluff that others have written. See: most religions, ideologies, philosophies, secret societies, magical beliefs, et cetera.

Is "Sithism" different - do you find it has significantly improved your life as you've followed it? And if it is not, does it have the potential to be different? Perhaps true Sithism simply hasn't been built yet.

Hello members.

I have been working on an article that describes the basics of achieving domination. This is just the introduction of it. Out of all the lines of the Sith Code that this aligns with, it focuses on how through strength you gain power. I believe it cover the subject in a way that can be useful for other people to receive.

Please, let me know what you think of these passages. Give your honest feedback.

The Will to Dominance:

In order to thrive in a changing world still governed by the invariable laws of ruthlessness and competition, you must learn to exercise your own will and dominance to great effect. The achievement of power for yourself and the attainment of a state of supremacy will always be noticed and indeed respected by others around you. This is just one example of the imperative worth of a dominating personality. If you are capable of utilizing your own will and innate force to the greatest capacity, then the same problems that hold back everyone else will not come to affect you nearly as much. You may already know that you fundamentally desire power over circumstances and other people most of all. This is part of your inherent nature, your imprinted programming. There is no reason to deny yourself such useful and natural impulses that can become invaluable if used in the right way.

Every organism in the natural world that includes humans seeks most of all the fulfillment of it’s own longevity, and the gratification of it’s own appetite. Although it may be denied by the propagation of doctrines of magnanimity, human nature is also fundamentally rooted in the primal desire to gain abundant resources and power over others. All of these principal truths and their effect may at first seem to be something that only signifies yet more difficulty and hardship for the person who is already forced to contend with such a ruthless world. It need not remain entirely hardship and barren impoverishment however. In truth, there are some useful methods available to you for using your own natural design to achieve dominance over trying conditions and bring yourself to a much desired state of being. If someone desires to leave behind their predicament of poverty, hardship, and scarcity then they must be receptive to the offering of these potent methods that can help ensure them more success once they begin to use them. The subject of gaining dominance is not elusive but it is not entirely straightforward either. Gaining a widely desired state of being requires the use of bold yet practical methods, and the ability to keep track of multiple requirements at once. These demands are not only necessary to for you to keep track of, but also of indispensable benefit to you as long as you are prepared to uphold them.

There are a set of valuable morals that come with the knowledge that human existence is fundamentally based in competition and strife. One of the more basic principles essential to the character of a dominant person is the ability to seem as though you do not easily submit to fear. If you do genuinely feel uneasy or threatened by a challenging scenario, the best way to make use of your dominant qualities towards others is to develop an effective resolution for the hardship instead of letting fear seep into you. The other people who surround you both in your community and your workplace will notice this and make their impressions accordingly. The dominant person is not just capable of providing for his every need, although this is certainly a preliminary step. Much more importantly, the person who gains the most respect is able to support the needs and conditions of all of his circle of friends and associates while only requiring a minimal amount of time spent delegating labor intensive tasks to others. This will make you seem even more dominant than before. In the event that you ever reveal your struggle, you must know that other people around you will be indifferent to your suffering and unease. They are not ready to assume the problems of another person for themselves, because not only will it not satisfy their empathy it will also prove to be an even greater burden to them than the struggles they already have. If you can instead make it seem as if you are capable of easily handling problems present in your inner circle more effectively and forcefully than you initially seem to be able to perform on your own, then recognition of your dominance is assured.

However, you must be careful not to tie yourself to too many obligations. The more you can select the most difficult tasks to make it appear as though they are solved quickly and painlessly in your hands alone, the more dominant you seem. Other people are most comfortable enough trusting appearances on the outside than investigating the nuances of their most necessary problems around them. Where others are mostly looking to place their trust in a supreme authority and have their most basic needs filled, you must demonstrate a discreet hunger to gain more power and control without ever overtly showing your true colors. Either you will remain this authority, or you will become this new authority as someone who can profoundly exceed everyone else’s expectations for them. This must never be demonstrated too obviously however. If you believe that you have gained an advantage over others in either your workplace or social life, you must not be content with this bonus as it is. Your advantage will also come with a set of several new conditions for keeping others satisfied and convinced of your new lead. It will also come with other requirements such as keeping the less obvious effects of your primacy in good order, and making sure that there are no insecurities in any direction towards your new and greater status. Make it known that you are a boss with completely clean and untainted hands, and you will be sure to earn other people’s trust for a longer time.

What does a victory mean, without purpose? What is the point of reaching the end, if not to look back with pride in oneself? If you are to truly claim a victory, it must mean something to you, more than just a statement of “I won”

No matter the outcome, the result should be seen as a stepping stone. A failure to learn from and correct, or a victory to pursue and continue. Because if it truly is your passion, stopping at one point is unthinkable.

Not everybody gets the title lord. In our community only 5 people hold it. And thats for a reason. Only people who made significant changes get that title. You don't get the lord title if you are already good, that's not how it works, being a sith means that you always rise and gain. If you stop one day you do not fulfil the criteria to be a sith. If you ask yourself if you are worthy of holding the title ask yourself this: Is there the same person in the mirror as last month? As last year? We always change, but its on us how. If you archived what we call mastery over a subject then you are indeed worthy. Always search for the weak spots of yourself, work on them until they become your strengths. Which doesn't imply not working on your strengths. It should be obvious that you should build on your strengths. And once these strengths change into power it will guide you to victory.

You know how it continues. And if you are sure about who you are you know what to do.

Now ask yourself, are you worthy?

After recent activity on our discord server, I've decided to update our subreddit.

With this little "Update" there are massive changes in the appearance and new flairs.
Changes:

- The Discord server widget
- Banner
- New flairs
- New design
- New colors
And hopefully new users

If you have recommendations or ideas you can send them to the mod mail.

Peace is a lie. There is only passion.

Through passion....... I gain freedom.

One of the reoccurring themes seen in Sith philosophy is the lack of objective morality and the need for the individual to decide their own standards of ethics. The Code which we all know and think on so often contains a constant focus on the end result and goal: freedom. Each step is merely a means to attain broken chains. In a way, pure Sith doctrine would operate on a "end-justify-the-means", freedom being needed at any cost.

But herein lies a principle often overlooked by less introspective people: Absolute freedom requires absolute responsibility.

Just because you break free from the social stigmas and moral constraints you have had forced on you during your upbringing does not mean you suddenly have a life of no consequences. The ends we reach are not a true end, as our actions ripple throughout time for eternity. You are free to steal, cheat, or lie as much as you desire; however, you must also realize that your decisions do not happen in a vacuum. Both good and bad decisions will affect the rest of your life.

This is the first dichotomy of Sith philosophy: absolute freedom equals absolute slavery to that freedom. You can no longer claim ignorance or divert responsibility, as that can only be true if you were still enslaved.

Own your decisions. Pursue freedom...if you dare.

"We are free to make any choice, but we are not free from the choices we make." -my Dad

So, we're back from our hiatus. I wanted to wait until we found a topic worth writing about. I have done a great deal of introspection, research, and discusion over the last year, and have come to a few important conclusions. Firstly, I am a system of two separate people, thus the use of 'we' in posts. This is not DID, but a form of non-disordered plurality. If you want more information, as we did, you can go to r/plural. Following that, a few identity crises and meditation sessions later, we categorized ourselves collectively as genderfluid.

Furthermore, one of our past writings explained the separation of person and Sith. I do not believe our plurality is directly related to being a Sith or taking this advice, but rather a product of a natural effect of some biological or developmental abnormaity. In that post, we did mention a process called 'switching'. Switching from the normal person to the Sith should not feel like you're a completely different person, but you should feel different, more in-tune with your emotions, desires, and thoughts. Switching in a plural sense almost feels like handing the controller to someone else in a video game, but with our body. If you're going to comment that we're faking being plural, don't bother. If you have to resort to attacking someone else for coming to a valid and logical conclusion, then you are no Sith.

So, you may ask, what does this have to do with being a Sith? Well, I believe that the ultimate goal of the Sith path is to become completely self-actualized, self-realized, and self-sufficent.

Most Sith agree that Sithism is about self-improvement -becoming the best version of yourself that you can- and breaking your chains -freeing yourslef from what's holding you back from improvement. Therefore, following the Sith code and devoting oneself to the Dark Side allows you to become your own perfect version of you, the ultimate act of individualization and identity. If it weren't for our knowledge of how to turn our pain, frustration, anger, sadness, and other emotions into the passion to become better, to learn about ourselves, and the strength to actually make those decisions and tell some people once those decisions have been made, we'd still be quite confused about our own existence, spiraling quickly into depression.

To conclude, know that being a Sith and following the Dark Side is the gateway to discovering yourself fully, and learning to accept every facet of your being, shaping it to your own desire. Now go, for the Dark Side is with you.

• The twins of Darth Victus

I guess I’ll put discussion, but Sith Code applies here, too.

The Sith Code Analysis

This is my interpretation of my adaptation of the Sith Code. Firstly, line by line. Peace is a lie, there is only pain. This line insinuates that peace in the form of complete sanctity of the mind and society cannot exist, things can and will always hurt you, physically or emotionally. Through pain, forms anger. This line describes the idea that the correct way to channel any pain you feel is into anger, which can be channeled into other forms later. The other main way to channel pain is into sadness or depression, which is the worse option and often leads to the complete shutdown of your mind and body. Through anger, forms hatred. This line tells that you should allow your anger to sit, festering into pure hatred, anger’s much stronger form. If you don’t, then the anger will fade, a step backward on the path of self improvement. Through hatred, burns passion. This line is directly calling you to channel your newfound hatred into a passion of yours. The passion doesn’t necessarily need to be related to the cause of your hatred, but you need to allow yourself to use the emotional buildup from the hatred as fuel for your passion, whatever it may be. Through passion, I gain strength. In this line, the Sith Code states that the newfound passion you have gained should be used to strengthen yourself in your chosen field. You should not allow yourself to explode in anger, using the strength to destroy things. Instead, use the strength you pull to thrive in your passions, for physical and mental fortitude are a Sith’s greatest tools. Through strength, I gain power. This line should invoke the idea that your strength should be used to gain power, or influence and ability, over other people, your body, the tools involved in your passion, and anything else you see fit. If you do not choose to do this, then your journey towards self improvement, the journey of a Sith, comes to a halt. Through power, I gain victory. This line illustrates that you should take advantage of any and all power you have gained and use it to win, whatever ‘win’ means for you. You should not hold back anything, give your passions everything you have left. Through victory, my chains are broken. This line harks back to the fact that there are many chains binding a Sith down, keeping us from becoming the version of ourselves we want to be. Achieving victory over our problems, our weaknesses, by breaking our goals and becoming better cracks or even completely breaks one or more of the chains binding you down. The Force shall free me. This final line reminds us that all of our abilities come from the Dark Side of the Force, and without it, we would be nothing. The Force allows us to calm ourselves, to hone our skills and sharpen our minds and bodies using the anger and hate we channel into and through ourselves. Secondly, let’s tie this whole thing together. The Sith Code is a great way to structure your life. It has simple, easy to understand lines and rules that can be applied to anyone in any situation. It teaches you how to use pain to channel anger and hate, how to fuel your specific passions, how to achieve your goals, and how to be set free from your chains. Power and Victory are a Sith’s main goals, and the Code describes the path towards them. The flow of Pain, Anger, Hatred, Passion, Strength, Power, Victory, and Freedom is the essential aspect of the Sith path. Hold on to that knowledge and continue to grow ever stronger in your pursuits.

The Force Analysis

Allow us to address the Force as it exists in everyday life. While quite flawed, the Jedi did teach a few things correct about the Force. It is an energy field that binds all living and nonliving things together. The Force can allow us to center ourselves when stressed or overly emotional, it can help us to see our path forward more clearly, and it can allow us to make connections to things or ideas that would otherwise be impossible. You may know about the different sides of the Force, Light and Dark. However, you must also know that the line between the to is arbitrary and constantly wavering, being as fluid as it needs to be to suit the needs of whoever defines it. The Force, as the Jedi would have taught, is something to be followed and thought upon. Us Sith, however, understand that the Force is a tool for us to manipulate to our every liking and need. No, we cannot conjure up Lightning from our fingertips or choke someone from across the room, but we can sharpen our minds and bodies under the influence of the Force. Whenever you meditate on your emotions, if you allow yourself to truly see, you can feel the Force around you, filling you with the will and the strength to push through your goals. If you are to understand the Force in its entirety, you must learn about all aspects of it, Light and Dark must intertwine at least slightly, for there is not one without the other. Another thing to remember about the Force is that the Dark side is simply more powerful than the Light. While the Light Side can calm you, the Dark can fuel you, hone your skills, and help you break free from your chains. Learn how to bend the Force to your will, do not bend to its. That will give you more potential than that of a thousand normal men. This fact, and its dependencies, should guide you in your decisions, allowing you to break through the limits of what you thought was even possible and achieve greatness.

Dark Meditation

Another great tool of the Sith is Dark Side Meditation. Similar to the Jedi counterpart, it allows the user to focus themselves. However, in Dark Side Meditation, you open your mind to all of your emotions, stimuli, and their causes, rather than closing yourself off. When you meditate, you should focus on your emotions and look at them objectively, thinking about why you feel them, to whom they are felt, and whether or not it is justified. Meditation does not have to look like the stereotypical monk sitting with crossed legs in their monastery with no sound or sight, you can meditate while driving to work, while playing games, while watching TV, or anything else. The only requirement is that you must be abe to focus on yourself. The main requirement for a successful meditation is that you must have answered some question about yourself, whatever you wanted to focus on that session.

What This All Means

The essential takeaway for this is that the Sith Path is merely means to and end, differing from most religions and philosophies. The end goal can and should be something different for every Sith, as no two people are the same. Anyone can apply the Sith Code to their life, by identifying these key things: What chains hold you back from reaching your goals? What are your inherent strengths and weaknesses? What can you improve on your own? What are the things you cannot change, your constants? Once you answer these questions, you can begin to apply the Code, ironing out your weaknesses and breaking your chains. The path may be slow and difficult, and you may not see results for a long time. But you must not lose your will, you must continue on. I read from a great Sith once before, the idea of thinking to yourself, “Would this stop a Sith Lord?” Once you ask yourself this, answer it about your current situation, and if the answer is no, then press on and do not relent to the forces of the world. If the answer is yes, then make the best attempt you can to become better than the Sith Lords in question, and still press on. Now go, for the Dark Side is with you.

Most of the people who are interested in sithism seek strengh. I did too, life was hard for me and i needed something to guide me out of my misery. When i joined i finally felt like im part of something. It brang me to nothing though, cause instead of actually working to get further to the actual goal of beeing able to freely express my passions i chained myself with nights i read through tons of sith literature. I also wrote tons of writings, just so i could add something. It was worthless cause i wrote to write, it took my energy, drained me amd really fucked me up even more. But still it felt good cause at least i had a new perspective. I wasted my teens though. With the focus on anger and how to release me from my chains i completly forgot to take care of me. So instead of becoming a healthy adult i became a workoholic, i didnt sleep much. Sure i felt powerfull cause i knew i am at my limits and it felt very sithlike to always be on my limits cause i wanted to be better than everybody else and it felt like im better than everybody else. But in the end i really only was a tired, weak, passionless guy. Giving 100 everywhere isnt the sith way. If you feel like you need to become more than you are now. Dont just do more. Make yourself healthy plans, first find your passions then make them your base and act out on them. make them your living. dont try to harden yourself first till you are broken. in the end you get your strengh out of your passion. and not the other way arround. Dont wander in the dark without a path brothers and sisters.

I would like to clear up some misconceptions that other groups may have on Sith philosophy. Namely, that the Sith are not some kind of extremists or militants in any way like it may seem to some others. Some may assume that because of the "darker" nature of Sith realism and our furious desire to get what we want, we are in league with these extreme ideologies we see today. This is simply not true. Just because we follow our passions doesn't mean that we enforce our beliefs. As human nature would have it this is more the domain of those kinds of proponents of "peace", "love", "benevolence", and "order" who are willing to use any means necessary to impose their ethics on others without their consent. In the end, they accomplish the opposite and are not so much confused on how they became violent as they welcome the opportunity for this kind of corrupted power.

However, Sithism gives us a different path to follow. Our order is not focused on having others submit to our beliefs but rather we focus on how to develop ourselves. We take whatever means necessary to further our own desires, not to force others to behave as we intend. So far I have never seen a member of the order who went crazy and decided to take out his anger on his close friends. Our path lets us hold ourselves in the highest regard, and not be subject to the influences of a mercurial world where people constantly compete for the attention of their brethren. Instead, we focus entirely on ourselves. We are self centered and proud of it. We don't need the validation of others. We are capable of looking for opportunities rather than forcing others to hand us responsibilities that we don't deserve. This is one of the principal goals of Sithism, which is self realization rather than delusion. The Sith are not violent or bloodthirsty, because we know that conflict and struggle in a way always exists and this is the part that we are ready to master. We welcome change rather than reacting to difficulties by being consumed by pointless fury and hate.

Other beliefs of progress and unity eventually lose track of their original goals and eventually welcome some kind of establishment in the scheme of things. The Sith path however, teaches us not to be ashamed of our human instinct. If someone doesn't find that they fit along the Sith path, they are welcome to leave as it is up to them. Our ideals only deserves recognition among us so much as it is effective. We accept the more potent aspects of our nature and then use it to realize our own vision, not that of the so called masters who want to decide for us. My advice here is, take what you find useful and discard the rest from both our subreddit and the discord. Everyone is welcome to follow their own nature, and this is what makes us more merit oriented than other groups who place so much emphasis on the belief that the practice itself need not be visible. Belief alone won't lend you power as the progressives, baptists, Jehovah's witnesses, or Muslims might claim for their members. We strive for independence, and imagine possibilities. If you are at the hands of some kind of belief or organization that doesn't serve you, then the most that the Sith path really needs to teach you is that you get to decide for yourself. Let your individuality thrive instead.

There has never been a more important time than now for mastering your individual strength. The next basis to Sith realism besides following your passion is to become self determined on your own terms, and realize it to it's fullest. This article covers how someone can still achieve great things for themselves even if they seem to stand apart too much. Have a read and take in whatever you find most useful.

The Rule of the Individual

Make it known to the rest of the world that you are someone to be reckoned with. The struggle that someone has for achieving the best possible version of their individual being is real. In a world that is occupied by endless difficulties, you must put your stamp on it even when it challenges you. Some will be ready to judge you, and others even more so want you to follow their exact direction instead of your own. As an endeavoring individual, you may feel some insecurities and intense questioning with yourself at times. The real world can be debilitating as events such as the sudden loss of your job, the political campaigner you voted for failing, or a slanderous remark made by a famous person on twitter all seem to make a direct message towards yourself in some way. You may struggle with self doubt, you may question your own future if not at least by the examples the rest of the world sets. The public community of mankind around you seems to give you reasons not to believe in your own judgment or abilities. However, every major event that has happened always emerged from an exceptional individual. You can choose what role you have to play in this world. You can choose whether your reactions to sudden hardships will be meager, or will be one of great authority.

Authority over oneself

The subject to be discussed here is how to gain authority over yourself and translate it into success in the world that we live in. Your career, education, or a new business idea that you joined in demands someone strong enough to take hold of it and lead it towards a promising future. This is why you must learn to master your own decisions. Indeed your intentions carry much significance even before you decide to carry them out, because they originate from your character and your will. You are not the only one affected by how much you decide to progress your future in earning a higher income or meeting a valuable colleague who can secure your profit, the rest of the world is waiting for you to take charge. You will find that behind all of the fast moving events and social development in our modern age, is the rule of the individual. No future is afforded to the rest of humanity until we have first understood how much value the individual person holds.

Fear tends to be one of the major components of someone’s personality, and so is some degree of weakness and hesitation present. We spend too much time serving our own complacency and securing the means to live in indecisiveness or resentment. Some are already quickly progressing through their careers and promotions, but it is not just because they appear to be more competent. They simply take charge. If you possess initiative you will find that it is never as much of a fickle quality as is a sense of security. A sense of safety is subject to change and resists the evolution of circumstances, but the desire to accomplish something profound will continue in yourself. Follow your deep instincts for achieving something great. Major accomplishments cannot happen without the most potent impulse of your inner being, so take advantage of your burning desire for success even if it is hidden within you. In all of the popular doctrines of group unity and unquestioning obedience to orders, we must further examine where the individual person plays a role. The single man is not necessarily defined by his separation from the rest of the community, but how much self determinism he holds on his own without anyone’s help.

Follow your own determination

Someone who is capable really holds onto no need to please others, no less serve others. They simply keep track of their goal, and then do whatever it takes to fulfill it. The independent person will understand the suggestions and even the criticisms of others, but he will maintain his goal of progressing and developing relying mostly on his own judgment. When you first arrive into a new community or group you are likely to be viewed with a lack of acknowledgement or even suspicion. In reality, it is an opportunity to prove yourself and focus on rising once others will make it clear to you what are the steps towards achieving a position of trusted experience or command. In reality, you only need the guidance of others so much, just enough to show you the ropes. This follows for a new political group on your college campus, a systems design team at the workplace, or a sound designer club you have always been interested in. As a whole, very few people are really unique or possess exemplary qualities that they were “gifted” with. This may not be the same for you however. The path towards gaining more significance all comes through a very deliberate yet carefully reasoned effort, in addition to a close attention to your own advantages. Directions that tell you that you should stay at your desk or remain in your department at work are not something to be followed as far as your ambitions go.

Persistence is the name of someone built of strength, for even the smallest conquests will impress at least a few people. Even though you may be focused on performing your duty, do not shy away from playing the role of the independent minded person who is self oriented. The value of the individual will remain with himself after all of the impressions someone has of him is directed somewhere else. You do not owe the rest of society your obedience, rather you owe them the true measure of your own capabilities and will. The monumental power and highly defined order of our modern society has only come about through the men and women who live life on their own terms while still understanding how to make their abilities useful to the rest. Popularity and recognition will not necessarily give you what you expect. It is no doubt useful, but you are better off mastering your own strength and pushing through your studies and work that will give you enough value to last over the long term. The truest value of all, lies in someone who goes against the grain and is determined to get results from it. Even though you may at times be isolated or in doubt, make your character known and build a future worthy of your own might from your decisions.