I recently saw a post on facebook with this photo and a caption saying "friendly reminder that Leia has lost her adoptive parents, entire planet, father, husband, son and been abandoned by her brother and yet has never been tempted by the dark side even once".
I've never been a person to take things at ‘face value’. I remember as a child I would watch adverts (commercials) on the TV and say to mum “ I don't believe that”. I remember that place of enquiry being alive in me then and is still as alive now. So when I hear ‘sound bites “ or read things similar to this fb post my mind goes into enquiry. Life is much more complex for me. The deeper I dive the more I come to understand myself and others.
If Leia didn't go to the dark side despite her life's challenges then what makes her different from us mortals? The first thing that comes to mind is that she's a character in a film so she can play any kind of role the script writer chooses. The next thing that comes to me is that she must have had some needs met to enable her to stay away from being violent (although i do remember her having a laser in her hand-protective use of force?). She had friends (humans, robots and creatures) no different to children. These friends were devoted to supporting her well-being. She had safety within the ship, had the rugged Han Solo and loving Luke Skywalker to physically protect her. She had a strong sense of meaning and purpose in life and that was to commit to the well-being of others. I would say that's fundamental in staying away from the dark side.
From here I am going down the rabbit hole. One of my favourite pastimes...
I have a strong memory of Carrie Fisher in her ‘real’ life living in a state of extreme inner turmoil and labeled as having bipolar affective disorder. I nursed people who had this diagnosis and often they are in so much distress that they harm themselves or others and even attempt to or do take their own lives. I left psychiatry for a reason. I felt sick (in myself) of this way of treating people. Diagnose, label and then give medication to fix. I'm not saying that medication doesn't have value because I have seen where it does and it can cause the opposite effect.
I'm also curious about the world of Hollywood, the industry and what it demands of people. Was Carrie destined to struggle with her mental health or is it that her deeper needs were not being met? I know how i feel when my system is strongly reacting when I have a need to feel secure, loved and belong. I know some people rise to the challenge of intense schedules and being ‘famous’ and some do not. I remember training as a dance artist and although I loved to perform at times the training schedule was more than my system wanted to manage. I pushed through this at times to the detriment of my physical and mental well-being. I'm curious if there's another way to be in this business and hold ultimate care for everyone. I think there is.
Films might take longer to make, although if we were living in a world where we could trust that our needs will be met then perhaps there wouldn't be this 'demand' for entertainment. Entertainment is a strategy to meet needs. I know for myself when I connect to what I need in the moment I don't have a buildup of tension and therefore no need to engage in intense situations to relieve my tension.