What a time to be alive. Not because the American 2016 election is a soap opera. Not because the UK is leaving the EU, sending Europe into a frenzy. Not because the Olympics are taking over everything on our T.V’s and social media. Ladies and gentlemen, we are living in the most extraordinary time to be a Star Wars fan.

As an avid supporter, Star Wars continues to hit me in the face every week. Almost a month ago, the Star Wars Celebration 2016 concluded and I’ve realized that never before have Star Wars fans had the accessibility to information about everything Star Wars. 63 videos have been uploaded from the 3 day event onto the official Star Wars Youtube account and I have still not finished watching it all. We are in the midst of a cultural phenomenon never before witnessed on our pale blue dot. The Force Awakens broke dozens of box office records last December and that was only the first of 6 Star Wars films to be released in the next 5 years. This year our theaters worldwide will be graced by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the first installment of a Star Wars film independent from the Skywalker Saga covering episodes 1-9, and they are releasing a new trailer on Thursday during NBC’s Olympic coverage (hence the timing of this post). Rian Johnson’s episode 8 in December 2017 will see the (real) return of Luke Skywalker, more Daisy Ridley (Rey), the evolution of Kylo Ren, and so much more, promising to be perhaps the best Star Wars film ever. What a time to be alive.

However, whether you are a fan or not, as members of humankind, recent world events also allows us to take in Star Wars as the guide to our actions (this is where the WILBing begins). In the words of my dear uncle Buck, everything always comes back to Star Wars; it is a metaphor for all things in life. In recent months, fear, division, and instability has dominated the psyche of people around the world. Nevertheless, Star Wars stands strong as a beacon of cosmopolitanism.

If you support Star Wars, you support cosmopolitanism. Regardless of species, race, or planetary origin, all creatures in the galaxy far far away are either light or dark. Loving and caring for our fellow humankind regardless of nationality, religion, skin color, etc. is something our world does not perform enough. For the movie production itself, Disney/Lucasfilm has made a point to hire a variety of actors spanning all races and genders in all of its Star Wars installments in order to represent the whole of our world in their galaxy.

Lately in the real world, cosmopolitanism is on a downward trend. However, when dissecting Star Wars there are countless metaphorical responses to these anti-cosmopolitan events. The American presidential election has been a long fear mongering festival: fear of Muslims, fear of immigrants, fear of the global economy, the list goes on. If you know Star Wars, then you know to never forget the wise words of Master Yoda: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” The Dark Side flourishes with fear. In times like these, there are those trying to take advantage of these fearful moments and take more power while they can. Hitler did it in 1930’s Germany. Chancellor Palpatine did it during the Clone Wars. America must not forget Padme Amidala’s shocking discovery: “So this is how liberty dies… With thunderous applause.” Like young Luke Skywalker, it might be difficult for us in such chaotic times to tell the good things from the bad things, but again Master Yoda hits us with the wisdom: “you will know when you are calm, at peace, passive.” A true Jedi is cosmopolitan. They identify not with a species or a planet; their ally is the Force and they protect anyone and anything it touches. Unfortunately, evil does sometimes win, as the Revenge of the Sith and the Empire Strikes Back demonstrates. However, we know that the sentiment and power of the Jedi will always win in the end. The central theme that guides the Jedi is the inherent cosmopolitanism they promote through the Force. So, my fellow believers in a better world, ask yourself more often “What would Yoda do?” (#WWYD) and you’ll find yourself acting much more like a cosmopolitan, much more like a true Jedi. If you don’t believe in me and this message, well, I find your lack of faith disturbing.

May the Force Be With You All,

Casey Copp