A Metaphysical Analysis of the Force Part 2: Balance

Balance in the Force

Balance is a tricky and oft misunderstood concept in Star Wars. Part of the common misunderstandings comes from how vague it is in the context of the films. Anakin Skywalker, the chosen one, is destined to bring "Balance" to the force. There is little detail on what precisely Balance is, and what it looks like. George Lucas has previously said that balance only exists with the extermination of the Dark Side, the Dark Side acting like a sort of cancer in the force. But despite that being his position at one point in time, episodes of clone wars he worked on such as the Mortis arc portray a concept of balance much closer to the sensation of equality between light and dark. And then you have some people claiming that Anakin brought balance to the force by making it so there were only 2 Jedi and 2 Sith in the entire galaxy (an incorrect assertion, but I get it, it's a meme). So what, if anything, does the concept of "Balance in the Force" actually mean. A reminder going in, these are my own ideas and interpretations, and shouldn't be taken as canon, especially if they're contradicted by later media. 

Powerful Light Powerful Darkness

Ultimately, the Dark Side is not something that can be removed. It's something that lives inside all beings, as much a part of the force as anything else. It's created and fed by living creatures own innate flaws. Their jealousy, their anger, their fear, their greed. All of these things are part of the Dark Side, and part of the nature of life. Yoda, when asked if the dark side is stronger, reminds us that it is quicker and easier, but not stronger. This idea parallels some philosophers from our world. For instance, Thomas Hobbes believed that humanity was inherently violent, and that building peaceful societies took an effort which was against our nature as humans. Similarly, following the light takes far more effort then following the darkness, because the light asks for self sacrifice and control.

An interesting thing to note in the movies is that Dark Power is concentrated, while the power of the light is able to spread. The rulership of the Sith tended to coalesce into two leaders, even before Bane formalized the rule of two. On the Temple Island of Ach-To, while the entire island teems with the light side, there is one single concentrated place of darkness. Ultimately, I believe this is twofold. 

One, the Dark Side is self concentrating. The dark side is a path of selfishness, and leads those who gain power to seek more power. This ultimately leads to the crushing of those beneath them in the search of more power still. This means that power innately flows upwards to a centralized area, concentrating itself into one or two beings. For an example of this, look at the ending of The Rise of Skywalker. Palpatine declares that the spirits and power of the former Sith dwell in him. Their power has flown upwards, and concentrated into one being. Contrast this with Rey at the end, who is supported by the light side spirits and works in concert with them, rather then being the sole expressor of their power. The dark side self concentrates, while the light side disperses it's power

Two, because the Dark Side cannot be wiped out, it must be contained. Throughout canon, we see time and time again that attempting to stamp out the dark side only gives it more power. The dark side must be acknowledges, seen for what it is, and contained. This is why many Jedi sites are built near dark side force loci, or why areas strong in the light side have one single area corrupted by the darkness. The darkness must be somewhere, so it must be contained in one area. This is what Luke means in the Last Jedi when he says "Balance. Powerful light powerful darkness". It is the light which holds back the darkness.

Bringing Balance to the Force

All of this then begs the question, what exactly is balance and how is it brought to the force. Well, I believe that the force is unbalanced when the dark side is left unchecked. The light side by its nature is a path of living in harmony with the force, so a galaxy dominated by light is not unbalanced. But a galaxy dominated by the darkness, where the governing philosophy is using the force for your own personal gain rather then moving in concert with the will of the force, that's unsustainable. This means that the mere existence of the sith is not necessarily a sign of imbalance. However, due to the nature of the sith, if the sith are allowed to exist they will forever seek to knock the force out of balance. This is why Anakin brings balance to the force at the end of Return of the Jedi, and why Sideous surviving his supposed death doesn't mean Anakin fails to bring back balance to the force. He destroys the empire, and forces the sith back to the shadows. Then, 30 years later when the sith are threatening to reassert themselves, Rey ends the sith permanently (probably).

Balance is also reflective of a state of calm in the force and the galaxy. Not only does the domination of the dark cause the force to lose balance, but the conflict between them as well. Conflict is inherently corruptive, hence why the Clone Wars played such a critical role in the Jedi's downfall. Acting as soldiers in a war against the dark may not be an act of the dark side in and of itself, but as the light side is a path of harmony and life, the discord and death inherent in war make it hardly an act of the light. However, the Dark is able to thrive in the discord. Similar to Sideous tempting Luke to strike him down, the act of making war against the dark can threaten to strengthen it. This is why the sith always prove their undoing, whether it be through their own infighting before the rise of bane, their hubris through the betrayal of Sideous by Anakin Skywalker, or through their own power undoing them as in the destruction of Sideous by Rey Skywalker.

Ultimately, Balance means a time where the Light is able to hold back the Darkness which is inherent to living creatures, who will always in some way desire to serve themselves. The key to achieving Balance is in finding a state of equilibrium, where the Dark cannot expand and make war against the light, and the light is able to flow in Harmony with the living force. It's not the full eradication of the dark side, which is impossible, nor is it the absolute equality of Dark and Light, which goes against the definition of the two philosophies. Balance is about reaching a state of harmonious equilibrium.