Uploaded January 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Jedi Living Presents – Living as a Real Jedi Knight
Jedi Rules of Engagement Series: #8 - Exercise Caution, Even in Trivial Matters
When we say to exercise caution we are saying to pay attention. And that is all this rule is - distilled it becomes - Be Mindful, even in small things. I throw it into the Chop Wood, Carry Water category. Whatever you are doing, do it 100% present. Embrace the details. Now we can expand on this since the Jedi Rules of Engagement were originally about the engagement of conflict, not dissimilar to military rules of engagement, which we'll get into that correlation at a later time. But with that understanding we can see the direct relation of the rule - exercise caution, even in trivial matters - a warning against rushing ahead and ignoring simple and basic steps and information.
We can get ahead of ourselves at times. Jump to conclusions. Disregard small things as unimportant. Preparation can help in a lot of this. Habit in small things is core. As the Yoda quote goes, “Easy it becomes to be false in big things, if false you are in small ones.” But mainly it comes down to us consciously being mindful within the moment. Many mistakes have occurred by simply falling into complacency.
In the Police Academy they drilled home the concept that there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. As soon as you start to fall into that, you are lulled into a false sense of security. This applies across life. Oh I don't need to lock my car door in this neighborhood. Oh I don't need to crack a window for my dog, I'll just a minute. These are the beginnings of stories that don't end well.
So as much as we can apply this rule to diplomacy, conflict, etc. It best applies to our life as a reminder to not become complacent. To not lull ourselves to sleep in a false sense of security. Even in our own training and Jedi groups – exercise caution, even in trivial matters.
The Ten Rules Of Engagement:
1. Let the Force be your guide.
2. Know your motives for becoming involved.
3. Seek to know the motives of others involved.
4. Be aware of outside motivators.
5. Understand the dark and light in all things.*
6. Learn to see accurately.*
7. Open your eyes to what is not evident.*
8. Exercise caution, even in trivial matters.*
9. Examine closely who benefits, and how they do so.
10. Examine closely who is harmed, and why.
-= Resources =-
Website: jediliving.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jediliving
Twitter: twitter.com/JediLiving
Tumblr: jediliving.tumblr.com
Training Material (books): amazon.com/K.-S.-Trout/e/B00LLXUJ06
-= Video Credits =-
Music By: Kevin Macleod (http://incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
All Else (Video, Writing, Editing, Etc.): Opie Macleod (K.S. Trout)
Jedi Living Presents – Living as a Real Jedi Knight
Jedi Rules of Engagement Series: #8 - Exercise Caution, Even in Trivial Matters
When we say to exercise caution we are saying to pay attention. And that is all this rule is - distilled it becomes - Be Mindful, even in small things. I throw it into the Chop Wood, Carry Water category. Whatever you are doing, do it 100% present. Embrace the details. Now we can expand on this since the Jedi Rules of Engagement were originally about the engagement of conflict, not dissimilar to military rules of engagement, which we'll get into that correlation at a later time. But with that understanding we can see the direct relation of the rule - exercise caution, even in trivial matters - a warning against rushing ahead and ignoring simple and basic steps and information.
We can get ahead of ourselves at times. Jump to conclusions. Disregard small things as unimportant. Preparation can help in a lot of this. Habit in small things is core. As the Yoda quote goes, “Easy it becomes to be false in big things, if false you are in small ones.” But mainly it comes down to us consciously being mindful within the moment. Many mistakes have occurred by simply falling into complacency.
In the Police Academy they drilled home the concept that there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. As soon as you start to fall into that, you are lulled into a false sense of security. This applies across life. Oh I don't need to lock my car door in this neighborhood. Oh I don't need to crack a window for my dog, I'll just a minute. These are the beginnings of stories that don't end well.
So as much as we can apply this rule to diplomacy, conflict, etc. It best applies to our life as a reminder to not become complacent. To not lull ourselves to sleep in a false sense of security. Even in our own training and Jedi groups – exercise caution, even in trivial matters.
The Ten Rules Of Engagement:
1. Let the Force be your guide.
2. Know your motives for becoming involved.
3. Seek to know the motives of others involved.
4. Be aware of outside motivators.
5. Understand the dark and light in all things.*
6. Learn to see accurately.*
7. Open your eyes to what is not evident.*
8. Exercise caution, even in trivial matters.*
9. Examine closely who benefits, and how they do so.
10. Examine closely who is harmed, and why.
-= Resources =-
Website: jediliving.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jediliving
Twitter: twitter.com/JediLiving
Tumblr: jediliving.tumblr.com
Training Material (books): amazon.com/K.-S.-Trout/e/B00LLXUJ06
-= Video Credits =-
Music By: Kevin Macleod (http://incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
All Else (Video, Writing, Editing, Etc.): Opie Macleod (K.S. Trout)
