So What if My Guru is a Muppet?

Some of the wisest words of wisdom I’ve encountered come from Yoda.

Photo by Nikhil Mistry on Unsplash

When I was a small child, my parents took me to see a movie that would have a tremendous impact on my life. In 1977, Star Wars was this mesmerizing, amazing piece of fiction that had so many unexpected nuances wrapped into Campbell’s Hero’s Journey amid spaceships, lasers, and swords made of light.

Yes, I’m well aware of the imperfections in the story and that it’s not high drama. You can’t deny, however, the cultural phenomenon that it began. From that one movie, a whole industry emerged, and you could argue that the current greater acceptance of geek culture in the mainstream started here.

Then, in 1980, the second movie came out, The Empires Strikes Back. It was dark, it revealed an unexpected plot twist, and it featured multiple losses, but without loss of hope. It also introduced a character with a level of wisdom I’d never encountered before.

Yoda is from a species never identified, even to this day. He is one of 3 known to Star Wars fans, which include Yaddle and Grogu. He lived to be 900 years old. His speech patterns are bizarre and unlike any other character in the series.

Throughout Star Wars and its movies, cartoons, and live-action shows, Yoda has provided a…