You are getting close to eight years old now, and someday when you're older I'll bring you back to this post in this fabulous community so you can see that there are countless others who believe the same things that I do. But I want to say this now while I'm thinking about it.
You see, all people are equal. We all have problems and we all have things we'd like to have done differently. But I truly believe that most of us are good in heart and spirit, and that sometimes people just get off course. We come in all shapes and sizes, colors and beliefs, and with experiences that are unique to each of us. But we're all human and all deserving of love and respect.
But sometimes there are people who are mean. Sometimes there are people who don't understand that the things they do hurt others. Sometimes there are people who only care about themselves. And sometimes there are just plain old evil people.
Since you were born, a lot of bad things have happened in the world. When you were barely two years old, one of the greatest national tragedies in American history occurred on September 11, 2001. A lot of people died that day, and the people who killed them were bad people. But we have to ask ourselves why they were bad. I believe they were bad because they have been treated badly for a long time. That doesn't make what they did right, but it teaches us to not treat others badly, because someday they may do bad things to get back at us.
A lot of other really bad things have happened since. Despite what you see on the endless video games you play when you're not home with me, bullets and guns and other weapons kill people. And sometimes the people who die are just normal people like you and me. What if I died? You would be sad. Most of the people who are dying every day are mommies and daddies and kids who haven't done anything wrong. So why are they dying?
Because there are people who only care about themselves. Remember how I told you that George W. Bush is a big fat jerk (you know, when you told me "jerk" is a bad word)? Well, Mr. Bush only cares about himself. He wants power. You're a little Star Wars nut. Remember when Annikin Skywalker killed the Jedi, including the "younglings" in Episode III? And how Annikin turned into Darth Vader? That's the closest I can get to explaining why President Bush is a jerk.
Our hope is in a rebel alliance. People here in this community work hard to try to change things, to make America a better place and to help us become the best country we can be. But we won't live forever, and so we have to begin teaching the kids to start standing up and being rebels, too.
The Force is a power that runs through all things. And it has two sides...the "Jedi" side and the "Sith" side. You want to be on the Jedi side. Because Sith only want power so they can control how other people live and to make war on people they don't like or don't understand.
I want to teach you to be a political Jedi, my son. Honor your elders, but question their authority with grace and respect. Participate in all things, because if you stand back and watch you have no control over what happens.
And mostly, as Yoda said: "Try not. Do or do not. There is no try."