Kindred Spirits

Before I begin, I would like to state that no one is as important as Jesus. Everyone else is secondary. Without Jesus, I would not be here.

With that said, let’s move on. May is Star Wars month, and I am so excited to celebrate May 4 with y’all on my blog. Since the movie series is eleven movies long, there are many memorable characters. Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader. R2-D2. Princess Leia. Lando Calrissian. Jyn Urso. (I’m sorry, fangirls, but Kylo Ren is not a great character in my book. I can never forgive him for killing Han Solo.)

Talking about the smuggler, he is the subject of this month’s Kindred Spirit! There are so many people I could have chosen from Star Wars, but I had to go with my favorite. Not only does he go against the norm, but he’s easily quotable, and there are a few life lessons that can be learned from him (As hard as it is to believe).

Going Against the Norm

All kindred spirits go against the social standards of their day. If they did not, they would be a flat character – nothing much to talk about. For those of you who have seen the original trilogy and The Force Awakens, you know how Han Solo is no exception to this rule!

• Han Solo is color-blind when it comes to people. To him, everyone is the same. If he’s talking to the Princess, he will treat her as an average person – just like he would speak to one of his peers. Han could care less if you are the wealthiest person in the galaxy; he will still act as if you are on the level with him, if not less. The only person he treated with the slightest bit of respect was Jabba the Hutt, but maybe that’s because the Hutt put a massive price on his head.

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• Han Solo always gets what he wants or ends up getting away with things. At first glance, this may not seem that it belongs in this section. But think about how many times Solo was able to escape from death. How many times his ship came out unscathed when everyone around him ended up getting blasted down. Also, don’t forget how he saved Luke on the planet Hoth and ended up getting the reward he wanted after rescuing the Princess.

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• Han Solo never fails to crack a joke or give a sarcastic comment in the driest or scariest of situations. I realize that this is pretty cliché for movie or TV characters, but it sure isn’t in everyday life. Not many of us would be brave enough to say something humorous when we’re frightened. But not Solo. Remember when he was on his way to death on the planet Tatooine? Also, when he was trying to save Princess Leia on the Death Star? He never fails to give us a good laugh in a tight situation.

Quotes

To be a kindred spirit, a character must speak memorable words. Words that fill us with hope. Words that guide us. Words that will stay with us forever – especially in our most challenging moments. Or maybe, like in the case of Han Solo, we’re just given a truckload of catchphrases that stick in our head. He never says anything that will help us with our life; regardless, for those of us who grew up with the series, we think back on them with a silly grin on our faces.

• “Look, Your Worshipfulness, let’s get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: me.” 

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•  “Never tell me the odds.” 

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• “Listen, big deal. You got another problem. Women always figure out the truth. Always.”

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•  “Escape now, hug later.”

Life Lessons

Ultimately, we must be able to learn life lessons from a kindred spirit. They must be an example to us in some aspect. When we walk away from the story, we will try to be a bit more like them. Not every kindred spirit is perfect; most of them make mistakes like Han Solo. Han can be the hardest to learn a lesson because of his stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking, nerf-herding self. But in the end, he always comes around.

• Han Solo doesn’t sit around doing a load of nothing. When there’s a problem, he helps. Do you remember when he left the Rebels to fend for themselves in A New Hope? For a moment, we thought he was gone for good. We believed that he actually really only cared about himself. When he returned to help Luke destroy the Death Star, our hearts filled with relief. We realized that he did care enough to save the day. Sadly, not many of us would step up like Han, including me. We would probably hope to be overlooked and left alone. But no matter how hard he tries, Han can only stand out.

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• Han Solo is scared of nothing – not even death. I think the most touching scene that proves this point is when the smuggler tried to get through to Ben. Without hesitation, he walked down that bridge, step-by-step, blind to Kylo Ren. Courageously, he did his best to reach out to his son and save him from the dark side. We know how this ended; it still makes my heart drop with the thought of it. Think this through carefully: How many of us would be this bold? Knowing that we could be killed, would we rush up to save a loved one? I know the quick response to this question would be “Yes!” for anybody. But really put yourself in Solo’s shoes. Would you have done the same?

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• Han Solo is selfless. Now, that might sound like a paradox given how he talks all the time. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the smuggler over the years, it’s that his talk doesn’t match with his walk. Sure, he may sound proud and rude, but his actions always show us one thing: he’s not self-centered at all. He’s actually pretty selfless. He would bend over backward to save Leia and Luke. He forgave Lando for his betrayal and tried to rescue the Rebellion countless times. How many of us are so quick to drop our pride and forgive others? Would we drop everything we were doing and go help a friend in need?

Conclusion

A kindred spirit is one whose nature is like your own. I started this page to write about similar characters, but then I got to thinking.

We can relate to some characters, and there are others we should strive to be. So is Han Solo a kindred spirit, or should we try to be like him more? I think he’s somewhere in between.

The smuggler can be pretty relatable, and other times he can be someone I want to be. So maybe I should try to be more ready to help others. Be prepared to forgive if forgiveness is asked of me. Set to go the extra mile for a friend in need. Stand up courageously in what I believe.

Maybe I am supposed to be a bit more like the smuggler… But at the same time, stay away from his prideful manner.