Yoda is kind of a jerk

Yoda from Star Wars once famously told Luke Skywalker, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

I think that there are times when this is absolutely true. Whenever your ability to do something is based simply upon your willingness to do it or not, Yoda is right.

“Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

I’ll try to do my homework
I’ll try to be on time.
I’ll try to keep my room clean.
I’ll try to be more patient with my mother-in-law.
I’ll try not to drink too much at the football game.

Yes, in each of these instances, I agree with Yoda. “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

But there are also times in our lives when all you can do is try. Take, for example, lifting a spaceship out of a swamp with your mind. Something you’ve never done before and never seen done. This is what Luke Skywalker was attempting when Yoda uttered this famous phrase.

What a jerk.

A farm boy from a desert planet who had never even heard about the Force until a year or two earlier finds himself on an alien swamp planet, being asked by a talking frog to lift a spaceship out of the swamp using only his thoughts.

No, Yoda. This is most definitely an “I’ll try” situation. Admittedly, Luke’s assertion that he would try wasn’t very convincing, but even so, lifting a spaceship from a swamp with your mind for the first time is most assuredly an “I’ll try” moment.

Much like:

I’ll try to hit a home run.
I’ll try to answer all of the math equations correctly.
I’ll try to make that girl fall in love with me.
I’ll try to make a tuna avocado melt that tastes good.
I’ll try to write a blog post without a typo.

There are moments in our lives when “Do. Or do not. There is no try,” is nonsense.

Kind of like the time when Yoda failed to defeat the Emperor in a light saber battle and end the threat of the Empire forever.

What happened in that situation, Yoda? Did you choose, “Do not end the threat of the Empire?” “Do not spare the lives of millions of innocent life forms?” “Do not save your Jedi friend?”

No, Yoda. You tried. And failed. Your own words.

So spare us the “Do. Or do not. There is no try” nonsense. It’s the kind of thing an arrogant jackass would say.