Recently I have been reading the work of Carlos Castenada and Dr. Wayne Dyer, two teachers whose writings speak to the existence of an energetic Source. Dyer's work in particular ties into the ancient philosophy of the Tao, set down by Lao Tzu in the sixth century B.C.
Be it a bit nerdy, but in conjunction with my reading of late, my mind naturally drifts to a connection between these philosophies and Star Wars, and the meaning of the Force. In the words of Obi Wan, "the force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."
Likewise and in an extreme nutshell, the Tao refers to the spiritual law which governs this world in which we all exist. Call it God, a Higher Power, the Universe, Spirit, whatever, it's an energetic field through which we flow, a Spirit that governs the natural world and determines our place within it.

Just say, for example, that I am a Jedi knight. Much like Carlos Castaneda's "sorcerers", I live in commune with the force which flows through us all and I do so to such an extent that I can channel it towards an object of my choosing, precisely because I understand that these very objects are themselves illusions.
It is as a Jedi that I approach my life, seeing every event and every actor as having arrived exactly when they have been ordained to. To me, difficulty is as much a gift as is ease and there is beauty in everything that crosses my path, be it as fun and adorable as an Ewok or as intense and threatening as Lord Vader himself. It is in conjunction with this mindset that I am able to choose between the paths of darkness and light, hatred and love, anger and forgiveness and in doing so find that, even those people or event which seem difficult and threatening are actually beautiful lessons which exist to strengthen my connection with the force.

As a Jedi, I know that I am not alone. Teachers from my past, others who are in touch with the force, be they Obi Wan, Yoda, or Mrs. Gargulo from the second grade, will be with me always. My friends, be they Han, Chewy and Leia or Richa, Kahle and Ari, are beside me. They may not understand my Jedi ways nor may they operate in conjunction with the force in a similar way as I, but that is not their job and I know that. What matters is not the extent to which our mastery or understanding of the force matches up but that we love and support one another, regardless of our ability to understand each other.

Jedi have partners be they droids, Wookies, or, in my case, Ham. The force is strong with my partner Ham just as it is with me. Because our powers are in communion, we share a relationship in which words are not necessary.My Jedi powers enable me to anticipate incoming shots and to counter balance their negative energy with the use of my lightsaber and the use of intuition developed by meditation and intense training.

"To regard the fundamental as the essence, to regard things as coarse, to regard accumulation as deficiency, and to dwell quietly alone with the spiritual and the intelligent -- herein lie the techniques of Tao of the ancients." -Chuang Tzu