One thing which I would expect to surprise people when they find out that Jedis are peaceloving and prefer to avoid violence, is the focus and training Jedis have with weapons. And when I say 'weapons', I do not mean with arcane devices like the movies show, but a variety of basic tools for fighting and killing.

Jedi are devoted to life, protection, and helping people, but it is a scale of priorities. We will not kill the innocent, but if it is necessary to kill an evil man to protect the good, we will try to find another way but act with force, even deadly force, should that be unavoidable. And because we enter situations of conflict, that action is often necessary and therefore we must train for it, reaction and decision must be made without error. A Jedi in doubt may not strike.

First, there is the selection of weapons. Because we must know what will happen if we act in force, we must be sure of what our chosen weapons will do, so that we do not harm where none is intended. Thus, a Jedi learns a variety of weapons, including firearms, blade, arrows and darts, and a range of blunt and ramming weapons, but keys on two major types and with care to know the limits of their capacity. So a Jedi who primaries in guns will maintain his own weapons, and prepare his own ammunition, so that he knows the grains in each bullet and the adjustment of his sights. The Jedi who primaries on blade will know the precise weight and length of his blades, as well as their composition, balance, flexibility and incision psi on human flesh.

Thorleif wrote:

So, Jedi is a warrior tradition?

I didn't know that.

For some, yes. It's not required, though. It all depends on the path chosen, but since some Jedi need to protect someone or something, the use of weapons comes naturally. I know two Rangers here in Texas, who are Jedi because it fits both their spiritual and functional needs. Too many religions tend to disrespect soldiers and warriors, and few indeed offer any practical exercise of force.

I have also found that Jedi offers a more effective physical regimen. I don't know how many people realize that Tai Chi uses movements similar to fundamental martial arts moves. For example, the Shaolin master who teaches my daughter also teaches Tai Chi to students who take both courses. If someone were to attack my family, I worry that I could not get to a gun in time if I had it stored somewhere, so instead I have learned close-action combat moves, designed to delay an aggressor so my family can flee, and to disarm an attacker. This requires a discipline which focuses on very specific locations and actions, as well as the practice of knowing my house well enough to be able to take advantages of key locations for stealth and defense. The benefit is, the same practice that prepares me to defend my family, also allows me a frame for meditation at the same time.