They're not crazy, they're Jedi!

"I am a Jedi." So said Luke Skywalker defiantly in Return of the Jedi just before Emperor Palpatine tortured and nearly killed him with Force lightning. It is a powerful statement of affirmation, the moment where Luke -- and Darth Vader -- decide who they want to be.

"I am a Jedi!" said Tracy Jordan, brandishing a red plastic lightsaber while running down California's Interstate 405 in his underwear during the pilot episode of 30 Rock. This hilarious scene is used to demonstrate that Tracy is somewhat unstable.

But humour aside, announcing yourself as a Jedi today is likely to be met with derision.

After all, Jedi aren't real, are they?

Despite the best efforts of many, Jediism is still not an official religion -- at least not in Australia, where over 70,000 people listed their faith as Jedi in the 2001 census.

But with or without official church status, I personally find it more useful to consider Jediism first and foremost as a philosophical or ideological compass -- because this is where it has the most practical use in our world.

There are countless websites outlining interpretations of the Jedi way. I've summed up some basic tenets along with my observations of the films:

• Respect all living things. Even Jar Jar Binks had a role to play in the galaxy.
• Be open-minded. Anakin Skywalker was convinced that anyone who didn't support him must be his enemy. In reality people and situations aren't so black and white.
• Uphold peace. The Jedi generally served as ambassadors or protectors. Despite most of them being skilled fighters, their role was not to attack unless they had absolutely no other choice.
• Defend democracy. Palpatine was able to reconfigure the democratic Republic into his own dictatorial Empire for "security" reasons; people were more concerned about short-term stability than they were about the civil rights of those around them, until they themselves were persecuted. Unfortunately we see this pattern throughout our own history.
• Continuously improve yourself. Even a Jedi Master's training is not complete. Yoda continued to meditate and value the input of others, including Younglings, despite being hundreds of years older than everyone else. Even the best can learn from other people, experiences and texts.

There are other Jedi doctrines and practices at various Jediism sites, drawing not only from Star Wars but also from existing religions and philosophies such as Buddhism. But I think the points above are a good start. A person's character is more important than the specifics of their religion, or whether or not they even have a religion.