Mechasaurian
Big Bossu
- Location
- Lost among fields of history
- Pronouns
- They/Them
"Jedi are encouraged to love."The first bit has some elements of truth to it, but the conclusion that allowing it would have tempered his worst character traits is ludicrous when many of Anakin's worst character traits are found in his relationship with Padme
As for stifling and bottling up feelings, no. That's patent nonsense, the opposite of any reasonable version of the truth.
- Jedi are forbidden to marry, but they are also encouraged to love.
- Jedi aren't allowed to have possessive relationships, and Anakin flipping out over Padme saying she's going to leave him demonstrates extreme possessiveness
- Jedi aren't allowed to let their attachments (inability to let go) rule them, and Anakin's attachment to Padme drives him fucking nuts.
The PT repeated shows Jedi telling each other to be mindful of their feelings -- to think about them, not to bottle them up and ignore them.
Article: Mace Windu: to Anakin Skywalker "Be mindful of your feelings"
Jedi-Critical Fandom: "Is this suppressing emotion?"
"Jedi are encouraged to suppress their emotions" is the pigeon the butterfly isn't.
Article: Depa Billaba: to Caleb Dume: "You must not grow too attached, too fond, too in love with life as it is now. Those emotions are valuable and should not be suppressed... but you must learn to rule them, padawan, lest they rule you"
Article: Obi-Wan Kenobi: to Anakin "It's not that we're not allowed to have these feelings -- it's natural."
This information comes from Anakin, when he is chatting up Padme. He is transparently rationalizing away the restrictions the Jedi Order has placed on him. A reliable source, he is not.
"Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is central to a Jedi's life. So you might say we are encouraged to love."
- Anakin Skywalker, while impressing Padme with sick telekinesis skills
The Jedi are supposed to be "loving" in an austere, monk-like, celibate manner - a sort of all-encompassing altruism that, while very admirable in some senses, crucially does not take into account their own desires and feelings (unless those desires and feelings happen to line up with the greater good). For someone as naturally passionate as Anakin, and given his past, this was a big ask.
The fact that we never see a single Coruscanti Jedi on screen in a romantic relationship (in addition to their austure, celibate cinematic language) is very telling.