I am Opie Macleod. My very first accounts were under Opie_Penz from about 1997-1998 (before, 94-97, that I didn't have a screen name and watched quietly - Lurker). In 1999 I adopted the name Opie-Wan and became vocal at the Force Academy. After a brief hiatus I came back as Opie-Wan Macleod. I jumped between many screen-names 00-03. Eventually Opie Macleod became the solid choice and one I have kept pretty constantly since. In that time I have been a member of several "Councils". I have been given various Ranks including Jedi Knight and Jedi Master. These all come from various organizations with varying degrees of "difficulty" in earning them (I'd list all this individually, but it is long and unnecessary). From 2000-2010 I fought the entire Jedi Community on Standards, Accountability, Titles, Training, and Materials. Demanding more, demanding better. By 2011 I stopped fighting them and focused solely on advancing the Jedi Way. I have written a few books on the Community, the Path, and our Philosophy. I showed that YouTube could be a valuable tool in training (not the first, probably not the best, but the one that took it to the next level). I have written the most Jedi lessons by a singular Jedi in our (brief) history (103/T3 will have 125 lessons alone). And have built the most complete archive of our past community. Despite claims to the contrary I have never actually left the Jedi Community (taken breaks for sure) and hold the distinction of having the longest active streak in the community 1999-2020. The point?
What Rank/Title do you believe I hold? The answer is Jedi. That is all. Because all that nonsense above only amounts to one simple thing. That I am right there in the trenches with you. Every single day I wake up is Day One. Every day is a new day to either succeed at being a Jedi or fail at being a Jedi. It doesn't magically change from day one to day 7665. Certain things become easier. Patterns are much easier to recognize. Tried and true methods have been discovered. Pitfalls have been charted. But it still means waking up and being a Jedi. It still requires daily practices (meditation, fitness, etc.). It still requires patience and execution.
The only difference between you and me is what day we are on. The rest? It is the same. You'll struggle. I'll struggle. But we work through it - together. We take each step as Jedi as best we can. We live, we learn, we grow. There is no title that changes that. There is no amount of time that changes that. We are Jedi on this Path together. I have more experience as a Jedi. I have faced a plethora of life's challenges as a Jedi. But each morning we walk through the trenches as Jedi together.
So how do we acknowledge growth and experience if we don't use titles? How can people know that I have been through the wars as a Jedi and I am not some newbie playing pretend or some "Old Guard" trying to relive past glories that never were? Badges. Recognition for Effort and Experience. Time put into studying, training, and living as a Jedi in everyday life. Here you will learn how our badge system works. How to earn each badge. And how you can display your own badges.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate your time.
