The hero must die to self and all the things he clings to, and must be remade to lean on truth and purpose.

Why is effortless success unsatisfying in fiction? Life teaches us: inaction prevents fulfillment of desires. But trying is always not enough. We know we must sacrifice what we want to gain what we need. Resign the beliefs that tether us to the fear and inaction so that we can grasp our purpose. In other words, finding our purpose comes when we sacrifice the self and let go of what weighs us down and holds us back.

In a few days, it will by May 4^th, Star Wars Day. And this got me thinking about some of the best light saber battles in the Star Wars Universe. The Duel of the Fates is one of the most cinematic, but it lacks the emotional weight of the Mustafar and later a baren moon during the Obi-Wan mini-series.

The two duels bring up a burning question why does Obi-Wan defeat Vader? Or better yet, how?

Vader is clearly more powerful. Anger and vengeance fuel him. These passionate emotions make him powerful. He initially defeats Obi-Wan and buries him under layers of rocks that he hurls onto his former master. All the while taunting Obi-wan about his weakness and failure. Weakness and failure that Vader sees in himself and fears.

Where Vader is fueled by anger. Obi-wan is fueled by hope, love, and purpose. As he lays buried under layers rock, he reflects on his last duel with Anakin—the one that left Anakin limbless and burning, and must face the reality that he “made” Vader. Anakin was Obi’s apprentice. It was his responsibility to teach him the ways of the light side of the force; to use his abilities for good and to serve others. Instead, Anakin used his powers for selfish purposes. Obi-wan has spent ten years in the deserts of Tatooine haunted by this failure. But in his low point, Obi-wan also contemplates his purpose: to protect Anakin’s children. To safeguard the secret from the Empire and the Sith. It is this purpose that gives him the strength to dig himself out from the rubble, pull himself up and face Vader again.

Given the chance to kill Vader, he again spares him. But he has learned something that will help him move beyond his failure. Anakin’s choices led to his own downfall, not Obi-wan’s failure as a master. As Vader famously says, “You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker, I did. The same way I will destroy you.” Seeing his partially unmasked opponent, he sees the face of his former apprentice and the guilt and regret flood back. “I’m sorry Anakin…for all of it.” He feels the weight of Anakin’s loss and his own part in breaking that friendship. “I am not your failure Obi-Wan.” Vader admits he is the one who destroyed Anakin, not Obi-Wan. Once Obi-wan sees that his friend is “truly dead,” at his own hands, Obi-wan can now let go of his guilt and move on, to fully embrace his purpose as Luke’s protector. Now rather than languishing in his failure, he patiently waits for Luke to seek out the truth of his father and the force.