AF Texas Hub: Can the Force Fix the World?

In honor of Star Wars Day, join AF Texas Hub for a book talk and signing with Stephen Kent, author of How the Force Can Fix the World.

AF-Texas will be hosting author Steven Kent for a complimentary book talk at Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy on Wednesday, May 4 from 6-8 p.m. Drinks and light snacks will be served. Copies of Steven’s book are available for pre-purchase at a discounted rate with limited quantities available for purchase at the event.

About How the Force Can Fix the World:

From widespread unemployment and mounting international hostilities, every day we are swept into more political chaos—so one brave man looks to the Star Wars universe for answers to our most urgent problems.

“You can’t stop the change — any more than you can stop the sun from setting.” Anakin Skywalker was never able to live with this wisdom shared by his mother on the day he left home to train as a Jedi Knight. (Spoiler Alert) That failure led him to become the fearsome villain we all know as Darth Vader.

We’re living in a time of unprecedented and rapid change. An age of chaos. Democracies are in decline worldwide. Dictators are ascendant. Civic organizations are crumbling. People feel lonelier and more rudderless than in any other time in recent history. We’ve tried to slow down, and in some cases we, like Anakin, have tried stop the change, but failed at every turn. The fears that come with living in an age of disruption have produced public anger, and that anger has swelled movements of hate.

Author Stephen Kent believes part of the solution is hiding in plain sight. A story that binds together multiple generations with a common language, a moral framework, and a sense of wonder. It’s Star Wars.

What if we looked to Star Wars for more than just entertainment? How the Force Can Fix the World takes this challenge on by analyzing the core principles of the Star Wars franchise: HOPE, CHOICE, HUMILITY, EMPATHY, REDEMPTION, BALANCE and rejecting FEAR. Together, these are the Star Wars roadmap for living better lives, and maybe even fostering better politics.

The path that we’re on — where fear leads to anger, and anger to hatred — will only end in suffering. But Star Wars shows us the way back from the brink. Shared stories of virtue that are beloved across cultures and political divides are hard to come by, but Star Wars is one such story. Turn on the news; things are pretty broken right now — but the Force can fix the world.

About the Author:

Stephen Kent was the host of Al Jazeera’s “Right Now with Stephen Kent” on the Rightly channel, and he is the longtime host of the Beltway Banthas Podcast. He is the founder of Better Media LLC, where he helps prepare clients in the public and private sector for media appearances and hone their craft at public speaking. He’s been published in USA Today, Washington Examiner, Reason Magazine, RealClearPolitics, Charlotte Observer, News & Observer, The Federalist, The American Conservative, American Spectator and has been mentioned in Vox, Vanity Fair and National Review.