The Living Force
- "The ways of the Living Force are beyond our understanding... But fear not. You are in the hands of something much greater and much better than you can imagine."
- ―Qui-Gon Jinn
The Living Force was thought to be present in most living beings. The Jedi had the ability to sense the Living Force inside of life forms. Sick or dying organisms had little Living Force, while healthy ones possessed a level corresponding to their midi-chlorian count. The connection to the Living Force apparently also allowed Jedi Masters to retain their identity when they became one with the Force.
The only species known to exist without the Living Force were the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong, on whom the Force had no effect. As the Yuuzhan Vong were still living they did possess midi-chlorians.
Proponents of the Living Force view, such as Qui-Gon Jinn, espoused a philosophy of "living in the moment," relied heavily on their instincts and concentrated more on sensitivity to living things, rather than fulfilling destiny, which was one of the main tenents of the Unifying Force philosophy. Had the Jedi Order adopted this stance, it might have allowed them to prevent the war that gave rise to the Galactic Empire, as many of its members lost themselves in looking toward the future rather than observing the occurrences unraveling in front of them.
Yoda may have taught Luke Skywalker in his training to avoid making this mistake again, and to focus in the moment as well as in the long view.
