In ANH, right after the stormtroopers leave the Falcon, Han and company come out of the smuggling compartments.
Han snaps, “This is ridiculous. Even if I could take off, I’d never get past the tractor beam.”
Obi-Wan calmly tells them to “Leave that to me.”
An annoyed and angry Han replies, “Damn fool. I knew that you were going to say that!”
Obi-Wan rhetorically asks, “Who’s the more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows it?”
Han’s frustration level is on the rise. What he thought was going to be a fairly straightforward flight from Tatooine to Alderaan turned out to be anything but that. He had to blast his way out of Mos Eisley and now has been captured by a tractor beam aboard the Death Star.
He starts taking that frustration out on Ob-Wan, who is remaining calm throughout the whole ordeal.
Often, younger people lack their elders’ experience and will get anxious when in a new and troubling situation.
While Han was straightforward, fight them head-on, type of person. Obi-Wan was more strategic. These two show how true Proverbs 20:29 is when we read, “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. ”
When Han calls Ob-Wan a damn fool, Obi-Wan softly answers him back, an example of how “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).
Before we become angry or annoyed with our elders, let us listen first with the intent of hearing what they have to say, not to rebuke them.
How can we show respect to our elders today?
