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Available for over a year

The story of good versus evil is probably as old as humankind, but there are always new ways of telling it. On Thursday, a trailer for a film that won't be coming out until the end of the year was released online, and in the first 12 hours it was watched over 14 million times. Reactions ranged from excitement to tears of joy. I'm talking, of course, about the next instalment of the Star Wars saga. Set a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, the story can only be described as an epic. For anybody who's never seen it, the narrative is a familiar one, that of two powers, the Force and the Dark Side, fighting between themselves and hoping to defeat the other. Dedicated fans attend conventions where they dress up as characters, and you can even buy phrase books to speak in the galactic language of your choice. It's a universe in which you can fully immerse yourself, and George Lucas himself has described one of the series as “the kind of film that expresses the mythological realities of life - the deeper psychological movements of the way we conduct our lives". The sources of popular moral guidance have changed just as the world around us has. Films such as Star Wars can offer us a lesson on how we should live. The reason why they resonate so strongly is because, not unlike religious epics, they have the capacity to offer moral guidance on ways of living together. The importance of patience rather than being reckless. Kindness instead of hatred. Fighting for what you believe to be right, even against the odds. Light will overcome darkness. Good overcomes evil. Professions too have their own guidance or code of conduct. As a barrister, my overriding duty is to the Court. That has at times put me at odds with my own clients. We can all identify with that dilemma, between what somebody wants us to do and the values we know we must uphold.As the code says I cannot be dishonest, I cannot bring the Bar into disrepute, and yet at all times I have to promote and protect fearlessly my client's best interests. For centuries people of all faith traditions have used their holy scriptures as just such a moral framework. Our holy scriptures are what bind us, what bring us together and provides us with teachings on how to behave and live so that all can be included and valued. In the Sikh religion, for example, the holy scripture is a Guru in their own right. Across our society if our morals are strong and they reflect what people believe, then they can become shared morals which can only make the world in which we all live a better place to be. May the Force be with You