UNIFYING FORCE
The Unifying Force was a view of the Force, accepted by a minority of Jedi throughout ages, the Unifying Force was thought to be present in all shining stars, surrounding and penetrating them, thus making all universal things connected by it. The Jedi believed the Unifying Force relied on their understandings and were attuned to space around them. The Unifying Force was believed as having neither the light nor the dark side. The light and dark sides are instead conceptualized in a metaphorical way, treating all beings equally. Followers of the Unifying Force always kept their eyes open for future possibilities. In the end, it resulted in them trying to fulfill a destiny rather than focusing on here and now, which was one of the main tenets of the Living Force philosophy.
Visions of the future were of particular significance to Unifying Force supporters. Many of these Jedi believed a similar philosophy focusing on the flow of time as a whole, ignoring primary use of the Living Force. Voices for the latter espoused a philosophy of “live for the moment” and heavily relied on their instincts.
There were also many Sith who supported the belief in the Unifying Force. That there was only one Force: the only difference worthy of note was that the Sith saw the Force as a means to an end while the Jedi saw it as an end in itself.
LIVING FORCE
The Living Force was a view on the Force, accepted by the minority of Jedi throughout ages, the Living Force was thought to be present in most living beings, surrounding and penetrating them, thus making all living things connected by it. The Jedi believed the Living Force relied on their instincts and were attuned to other living beings around them, they were mindful of the future and the possible consequences of their actions, but remained focused on the present.
The Living Force was viewed as having both the light and the dark side, the Jedi always had to be mindful of their actions to avoid the temptations of the dark side. Through following the Living Force, several Jedi were able to retain their identities after their physical death, becoming one with the Force and able to manifest themselves as Force ghosts. Proponents of the Living Force view 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 tenets of the Unifying Force philosophy.