A 10-year-old boy ends up in the hospital after being bullied at school. (Photo: Facebook/Lizette Casanova)

School just started only a few days ago, and already a fifth-grader in California has ended up in the hospital as a result of bullying when he refused to fight back against his tormentors.

Aiden Vasquez is a 10-year-old student at Two Bunch Palms Elementary School in Desert Hot Springs, Calif., and this incident isn’t his first encounter with bullies. His mother, Lizette Casanova, wrote in a Facebook post that this is the third year that her son has been a victim of physical and emotional torment at this particular school. In his most recent confrontation, Vasquez had to get stitches on his eyebrow.

After the incident on Monday, Casanova posted a photo of her son’s beaten face with tears streaming down his cheeks. “Yes he is different, he’s smarter and sweeter then [sic] most boys his age, but really!?!” she wrote. “Now we’re making hospital visits and I’m pressing charges!!”

The mother went on to explain that Vasquez also received stitches last year after getting pushed on the playground, which prompted one person to suggest that the boy take self-defense classes. As it turns out, the 10-year-old has an interesting reason for not defending himself — and it has to do with Star Wars.

“It’s not the Jedi way!!” Casanova wrote in a follow-up post that day, repeating what her son had told her. According to a screenshot that she added comments section on that particular post, Jedis are to purge destructive emotions.

According to Star Wars fandom, a Jedi aspires to maintain peace and tranquility while avoiding emotions like anger and hate. “Nevertheless, Jedi philosophy did not forbid a Jedi from acting in self-defense or in the defense of others,” the doctrine concludes.

Still, Vasquez seems to have inspired the thousands of people who helped catapult his mother’s post to virality in the first place.

“[Aiden] is smiling today, him and his tio Abel Torres Silva are binging on all the Star Wars movies, his spirit and soul never ceases to amaze me,” Casanova wrote on Tuesday. “He said he hopes the kids just learn their lesson and go on with their lives. #ItsNotTheJediWay.”

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