“This is not a tough man’s world — it’s a thinking man’s world.“ ~ Mike Tyson
As the war rages on in the Ukraine I’ve been asking myself, are we not testing once again what kind of world this is?
The pictures are of a gruesome place where bullies rule.
The war in Ukraine is only the most recent that was conjured in darkness, fabricated on lies and sold as the will of God.
Then it came to me: it’s like a retelling of The Lord of the Rings — Tolkien’s epic tale of war between the forces of good and evil. The story of the book’s conception is an interesting one.
J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were great friends. Both served in World War I and both were Oxford dons. Together they supported each other’s literary projects. They even formed a literary club, The Inklings, which met Tuesday nights at The Eagle and Child Pub.
It was there that these two literary giants, over pints of Guinness, developed their plots and characters, and where The Lord of the Rings was spawned.
How perfectly the tale describes what we’re witnessing now: a power-hungry ruler with an arsenal of doomsday weapons hellbent on conquering a neighbor who has no such weapons yet possesses something far more powerful — courage and friendship.
The story describes a world where the future of civilization came to rest on the outcome of a struggle for a ring whose power, when possessed, was absolute.
Many were drawn to the ring like an addict to a drug. However, once the ring was claimed, the possessor was seduced by its power and the process of self-destruction began.
Such is the nature of unchecked power:
- it consumes
- it burns
- it destroys
The way in which the “precious” ring took hold of body, mind and soul was devastating. It so captivated the ring bearer that nothing else mattered.
“It is mine, I tell you. My own. My precious. Yes, my precious” said Gollum. ~ J.R.R. Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings
So it was decided in order to save their world, the ring must be destroyed, and the ones chosen to do so were the least likely of all: a peace-loving band of little people who had no interest in power whatsoever. It was to be their task to embark upon a dangerous journey to destroy the ring in the fiery cauldron of Mt. Doom.
The “Fellowship of the Ring” was an ever-expanding circle of friends who became a mighty force over which evil could never prevail. Ultimately, after much struggle and suffering, the ring met its fiery fate and was destroyed for the ages.
Today, this is a real-time allegory — not bedtime reading for children. The brave Ukrainian people are modern-day Hobbits holding back the Dark Lord in the Kremlin. Like the Hobbits, the power of the Ukrainians lies in their courage — and their friends. Ukraine has many friends, the Kremlin few.
As we watch cities burn, soldiers killed, women raped and children carted off to exile, we’re continually confronted with the choice: How much we will sacrifice to help those who are sacrificing everything?
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” — J.R.R. Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings
And as King Aragon rallied his people to fight the final battle in defense of the Middle Kingdom, let us find the courage to make the same claim in defense of our civilization, our democracy, our way of life.
“The board is set, the pieces are moving. We come to it at last, the great battle of our time. A day may come when the courage of men fail, but let it not be on THIS day.” –- J.R.R. Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings
Just a thought…
Pat
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