Meanderings: Message of fellowship
This is a dark time for the world, but not the darkest. We have dealt with tragedy and horror before, worse than we are now. We survived and prospered, and the same will be true today.
We've seen a great deal of death, but we've seen love, too. New ideals of bravery have been created — bravery built around love for fellow humans, be it a willingness to enter a burning tower, or to force a plane into the ground.
It seems appropriate, somehow, that "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" has hit movie theaters this month.
The book, part of a trilogy that tells how even small people can change the world by doing their duty, has been seen as an allegory of World War II. The author, J.R.R. Tolkien, said it was just an interesting story around which he could tie his own fascination with creating new linguistic patterns.
But it's not surprising how the parallels were drawn. With evil forces still at work in the world today, a story about the struggles of doing good is always worth telling.
The heroes are a mix of cultures brought together against evil forces. They have many differences but they have to work together. They can't defeat the enemy without each other. Indeed, many of the inroads the evil forces make are due to greed and infighting among good people.
I haven't seen the movie, but I've read and re-read the books many times in the past 20 years. I'm not a fanatic fan — Tolkien would have benefited from a brusque, scissors-wielding editor — but the drama, suspense, and humor continue to bring me enjoyment.
The story is about a magic ring that grants tremendous powers to those who use it. To prevent an evil force from obtaining the ring, a small group of humanoids are sent to toss the ring in the volcano from which it was forged.
Without giving too much away, this group (the "fellowship" of the title) eventually divides into two groups. One takes on an evil wizard and his minions. The other continues to Mount Doom to destroy the ring. But the ring is malevolent, and it weakens the bearer. It causes doubt, generates selfish feelings, and seems to grow heavier with each step.
If only we could cast our own rings into fire and be rid of them forever.
— MATT NEWHOUSE
