#12 Lessons From Hobbits

Typically, these series span two weeks of my time. With an entry a day for two weeks and a break on Sunday, that puts us at twelve entries per series. However, I found so many insights from my most recent watch of “The Lord of the Rings,” that I deemed it necessary to give you a bonus entry with all of my thoughts. Therefore, without further adieu, I offer you the wisdom of the hobbits.

First of all, the hobbits are a great allegory for our own journey in life. Oh, how often we paint ourselves as hobbits, with everyone else being far better off than us! You have the aragorns, skilled with their blades and wise in their speech. The gimli’s, stocky and strong in all they do. Followed by the Gandalf’s who seem to know all there is, and the Legolases, with more than insight to go around. All these people seem like giants, and there we are: weak and defenseless. That’s why they work so well as characters: they’re how we all feel deep down. For much of our lives, we are the weak and inexperienced ones standing next to someone better than us. 

It’s easy to feel intimidated by others when you have this mindset, and I wonder if that’s part of why hobbits were written to be so empowered and respected. Why we, who are still inexperienced, should accept this empowerment for ourselves. Even when we don’t have the skill to make our way through life, we must find the most important thing of all: the heart. We find the drive to charge into battles we know we can’t win, to follow loyally into waters when we know we can’t swim. All from the blazing desire to see what must be done come to pass. 

And as our hearts are set ablaze, sending us hurdling forward, the means begin to find us. A teacher comes along to offer us the skillset. A friend sends a gift in passing, and a companion may even make it their own mission to support us to the bitter end. True, the means to get there are deeply crucial, but power will come in due time. And as it does, we must focus on the means to wield it well. For when our time comes, will we fall to its tasty temptations, or will we rise up to do what we must, whether we want to or not? 

That is the question that plagues all mankind: what do we do with our power. Will we shy away from what must be done, or will we rise up to do what we must, even if it becomes our burden? Will you hide from it, like Aragorn did initially, or will you carry it like Frodo? And while we are on this topic, I find the relationship to power to be one that’s interesting. It almost seems like the more someone wants power, the more likely they are to misuse it. I’m not saying that all who want power should not have it, but maybe it’s fair to say that they shouldn’t have it until they realize that it isn’t all fun and games. 

I have had many bosses who say they love being higher up because of all the privileges. Those are the people I worry about. If they don’t understand that they wield great control over the lives of others, maybe they shouldn’t be managers. If the thought of how much influence you have doesn’t make you at least a little nervous, that’s a red flag right there. And it’s this impulse to reject the power given to us that keeps us in check. It’s a beautiful thing when you fear your own power, but try to do something all the same. But if you are simply  hungry for more power, it will eventually become too much, and you will do things you didn’t otherwise want to. 

So fear those who hunger for power, and follow those who are hesitant to lead. Because those who want power don’t understand it, and those who respect it know what could happen. On top of this, try to be one of the hesitant. Not so much so that it keeps you from doing anything, but just enough that you hold yourself in check. Make wise decisions by knowing what you can and can’t do. Know the time and place when you must try, but never get so cocky that your response to everything is “I got this!” Because that will most certainly be your downfall. 

Second, there is such a thing as the life of the plain and the simple. I know previous entries made it seem as though the life of a hobbit was either unattainable, or at best a life of silly shenanigans. I believe neither to be true. What I truly meant to say was that a life of nothing but pleasure would not lead to any lasting fruit. To continue along the analogy, a life chasing nothing but the good is like setting up a tent in the middle of the woods. An immediate solution is often necessary for one’s survival, but if that is the only way one lives, it would not lead to anything that would truly last. 

No, there is such a thing as a life of the plain and the simple. The difference between a life of pleasure and a life of simplicity is in the ability to take on suffering and responsibility. For example, it is simple for me to say to you “pick up that 100lb dumbbell.” But another thing entirely for you to do so. Simplicity isn’t just the stuff that’s easier to understand, but it’s how much we have on our plates. Being CEO of a company is far more complicated than doing manual labor. One is managing the needs of different parties, and the other is picking up heavy stuff and putting it down somewhere else. 

So you can build yourself a plain, simple fortress. Your life might consist of a few friends, a job with very few complications, and a few hobbies that demand fairly little of you. No stress, no mess. And you might enjoy it for the rest of your days. That’s fine! If you can sleep well at night, more power to you! But how you treat those friends, invest in those hobbies, and work at that job will determine how sturdy your life really is. If you’re a lazy laborer or a bad friend, it might bite you in the butt one day, and your kingdom may come crumbling down. Your life may be simple because it doesn’t involve a lot of decisions or ever-changing variables, but it may or may not be secure. Therein lies the difference between simple and sturdy. 

Third, the story of an obligated adventurer is rarely told. I don’t find myself meeting too many people that sneer at adventure like I do. Adventure costs you time, money and most importantly, stress. I’ve never found the payoff of going on a grand adventure, all I’ve seen is the stress. Many face nicks and cuts, bashings and bruises on their journeys, but how many face the wounds from which they have not healed, perhaps even can not heal? I know, I’m supposed to be mr. positive, mr “there is hope,” but the words of Elrond echo in my head:

“He will carry this wound all his life.”

I often consider the adventure that Frodo went on, and the price it cost him to make it. I feel I too have gone on such a journey, and all my heart yearns for is to rest. Lately I have been taking some time to shape up my career path, something I have never given my full attention to because I always have interests like writing and socializing always on my mind. I have always built my life around those things, making sure I was always available for events and pushing myself to keep up with the fun stuff. Don’t get me wrong, the fun stuff is good; but when you’re living for it to the point that you’re neglecting the real work that needs to be put into how you actually survive on this planet, it’s going to run into some issues. Issues that I am now facing. 

That’s the thing I am looking at right now after a half-year that has felt like a non-stop ride. I’m a very routine guy, and this year has felt like my routine being ripped from me. I feel like Frodo being forced out of the shire. I don’t really want to go, but the teeth need to be fixed, the car needs to be repaired, and I can’t really go without income, so the job needs to be tended to. This year has been an adventure of obligation and I’m quite tired from the journey. I have grown from it, no doubt, but I am weary from the journey. I just want my predictability back. I want a track to get back on. 

The story of Frodo has always hit home because the story of the simple creature adventuring because he must has always been my own. And I am once again in a must-ey story and it’s disheartening. I’m not saying I wouldn’t work if I wasn’t obligated to. On the contrary, I would do nothing but the work asked of me, staying in my lane and living in the same rinse-and-repeat week til the cows came home! But life can keep you on your toes sometimes, and it’s in those times that I find myself now. So forgive me if I sound whiny, I’m simply thrown about by the storms of life. Back to your regularly scheduled program!

This has been my rambling. Although I’m still driven to write in some of the ways I do for your benefit, I figured I’d give you something a little more deep and personal today. I pray you like it. I pray it has offered you some guiding insights. Truth be told, sometimes I look back and my own words guide me! I pray this finds you well, and that you learn to live with the heart of a hobbit. 

Until next time

May Peace be your guide