Ontology

This week we finish the first volume of our text.  I think it'd be neat to have some kind of tradition for the end of each volume, but I don't have one in mind.  Something for me to consider for next time...

This chapter, given it ends the volume called "The Fellowship of the Ring," is fittingly called "The Breaking of the Fellowship."  Finally, they must decide whether to go East, directly to Mordor, or South, to Minas Tirith first.  Frodo asks for some time to consider and wanders the wilderness.  Boromir goes after him and, after finding him, they have this exchange:

Suddenly Boromir came and sat beside him. ‘Are you sure that you do not suffer needlessly?’
he said. ‘I wish to help you. You need counsel in your hard choice. Will you not take mine?’
‘I think I know already what counsel you would give, Boromir,’ said Frodo.
And it would seem like wisdom but for the warning of my heart.’
‘Warning? Warning against what?’ said Boromir sharply.
‘Against delay. Against the way that seems easier. Against
refusal of the burden that is laid on me...'

"We have come to it!"
"To what?"
"The core of what we do!"
"What do we do?"
"Now we see that the Creative Wizard would indeed look well upon us."
"Can you explain yourself?"
"Frodo's very heart warns him against the way that seems easier.  We repeatedly discuss that ethics is doing the harder thing.  And here is our hero, agreeing!"
"Funny it comes at the end of this volume though?"
"Because Frodo needed to learn it - although it isn't like he had begun the story as one who takes the easy route.  In any event, we have two more volumes for him to enact this."
"And he'll need it!  He will always have the chance to turn away from the Quest, as well as other emotional pulls.  But Frodo will remain firm."
"Until the end."
"Until the end.  Teaching us, maybe, that none are perfect."
"Perfection is not the goal  Rather teaching us, I think, that we cannot do it alone.  We should do the harder thing, but we need not do it alone."
"Is it unethical to remain apart from one's community?"
"Ethics, apart from the community, are less useful.  Being kind to the Earth, or to remain self-disciplined, are noble things, but ethics is not about nobility's sake.  We must do the right thing for others."
"We are not good just for ouselves?"
"Serving the self is the easiest of paths.  If it is for our benefit, fine - but we must also find benefit for others.  Otherwise ethics is just a word to justify what we already wanted - and pursuing what we wanted is easy."
"Can we say it is unethical to be apart from your community because doing the harder thing requires the support of others, and thus being alone sets one up for failure."
"That is a curious argument.  But again, if you are alone, how impactful can your lack of ethics be?"
"Unless one is a hermit, it is possible to be lonely but not distant from those you could hurt.  You could view yourself as the only one with enough sense to take a stand.  Your distance from others justifies misdeeds."
"So while others may challenge and frustrate us, again, we see being with others is the harder way.  Acting against what you call evil is easy.  Finding common ground, compromise, and including others is hard."
"Determining if your opponent is evil or just different is hard."
"Yes.  Earlier, you had said earlier Frodo will encounter various emotional pulls.  Why did you specify emotional?"
"Emotions can lead us astray.  Doing as our emotions command - or maybe guide is a better word? - is always easy."
"So it is more ethical to be robots?"
"There's no reason for such a caricature.  Emotions are natural and inevitable.  To deny is also unethical."
"So it is unethical to follow emotions and to resist them?"
"I said not resist, but deny.  It's very easy to follow emotions, of course.  Next to that, denying them any purchase is easier.  What's harder is to find the balance - to keep the door open and yet prevent being overwhelmed.  Being responsibly emotional, this is the harder choice."
"So again, the harder choice is the medium between the extremes."
"It is harder to balance than to fall.  Balance requires constant correction and management.  Once you fall, it is easy to go deeper and deeper.  It is hard to stop your fall."
"Especially alone."
"The breaking of the Fellowship.  Our characters become alone."
"Yet not quite.  The hunters stay together.  Merry and Pippin remain together.  Sam finds Frodo as he tries to sneak away.  The paths will be harder now, the group being spread out, but only those who act alone will find destruction: Boromir.  Denethor.  The Witch King.  It may seem easier to strike out alone, as Frodo does try to do.  But we must go with others if we are to do what is right."
"Good point!  Even Frodo tries to go alone, which is easier than going together."
"It reminds us to regularly reflect on our own actions to ensure we are doing right, and to challenge our friends - especially when they are fervant.  Frodo meant to go alone to protect his friends, which is noble.  But it is easy, if painful, to be a martyr.  It is harder to go there and come back again."

This had been a patreon-supported project, but that proved too annoying to maintain.  If you would like to financially support this project, drop $1.11 (or any amount, I suppose) into my Venmo!

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On obsession

 This week we read another double portion, " Farewell to Lorien" and "The Great River."  The fellowship, ahem, leave Lothlorien and go down the Anduin, ahem, river.  It's all very clear, you see.

One reason to read this (or any) text again and again is what you notice only on repeat reads.  This week I'll be highlighting two passages for discussion, one from this chapter and one from an earlier chapter, Many Meetings.  The context of the first is that the Fellowship have reached a waterfall, and must haul the the boats out of the water and walk them down a path until they reach the bottom of the falls, where they will put them back into the river.

The goods were taken out of the boats and brought to the top of the bank,
where there was a level space. Then the boats were drawn out of the water and
carried up They were far less heavy than any had expected.

Of what tree growing in the Elvish country they were made not even Legolas knew;

but the wood was tough and yet strangely light. Merry and Pippin alone could
carry their boat with ease along the flat.

We've discussed Elven magic before, but there's a curious parallel between these boats and Frodo's coat of mithril, which saved his life only a few chapters ago.  Here is how it is introduced to us when Bilbo first shows it to Frodo:  

‘Also there is this!’ said Bilbo, bringing out a parcel which seemed to be rather heavy for its size.
He unwound several folds of old cloth, and held up a small shirt of mail.
It was close-woven of many rings, as supple almost as linen, cold as ice, and harder than steel...

‘It’s a pretty thing, isn’t it?’ said Bilbo, moving it in the light... You hardly feel any weight when you put it on.’

"Two times now we have learned of things sturdy, but light.  Surely not a coincidence.  What is the lesson?"
"Compare, also, to the Ring.  It is small, but can weigh the bearer down as if it were a stone at times."
"And the Elven cloaks, lightweight and yet their camoflague is able to protect as if it were armor."
"And don't forget lembas bread, which can 'keep a traveller on his feet for a day of long labor,' though it looks like cram."
"So the creative Wizard's position is clear: Things that are good are light, unassuming, and also-"
"Mithril is breath-takingly beautiful, and Bilbo describes it as pretty."
"But it is small, and perhaps to an untrained eye more decorative than protective.  The things which are good do not appear extraordinary."
"Nor does the Ring, though.  It is a gold band, but a simple one."
"Unless put in the fire."
"And mithril reveals its true nature, too, when tested."
"But the Ring has an altogether extraordinary effect upon anyone who sees it.  That they wish to sieze it.  Or it burrows into their mind, claiming their thoughts.  Definitely not unassuming."
"True, the boats and cloaks of the Elves are not so all-consuming of the mind."
"Bilbo simply gives Frodo the coat of mithril."
"So what is the meaning that things which are good are light, can appear unassuming, and yet are also forgettable."
"Heft is an expression of power, and power is bad."
"We recall those things which were difficult, the obstacles we overcame.  But the time that path was straight, or the wall had already been broken by others, these things we do not remember.  We recall struggles and victories for inches more than the movement of miles."
"Things that are surprisingly light may seem extraordinary in the moment, but then it becomes accepted.  We resist bad until it is defeated - or we are.  Good things are accepted until they become expected."
"And then their absence is seen as an obstacle."
"So forgetfulness is a key part of what is good here.  Elvish boats and bread doesn't sour one on the regular stuff."
"We'll have to keep an eye out for any sort of regret of that sort in the rest of the text."
"Yes, indeed."
"But the Ring infests one's mind.  Once you have it you gotta have more.  Gollum is the obvious example.  And Boromir, once he considers using the Ring, cannot fully shake his desire.  Denethor, having striven with Sauron in the Palantír, cannot shake the feeling of defeat he experienced.  Even Bilbo and Frodo, in the end, cannot remain in Middle Earth having borne the ring."
"But Sam can."
"That's true.  Something else for us to keep an eye on - how is his experience with the burden described to justify his easier release.  Or is it just that it was short, and the Ring was destroyed very soon after."
"So according to our text, memory can be an enemy."
"I think it's better to say obsession.  Remembering isn't a problem- the characters make pledges all the time for future action.  But to obsess over something, especially in a needless way, such as wanting lembas when one has sourdough, or elven boats where there is a bridge, that could cause problems."
"Such as what?"
"Such as ingratitude, or a lack of awareness.  The world could always be better, but there's a time for striving and a time for enjoying.  Imagining you could be celebrating thanksgiivng with two turkeys instead of one is only going to get in the way of your celebrating."
"Well, imagining it would be fine - but the inability to put that idea away would be the problem."
"Of course."
"So is it unethical to obsess?"
"While obsessing may seem the harder path - if you are not obsessed it can be hard to imagine it easy to be so hyperfocused - the harder path, to the obsessed, is letting go.  And given the problems that can come from obsession, it makes one's life better to drop it, if only because now you have less problems.  And if your life is better you are more free to make life better for others.  Obsession sacrifices your autonomy."
"Aah!  This I like better.  Obsession is not unethical because it is one thing nor because it is ever that one thing only.  Obsession is unethical because it is a mode of choicelessness.  It cannot be said we did the right thing if we could not choose to do the wrong thing."
"So do we say 'avoid those that are obsessed, they are unethical?'"
"No!  The obsessed are not unethical, but obsession, itself, is.  If you feel it pulling at you, or see it pulling at another, it is your duty to weaken it.  Similarly, when you support others, you should not make them dependent upon you.  Share your gifts to lift them up, not to dominate them.  So that when the world turns and you two inevitably part they don't experience your absence as some extreme lacking.  People should be dependable, but not dependant."

This had been a patreon-supported project, but that proved too annoying to maintain.  If you would like to financially support this project, drop $1.11 (or any amount, I suppose) into my Venmo!

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On love and understanding

This week we read "The Mirror of Galadriel."  Early in the chapter, before the titular event, Galadriel addresses the Fellowship, and the topic of Gandalf's fall comes up.  There is some muttering from others about how Moria was a Dwarven realm, and Gimli appears to take personal responsibility for the Fellowship going there.  Galadriel then says,

"Dark is the water of Kheled-zâram, and cold are the springs of Kibil-nâla,
and fair were the many-pillared halls of Khazad-dûm"... She looked upon Gimli, who sat
glowering and sad, and she smiled.  And the Dwarf, hearing the names given in his own ancient
tongue, looked up and met her eyes; and it seemed to him that he looked into the heart of an enemy
and saw there love and understanding.  Wonder came into his face, and then he smiled in answer.

"How beautiful is reconciliation - to bury a hatchet once held dearly!"
"But why did 'it seemed to him', only?"
"Because Galadriel was never his enemy."
"But surely the Elves, whom she leads, were.  It was only last chapter they wanted to bind his eyes so he wouldn't see the way to Lothlorien!  Does Galadriel have a responsibility for that enmity?"
"How responsible can leaders be for their people?"
"What a question is that!  How can they be leaders if they are not responsible for their people?  What else is leadership?!"
"Aah, good point.  So maybe that is not what 'seemed' means here.  Maybe it was just to convey his experience - he seemed to look into the heart of the enemy.  But then, all at once, he realized she wasn't one.  He saw something else."
"More that he heard something.  Galadriel spoke his people's words in a stirring tongue.  He looked up and locked eyes with an enemy, expecting maybe mockery, or cultural superiority - the specialty of the Elves - but instead saw love and understanding."
"What do we mean by these words?"
"Love is to accept as one is, and to hope for future growth.  Understanding is a willingness to listen, and maybe to change one's mind."
"I can understand an opposing argument and not agree with it."
"But you will never agree with an opposing argument you do not understand."
"Fair point.  So what does it mean Gimli saw these things in Galadriel?"
"Galadriel doesn't wish Gimli any wrong.  She accepts he is a dwarf and looks forward to him becoming an Elf-friend.  She will also listen to his stories, and maybe change her perspective on the history of Elf-Dwarf relationships."
"So should we, when we find an enemy.  We should try to love and understand them."
"It is not so easy!"
"Ethics is making the harder choice."
"Yes, but it is not as easy as deciding to do so.  Galadriel has shown Gimli she values his point of view by speaking dwarven words.  Surely these places have Elven names, too.  But she doesn't refer to them in that way.  This opens the bridge between them.  It's what causes Gimli to look at her in the first place.  But whether she built the bridge to mock him or welcome him, that wasn't yet clear."
"So she could have spoken those words and revelaed herself as the enemy he believed her to be."
"Correct.  Using a language he understands to show it is different than her own."
"So how some may refer to a non-binary person as 'they' to show they are an ally, but others may do so in a mocking tone."
"Language is more than just the words we speak."
"What's the lesson here - to speak genuinely and kindly?"
"No - that's too much a matter of motivation.  Plus you say we should try to love and understand an enemy when we come across then, but there are times when it is right to rebuke and even shame.  But we must always be open, as Gimli was, to reconciliation.  To the idea our opponents may be genuine, or that our ideas of them are outdated.  It is comfortable, and therefore easy, to assume ancient enmity will always endure.  Changing minds is difficult, least of all our own."
"I can change my mind whenever I want to!  I will never change my mind.  See?  I just did it!""
"But what about when it counts?  What about when it means disagreeing with friends, or feeling like you are (or being seen as) compromising your values?"
"But then I may lose the love and understanding of those friends."
"Then you never had it if it depended on alignment with an ideology!  That is love and understanding of an ideal, not a person!  The world is complicated and people are more than their ideas - even ideas important to them.  We all compromise on our beliefs at some point, or at least we should.  A life well lived is not one of unshaken belief, or solidly laid-out arguments."
"So when we find love and understanding in the heart of one who seemed an enemy, we should not reject it, but be open to it?"
"Yes - we should even reciprocate the love and understanding.  That is the harder choice.  There is comfort in designating your enemy as eternal and just alienating them, but you do your cause no good."
"And of our friends?"
"If we find those around us, those who are friends and family, are dedicated to something besides love and understanding, be wary.  Seek a new group, or at least another group, to spend time with."
"Why did you specify friends and family?  Why not everyone?"
"Because co-workers, fellows in clubs and activism, in these people there is some goal bringing everyone together besides love and understanding.  Love and understanding can also be present, and there are ways better and worse ways to prioritize The Goal over love and understanding, but one should be cautious about using a job or a hobby or an ideal as a way of making friends, or finding a family.  Friendship requires, and family's are expected to, dedicate themselves to each person involved.  When we look into the eyes of a friend or family with whom we are in deep disagreement we should still find that love and understanding."

This had been a patreon-supported project, but that proved too annoying to maintain.  If you would like to financially support this project, drop $1.11 (or any amount, I suppose) into my Venmo!

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On hope

This week we read "Lothlorien." The Fellowship reach the Elf realm after their harrowing time in Moria.  On the way Aragorn checks on Frodo, who had been brutally stabbed during the fight in the Chamber of Records by an orc.  He is shocked to find Frodo is nearly unharmed - only bruised on his side.  Frodo reveals he has been wearing a coat of mithril, an extremely protective material, under his shirt.  Bilbo had given it to him while they were in Rivendell.  Merry exlaims:

'Bless the old hobbit!  I love him more than ever.
I hope we get a chance of telling him about it!'

"Why does Merry not say 'We'll have to tell him when we see him next'?  This is what people usually say in such a circumstance."
"Most people are not on such a doomed journey."
"Is it as simple as that?"
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
"Ok, well you gotta say at least a little more."
"People's circumstances, or at least their percieved cirucmstances, strongly dictate their actions.  How you are in a burning building is different than when in a nicely maintained garden on a cool spring day."
"That is obvious."
"So then why are you hectoring me?  Our text is a long exercise in doom. How to face it, how to survive it, and how to exist beyond it.  What Meriadoc Brandybuck experiences is beyond what most of  us have or will experience.  And that is a good thing."
"But if the experience is so far-removed from our own how much can we learn from it?  I mean, obviously we can learn because it is DIFFERENT, but how much of it is going to be useful to know?"
"What is not useful to know?"
"Anything for which you have not use.  Which is particular to each person as well as subjective."
"We've just said the journey is doomed.  But we know Merry - in fact almost everyone in the Fellowship, survives."
"Merry, at this point, doesn't assume he will.  This is why he says what he says.  He only hopes to see Bilbo again.  Anything else is too optimistic."
"What's wrong with being too optimistic?  Despair is unethical because it leads to inaction, but optimism?"
"Optimism, too could lead to that.  Assuming all will be well may seem to release you from your obligations to participate, since it doesn't matter."
"So it is possible to be too positive or too negative."
"But Merry is neither.  He hopes in the future.  That's all he can do, but it's more than some would dare."
"What would be wrong with saying 'We'll have to tell him when we see him next'?"
"I don't know if it would be wrong as in our ethics, but it would be strange.  They aren't going to Lothlorien as tourists."
"That's helpful!"
"Sarcasm is not app-"
"No, no.  I mean, in our world it would be usual to say 'I hope we get a chance of telling him about it.'  It's too pessiminstic.  You're not ever supposed to assume someone is going to die in such a way.  But you can say that about places.  'I hope we get a chance to see... go to... climb...'  These things we can hope."
"Why is this allowed?"
"I think in the realm of tourism, the journey is doomed.  Few people will go everywhere they wish.  So you can make that expression without turning heads."
"Hope in this way can also apply to collections, or hobbies, or study.  'I hope to get... to complete... to understand...'  All are doomed pursuits."
"But if one were to say 'I hope I get see my mother again...'  Wait, why is that wrong again?"
"Hope is optimistic and that's good, to a point.  But hope is the currency of the troubled.  If someone said "I hope to wake up tomorrow," you'd respond with concern.  And if they said, 'No, I'm just trying to be optimistic in the face of uncertainty,' then they'd technically be right but socially that word is the wrong choice.  The phrase 'I hope I get to see my mother again' is necessarily sad."

"If you find yourself hoping, you might be almost despairing."
"You would hope on a doomed journey, but not on a routine one."
"So when we see people hope, we should not assume optimism and stability, but a sense that things are going wrong."
"When someone expresses hope we should understand they are throwing out a lifeline, and we should respond by taking it, fastening it to what security we can, and engage in supportive friendship."
"When someone expresses hope we should not praise their optimism, but instead add fuel to their struggling flame."

This had been a patreon-supported project, but that proved too annoying to maintain.  If you would like to financially support this project, drop $1.11 (or any amount, I suppose) into my Venmo!

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