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."

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