On despair

This week we read "The Siege of Gondor," a chapter full of death and despair.  Faramir returns to the city but then is quickly sent back out by Denethor to disrupt the advance of the armies of Mordor, and though he valiantly attempts to do so, he ultimately is forced to retreat, and is even struck by a 'deadly dart,' which I think is supposed to recall Frodo's wound on Weathertop.  The effect is similar - Faramir collapses and only makes it back into the city protected by the others.  Frodo survived the wound with Elfish medicine, but the men of Gondor have no access to that.  Faramir's prognosis looks grim.

When the gate is surrounded and the siege is complete (does Gondor really have only one gate, to be besieged so easily?! Even Helm's Deep has secret passages which are alluded to) those inside begin to despair of their situation.  A guard, Ingold, says:

‘There is no news of the Rohirrim.  Rohan will not come now. Or if they come, it will not
avail us. The new host that we had tidings of has come first, from over the River by way of Andros
 it is said. They are strong: battalions of Orcs of the Eye, and countless companies of Men of a new
sort that we have not met before. Not tall, but broad and grim, bearded like dwarves, wielding great
axes. Out of some savage land in the wide East they come, we deem. They hold the northward road;
and many have passed on into Anorien. The Rohirrim cannot come.’

In a single paragraph Ingold's point has evolved three times.  First, it goes from no news of Rohan to certainly they will not come.  Then, they will not be able to help if they do.  Then, it is impossible for them to come.

He's not making a particularly long speech, where we might understand this kind of change - we've all experienced our minds changing as we describe a situation out loud.  But somehow his mind changes not once, but three times!  And always in the same direction: towards depair.

This is an example of catastrophizing.  Ingold pushes himself toward more and more desperate conclusions.  It is not enough for him to say he hasn't heard news of Rohan - he instead concludes it is impossible for them to come.  His mind pushes him towards that end.

We've all had this experience, or knows someone whose had it.  A funny look from a boss means they think they'll be fired.  A lack of sex in a relationship means a break-up is coming.  A couple of coughs are a suggestion of Covid.

It may seem as if preparing for the worst is just that - being prepared.  But over the course of a lifetime, as a regular response to regular things, it's a stressful way to live.  That stress sucks energy out of you which could be used for other things.  If you're not actually being fired, energy spent preparing to be could have gone to other things.

Later in our chapter the scope widens:  We're given an overview of two competing views within the city.  Both are grim, but the first at least tries to be optimistic.

‘Nay,’ they said, ‘not if the Nameless One himself should come, not even he could enter here while we yet live.’ But some answered: ‘While we yet live? How long? He has a weapon that has brought low many strong places since the world began. Hunger. The roads are cut. Rohan will not come.’

Here we see the second group has already moved past "no news" and is already saying Rohan will not come.  Next, they will say Rohan will not avail them.  Eventually, they'll say Rohan cannot come.

The optimistic group could try to do the same, but in truth what is there for them to be optimistic about?  "The city will not fall while we defend it, and we will defend it forever.  We'll find other food to eat and Rohan will open the roads soon enough"?  That's obviously nonsense and won't cheer anybody except a child.  There is worth in cheering children in hopeless situations, of course.  But adults?  We're supposed to be the problem-solvers, and even optimists should understand the reality of the challenge.

The situation is desperate, so we can't really blame people for turning to despair.  Further, the pessimistic group, if they fall in battle, can at least comfort themselves that they did not die a fool.  They knew this was coming.  I don't think that's something we should overlook.

This is called group polarization and is like catastrophizing but for a whole group.  But while personal catastophizing only adds stress to your life, here people can make connections with each other through their despair, giving further incentive to despair.  Given that despair is hopelessness, and hope is such an important part of an ethical life, we must resist it.  It would be different if such bad news stirred us to action - but it rarely does.

In addition to the despair in this chapter, I had also mentioned there is death:

And when Denethor descended again he went to Faramir
and sat beside him without speaking, but the face of the Lord
was grey, more deathlike than his son’s.

Faramir has been wounded by an evil weapon, but it is Denethor whose life appears to be failing.  In fact, the text pretty clearly tells us worry over Faramir's life is the product of rumor:

During all this black day Faramir lay upon his bed in the chamber of the
White Tower, wandering in a desperate fever; dying someone said,
and soon ‘dying’ all men were saying upon the walls and in the streets.

So here Denethor is succumbing to a rumor started by 'someone' (I think it's interesting this person isn't named, given the Creative Wizard's penchant for giving names and histories to various minor characters).  And it goes from his son is dying to Denethor then seeming as if he is the one dying.  Death does not usually spread in this way.

Despair is popular these days - being optimistic is seen as naive.  We have a rematch election most people don't want, a climate crisis, and several real (and imagined) genocides.  But our text teaches us that despair leads only to greater despair.  These people are not stirred to action - they are simply brought down by how much of a bummer things are.  Or they are moved to action which, if it does not cause immediate change, will lead them to conclude change is impossible.  An ethical cost of a society with a reduced sense of delayed gratification.

There is a way to avoid pessimism and despair while also not pretending our problems are easily solved.  For one thing, I think there's room between pessimism and optimism - one doesn't have to choose one or the other.  There also is good news in the world - it's just not popular to celebrate it.

The forces causing us to join in despair are strong.  Through social media it is a way to connect with people.  Surely I'm not the only person who has seen someone share bad news, been able to find a credible source debunking that bad news, but still decided not to share it.  Because I am a coward?  Surely that's part of it.  It's hard to go against the grain.  But I think there's something uniquely bad when that means "Let people despair - trying to cheer them up will just get them mad at you."

Life being bad is also reason for revolution, which provides a better sense of meaning than economic success, material comfort, and incremental success through policies passed through the democratic process.  Unfortunately, it also means we're looking for meaning in falsehoods.  

As for our texts, we know the deaths of those in Gondor will not be in vain (well, except Denethor).  As is a pattern we've come to expect, there is a eucatastrophe coming.  The forces of Mordor break the gate, and the Witch King and Gandalf have a confrontation around the splintered doors.  Suddenly, 

And... there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns.
In dark Mindolluin’s sides they dimly echoed.
Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.

Ingold and the others were wrong.  Preparing to die for their city was not what had to happen.  As long as they defend it, it will not fall - and they will be around to defend it for a long time.

I'm not sure what our "Rohan had come at last" moment will be.  We're not under an actual siege, so it's harder to know when enough help has come that we can reasonably let go of our despair.  But I do want to point out that the despair is undermined long before the battle is won.  There is still much to fight and die for.

But now they can do it with hope.

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ChatGPT contributed about 2% to this post's final version, because I couldn't remember the term "group polarization," and Google wasn't helpful.