The Simple, Clear-Eyed Caretakers...

Folk #1: You know it's The Lord of the Rings over here. It has always been The Lord the Rings. Forget all those other musty old books: Bible, Koran, Torah. Tolkien is the man, no doubt. He was writing in the shadow of the Nazis, Hitler, Mussolini, and full-blown authoritarianism on steroids. Tolkein's great saga is the great saga of the last century, and it's the great saga of this century too. It truly, madly, deeply resonates today. Hope & Goodness resides in the Hearts & Heads of the common folk, the little people, the ones closer to Nature, the ones with hair on their feet, the humble ones, the hard-workers, the simple, clear-eyed, caretakers. Sure, they are up against powerful, wealthy, forces of Evil. It surely looks like the Hobbits, the common-folk are completely over-matched, but those little folks roll up their sleeves and do the hard work. Their power resides in community, good works, kindness, gentleness, and a finely-honed empathy for all living things. Love for the Shire. Yes. How to take on, and to vaniquish the forces of darkness? Well, for instance, see previous post. "Frodo Lives!"