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Mar. 5th, 2015
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Lent: Day 16
Mar. 5th, 2015 08:24 pmToday here is an excerpt from Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the Ordinary Virtues of The Lord of the Rings by Mark Eddy Smith, on the virtue of simplicity.
An example of Hobbits' maddening simplicity comes in the Birthday Party that opens the tale. All the Bracegirdles, Hornblowers, Proudfoots, and other clans gather, not so much to honor Bilbo as to take advantage of feasting for free, enjoying spectacular fireworks and enduring the inevitable Speech. They do not understand, not do they care to learn, the part that Bilbo played in defeating a dragon or in bringing about peace between Dwarves, Wood-elves, and the Men of the Lake. Few in the Shire even believe his tales; they think him eccentric at best and completely cracked at worst. It is hard to be patient with such folk.
Strength is not created by adversity; it is merely awakened by it. The hobbits are defended on many fronts by more sophisticated people who do not believe that simplicity is a sign of weakness. As Aragorn says at the Elrond's Council: 'If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be.' (I:299). But this protection does not diminish the possibility that the most heroic deeds may be accomplished, or at least attempted, by the very same simple folk that are thus sheltered....
If simplicity is a virtue, then living simple lives and cherishing simple pleasures are all that is required for our lives to have value.We need not feel guilty when we suspect we should be doing more for God's kingdom, for when he needs us he will call us, and until then we can be content to husband our strength, put down roots and enjoy the good things that have been given us. This is not to say that we shouldn't seek to improve ourselves or minister to those around us, only that limiting our efforts to our immediate family and neighbors is sufficient until our calling has been revealed.
When God does call us, it may be to a journey of danger and terror, with the possibility of no return, or it may be the simpler danger and terror of confronting a boss whose practices seem a little shaky. The most simple among us are not safe from these possibilities. On the other hand, it may be that our calling is simply to live well in the midst of the community we were born in. This is not to be despised. The tale of Frodo and his friends may give us hope that we will be given the strength and the help we need to accomplish whatever task is set before us.
An example of Hobbits' maddening simplicity comes in the Birthday Party that opens the tale. All the Bracegirdles, Hornblowers, Proudfoots, and other clans gather, not so much to honor Bilbo as to take advantage of feasting for free, enjoying spectacular fireworks and enduring the inevitable Speech. They do not understand, not do they care to learn, the part that Bilbo played in defeating a dragon or in bringing about peace between Dwarves, Wood-elves, and the Men of the Lake. Few in the Shire even believe his tales; they think him eccentric at best and completely cracked at worst. It is hard to be patient with such folk.
Strength is not created by adversity; it is merely awakened by it. The hobbits are defended on many fronts by more sophisticated people who do not believe that simplicity is a sign of weakness. As Aragorn says at the Elrond's Council: 'If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be.' (I:299). But this protection does not diminish the possibility that the most heroic deeds may be accomplished, or at least attempted, by the very same simple folk that are thus sheltered....
If simplicity is a virtue, then living simple lives and cherishing simple pleasures are all that is required for our lives to have value.We need not feel guilty when we suspect we should be doing more for God's kingdom, for when he needs us he will call us, and until then we can be content to husband our strength, put down roots and enjoy the good things that have been given us. This is not to say that we shouldn't seek to improve ourselves or minister to those around us, only that limiting our efforts to our immediate family and neighbors is sufficient until our calling has been revealed.
When God does call us, it may be to a journey of danger and terror, with the possibility of no return, or it may be the simpler danger and terror of confronting a boss whose practices seem a little shaky. The most simple among us are not safe from these possibilities. On the other hand, it may be that our calling is simply to live well in the midst of the community we were born in. This is not to be despised. The tale of Frodo and his friends may give us hope that we will be given the strength and the help we need to accomplish whatever task is set before us.