Here's an amazingly little-known fact about Lord of the Rings, given that the plot, the dialogue, AND the name of the title object (The Ring of Power) ALL point directly to it: Lord of the Rings is an ABOLITIONIST tale, specifically about the NECESSITY of renouncing and eliminating coercive Power structures.
The entire reason for Frodo's quest is to DESTROY the Ring of Power. Not to make it "nicer" or "tame it" or "use if for good." NONE OF THAT WORKS. ONLY ridding the world of structures that can initiate coercion against the innocent with impunity will solve the problem.
In Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (first movie of Jackson's trilogy), Frodo desperately offers the Ring to the Wizard Gandalf after learning of its evil and corrupting power and that agents of Mordor are looking for the ring.
With visible effort, Gandalf refuses to even touch the Ring (dialogue from the film follows):
(Frodo, desperately handing the Ring to Gandalf)
Take it, Gandalf. Take it!
(Gandalf, backing away from the Ring)
No, Frodo.
(Frodo)
You MUST take it!
(Gandalf)
You CANNOT offer me this Ring.
(Frodo)
I'm GIVING it to you!
(Gandalf)
Don't tempt me, Frodo! I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe. Understand, Frodo – I would use this Ring from a desire to do good . . . [long pause] . . . but through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine.
America is great because we came closer to the ideal of Liberty than other nations had.
We fell into corruption and evil because we failed to fully do the job.
My hope for the future is that we will find our way to a truly civil society where NO ONE, including "the government", has the power to coerce the innocent with impunity.
Let the downvotes begin. But for those with a more open mind, I suggest The Market for Liberty (free download; also available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon) as a way to begin seeing the possibilities of FULLY removing government corruption and evil (i.e., coercive government) from America and eventually from the Earth.
We got rid of legal chattel slavery; why do we accept our own slavery to the coercive state? The arguments against eliminating the coercive state are eerily similar to those used against eliminating slavery. THIS is a big part of what the Great Awakening must include, imo. (Mel Gibson voice): FREEDOM!
Here's an amazingly little-known fact about Lord of the Rings, given that the plot, the dialogue, AND the name of the title object (The Ring of Power) ALL point directly to it: Lord of the Rings is an ABOLITIONIST tale, specifically about the NECESSITY of renouncing and eliminating coercive Power structures.
The entire reason for Frodo's quest is to DESTROY the Ring of Power. Not to make it "nicer" or "tame it" or "use if for good." NONE OF THAT WORKS. ONLY ridding the world of structures that can initiate coercion against the innocent with impunity will solve the problem.
In Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (first movie of Jackson's trilogy), Frodo desperately offers the Ring to the Wizard Gandalf after learning of its evil and corrupting power and that agents of Mordor are looking for the ring.
With visible effort, Gandalf refuses to even touch the Ring (dialogue from the film follows):
America is great because we came closer to the ideal of Liberty than other nations had.
We fell into corruption and evil because we failed to fully do the job.
My hope for the future is that we will find our way to a truly civil society where NO ONE, including "the government", has the power to coerce the innocent with impunity.
Let the downvotes begin. But for those with a more open mind, I suggest The Market for Liberty (free download; also available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon) as a way to begin seeing the possibilities of FULLY removing government corruption and evil (i.e., coercive government) from America and eventually from the Earth.
We got rid of legal chattel slavery; why do we accept our own slavery to the coercive state? The arguments against eliminating the coercive state are eerily similar to those used against eliminating slavery. THIS is a big part of what the Great Awakening must include, imo. (Mel Gibson voice): FREEDOM!
No down votes here fren!