Sunday, October 17, 2010

Tough luck...

Allow me to geek out for a moment.  I LOVE J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings(LOTR).  It is one of my favorite books.  I feel that there is so much that a person might learn from reading this story. 

Today's LOTR lesson is: Life is Hard.
Life is incredibly hard.   I'm sure that we've all had those days when we just feel that we cannot go on.  It's painful.  There is an overwhelming sense of long, unending, difficult monotony.  We think to ourselves, "This is it.  It's never going to get better.  This feeling is not going to end.  Everything is such a struggle.  I want to quit.  It's all such an impossible mess."

Think of Frodo.  A lot of people don't like Frodo.  For some, that is exclusively do to the Elijah Wood interpretation of Frodo.  For others, they just feel that Frodo is a difficult, whiny, weak, and pathetic character.  In some ways, I think that's true.  Frodo complains.  Frodo is weak and fragile.  He is injured.  He carries a burden that is too great for him.  There is an evil, which is always pulling at his heart, begging him to give up.   He has to take this great evil, which lurks in his own heart, and destroy it.  All the while, this evil whispers, "Just give up.  If you give up, this will all be over.  All of this pain, all of this struggle will all be over if you just give up."
For me, the entirety of Frodo's struggle is excellently captured in the above picture.  You guys, I've been there.  I've been there so many times.  It stinks.  Sometimes, things are just bad, with no consolations.  It happens.

Sometimes, the pain doesn't go away for a long time.  Even after the cause of the pain is long gone, sometimes the pain remains.  Sometimes, we don't get closure.  Sometimes, it takes a long time to just begin to move on.

Before you freak out, I am not currently in such a place, but I know a few people who are or have recently been there.  So, it's on my mind and now I'm writing about it.  There are so many people who know what I'm talking about and it really isn't fun. 

So, here is the second LOTR Lesson of the Day: There is Hope
No matter how dark things get, no matter how alone you feel, no matter how how desperate things seem, there is always hope.  At the end of all things, there is something worth fighting for.  There is a reason for keep on keeping on.  Don't abandon that.  Don't give up.  =)  You matter to someone.  You matter to me!  Don't be afraid to face the hard stuff.

3 comments:

Kelly said...

I really enjoyed this post, T. Thank you!!

Anonymous said...

Hi! I just found your blog and REALLY enjoy it! Catholic blogs are awesome!!

Peace,
Bianca :)
www.twaofabusycatholicgirl.blogspot.com

Peregrinus said...

Thanks, Bianca!