Byron's Babbles

In the great book The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien’s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings, Fleming Rutledge pointed out the examples of “ends and means” arguments in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Speaking about the ends justifying the means, Rutledge said, “The truth of life is that we have very little control over “ends” because of the law of unintended consequences. The only thing that lies within our power is the means to the hoped-for end” (p. 139). This reminds us that while we may have clear goals or desired outcomes (“ends”), we often cannot fully control the results due to unpredictable factors and unforeseen consequences (“the law of unintended consequences”).

Just like in The Lord of the Rings, our actions, though driven by good intentions, can set off chain reactions with unpredictable and often profound consequences. The only aspect genuinely within our control is the way we approach and pursue those goals. Our actions, efforts, and means matter. This all emphasizes the importance of focusing on how we work towards our aims, trusting that ethical and mindful means are crucial because we can’t always guarantee specific outcomes.

Yesterday I wrote about hubris in Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Hubris. In that post I spoke of the story of Icarus. Today, I am continuing to think about hubris and am reminded of a scene in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring where Boromir showed his hubris. In the great book, The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien’s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings, Fleming Rutledge described the scene like this:

“Boromir is not the only one being fought over. Here in this scene, Frodo enters his greatest struggle thus far. He is not facing the Nazgûl; he is not facing the Orcs; he is not facing the Uruk-hai; he is facing only one person, a friend and ally, a valiant warrior of his own fraternity, a man with the same goals and the same Enemy. What he sees in Boromir, however, gives him insight that he did not have before. He sees grandiosity and hubris, the overweening self-importance that proves fatal in any created being. It is not Boromir’s reasoning that alerts Frodo to the danger of his proposal; it is Boromir’s pride. Frodo is thus able to resist when his much larger companion puts forth his seductive arguments” (The Fellowship of the Ring, p. 190).

Avoiding hubris involves cultivating self-awareness and humility. We need to encourage honest opinions from trusted colleagues, friends, or mentors to gain different perspectives on your actions and decisions. The scene with Boromir reminds us that everyone has limitations and that success is often a collective effort, not solely individual prowess.

To fight hubris we also need to stay curious and open-minded. We need to keep learning and be receptive to new ideas and constructive criticism. This helps prevent overconfidence in our current knowledge or abilities. Additionally, we need to reflect on and analyze previous errors to understand how overconfidence or arrogance may have contributed and learn from those experiences.

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo Baggins is surrounded by others with diverse perspectives. We need to engage with people from different backgrounds and viewpoints to challenge our assumptions. By practicing these habits, we can nurture humility, remain grounded, and make wiser, more balanced choices. Thus, helping to avoid the pitfalls of hubris.

I love Bilbo Baggins’s poem known as the “Riddle of Strider”: “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken: The crownless again shall be king.” This poem is in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. I posted about this poem back in January in Don’t Let the Lack of Glitter Fool You: Uncovering True Value Beyond the Shine. I am rereading The Fellowship of the Ring right now and when I came across the poem again the phrase, “Deep roots are not reached by the frost” really jumped out at me.

When Bilbo says, “Deep roots are not reached by the frost,” he’s using a metaphor to convey resilience and strength. The idea is that something with deep roots, like a sturdy tree, can withstand harsh conditions, such as frost or storms, because its foundation is strong and well-anchored.

The lesson suggested by Bilbo is that true strength and stability come from inner qualities, core values, or deeply-held beliefs. No matter how challenging external circumstances become, those with ‘deep roots’ can endure and remain grounded.

During my rereading and study of The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Book 1) by J. R. R. Tolkien I am also reading the great book by Fleming Rutledge, The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien’s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings. Rutledge started with The Hobbit and then works through all the books. I love his work because he is breaking all of Tolkien’s work down and finding the subtleties the way my mind does when I read. He is a whole lot more scholarly about it than me!

This morning in my reading, Rutledge broke down the Greek word Hupomonē from the first chapter of Revelations in the Bible. Hupomonē can be translated to mean “perseverance,” “steadfastness,” “fortitude,” or “patience.” Rutledge asserted that, “It [Hupomonē] is not a glamorous virtue like courage or valor. It sends off no fireworks. Yet it is required of all who would fight the good fight, and there is no one, however lowly, who cannot serve in this way. Bilbo, the rather comical little peace-loving hobbit, is given two or three really heroic moments, but 98 percent of his journey “there and back again” is just putting one foot in front of the other, week after weary week” (p. 60). I spoke about “fortitude” in my new book Mere Leadership asserting that fortitude demands stepping outside of our comfort zone and challenging prevailing beliefs or perceptions. The Hobbit, through Bilbo, reminded us that we don’t get a lot of the big-time heroic moments that often make the news in life. We do, however, do important and significant work every day. Like Bilbo, we put one foot in front of the other.

There is a Swedish proverb that says, “Genvägar är senvägar” that means trying to take a shortcut often makes you late or takes more time instead of saving time. I was reminded of this proverb during my reading of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1). Pippin Took cautioned Frodo Baggins with these words: “Short cuts make long delays.” How very astute. In the context of The Fellowship of the Ring, the shortcut was related to travel and fighting darkness. But we are also tempted by shortcuts when doing projects.

Have you ever done anything that you thought was going to make things easier or save time, but that ended up the opposite? We are wired to take shortcuts. Sometimes we are trying to be more efficient, save time, or just plain being lazy. As Pippin warned, however, shortcuts usually lead to delays or less than desirable results. We need to put in the work or go the distance. As my dad always said, “If it is worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” So, next time we are considering a shortcut let’s take a moment and consider if it will cause delays.