I completely agree with what you about physical power vs. mental/spiritual power. I bet you that Gimli could probably beat Gandalf in arm wrestling with no outside forces used, but obviously Gandalf is more powerful.
I find that fascinating. In so many books or movies, the biggest people, the most physically imposing, are also the most powerful. Think Braveheart, for example. But Tolkien very clearly describes Gandalf as a "bent old man". Galadriel herself is a woman, and Tolkien quite plainly didn't think women were very powerful.
What I find most incredible is this - two of the littlest, least powerful people did what no one with more power could do. Frodo and Sam were two common hobbits from the backwater land of the Shire, but they performed a task that Galadriel, Gandalf, Glorfindel, Aragorn, Feanor, Fingolfin, and all the rest could not do, merely on the power of their hearts. Sounds cheesy, but that is really amazing.
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If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."
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