[aragornreborn]

worlds such as Middle-Earth which still have values such as honour, mutual support, valour and virtue always make me dream of living there, or in such times

Why settle for dreams? I believe such stories are meant to inspire us to live such lives of virtue now, in our world.

The times of knights and ladies, of castles and of
kings,
What a time to live or die, during battle,
Baring a suit of metal rings,
So mount up warriors of old, mount upon the saddle,
Do not tarry knights of honor, do not tarry or delay,
Without regrets we must ride,
Deep into the fray,
So come all ye warriors, arise and ride to me,
For onwards we go to battle, to free our land and sea!

A peice of my little work. I would have gone on the quest as long as I had friends like sam and the others to help me!

I give this wonderful piece of work as an example. If I was a soldier in time of war, that poem would inspire me to rise above my fears and my restraints to fight with valour and with strength to defend my family and my people.

I actually never got to answer this before, sadly (and surprisingly). And, another point, equally as sad, is that no, I would not have gone with the Fellowship, given the choice. I have neither the courage nor the strength that it would have taken to go on such a demanding quest. Most likely, I would have hindered the company anyway, hopefully, for their sake, dying early on to spare them my companionship.
If you think about it, although we dream of romantic quests such as that, most of us would not be equipped for an ordeal such as the one the nine companions went on. We have our televisions, airplanes, air-conditioning, cars, and all those other conveniences that have made us soft these days. I am sure there are some out there that could undertake the quest, but I know that I, for one, am a product of my generation and would never be able to survive the trek to Mount Doom or anywhere else dangerous, most likely.

Your humility is to be commended. But I would like to offer encouragement on your behalf. If we were to truly think about it, virtually none of us could have successfully participated in the quest no matter how appealing and exciting it may
sound and no matter how much we may desire to fight for good. You are right, very few of us are skilled fighters and many of us have grown soft in today's culture (at least compared to the members of the fellowship). But, we have not been raised in the same manner as we would have been if Middle Earth existed. If we had lived in Middle Earth, no doubt many of us would be trained to various degrees in warfare. And those of us who had a thirst for adventure or who had strong convictions about fighting against evil would definitely train themselves so that they would be qualified for such a quest. Likewise, if a quest were to be undertaken in today's world with access to the same technology that made us "soft," many of us could undertake a similar, modern quest.

Also, think of the hobbits. Although most of them did not know what they were getting into, they volunteered and were allowed to participate in the quest because of their friendship for one another. Truly, Elrond's council knew that the hobbits would have been of little worth in battle and in council. But they were permitted to join the fellowship. And the reason why I think they were allowed to do so was because of their heart and their motives. The hobbits cared for each other. The kind of character that they showed (and the kind of character that is shown through abstaining from a quest because you feel you'd bog your friends down) is worth much more than ability and knowledge. Take Sam. He was a gardener - totally unskilled in combat. But through his devotion and love for Frodo, the quest was completed. Without Sam, the ring wouldn't have been destroyed. And that is Tolkien's point. You don't need to be a hero and you don't need to be a warrior or a wise person to change the world. All you
need is to love your fellow man and do good.