[alatar]

Great thread - was actually considering creating the same thread, yet haven't had the time nor sure...hmmm...exactly how to tell why I've considered the same.

But here goes anyway.

I'm losing my father to terminal cancer (we need not address this further). Each day that we get to talk, or that I get the chance to sit with him is a gift as we don't know how much longer we will have together. After sitting with him on one 'less than good' morning I started thinking about death being a gift. There have been times that he's wanted to just say "enough," and be done with it, but he is doomed to ride it out to the end. What a gift indeed if you could just lie down and fall asleep for one last time?

Anyway, Aragorn's death was not only a gift, as he bought extra active years by surrendering his last few (possibly) enfeebled years, it was also his last test of faith. He now had all that he ever wanted, but could either stay around until each day was misery (and who knows what effect that this would have had on the Fourth Age - something akin to leaving the One Ring unmade in the Third?), or trust in Iluvatar and let it all go - Arwen, his children, Middle Earth, all - and see if Melkor or Iluvatar told the truth.

Surely there had to be some formula or rules regarding the 'gift.' To lighten up a bit, what if, when Aragorn was a young man, when appearing in front of the elven court his tunic dropped and he was left standing in his undergarments? Surely he would just want to die! but obviously he wouldn't (one would hope).

Did this same gift protect those captured by the enemy, as then they could say "enough" and be done with whatever torture they no longer wished to endure. Somehow I don't think that it worked that way either.