[ElanorGamgee]

I agree with Child; it is hard for me to imagine being an elf because they are so often portrayed as being nearly perfect, both physically and ethically. In RPG's I have always played a hobbit, for I can relate to them more than to the other races, although at times I feel more fit to play an orc. Hobbits are portrayed as a generally good and gentle people, but they are not perfect by any means. The typical hobbit may be gluttonous, grudging, cowardly, and uninterested with the rest of the world, content to live out a comfortable life (by the way, I love the hobbits, but I'm being a bit hard on them for the purpose of the discussion). I can relate, for although the people I know, to my knowledge, would describe me as kind and friendly, I am perpetually struggling with what are often considered small, petty sins, but problems nonetheless. I tend to want to sit in my room and enjoy myself, comforted by the fact that I am in the good opinions of my friends, when I know that there are so many things that ought to be done for others. I am afraid to step out of my comfortable, familiar routine and tend to be selfish by default, too self-righteous and self-centered to notice my own errors. This is why I like C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters so much; it gives insight into the little things that a Christian might do every day and never think about that are actually detrimental to his relationship with God. They can be more deadly than the "big sins" because they go largely unnoticed.

[ September 19, 2002: Message edited by: ElanorGamgee ]