Splendid but Unhappy

[littlemanpoet]

Kilian's words run counter to everything else I've ever read about Tolkien and Middle Earth, at least in terms of the Third Age Middle Earth as we read it in LotR. Now let me clarify that I personally see Iluvatar behind the scenes as a silent mover of all the "meant to be's" in LotR. (Those who disagree with me know who they are, and that's of course fine, and they also know that this particular point has been argued at length elsewhere; I'm not going there this time.) It's a different kettle of fish than what Kilian is saying. Tolkien has purposely written a non-religious set of cultures (note that I'm not saying non-spiritual or non-supernatural, completley different things). These cultures still function as moral cultures and free ones. These are called the Free Peoples. Which is to say 'not under the domination of Sauron'. And this Free condition is tantamount to happiness. For Kilian to say that 'gods not there' means unhappy is frankly ludicrous not only because it just ain't so, but it's a misreading of the entire set-up Tolkien has made. Too bad he had to add that weird paragraph, because everything else he said was pretty good.