Tolkien’s Six Keys to Happiness (LotR and Philosophy)

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I’d like to introduce another chapter of the Lord of the Rings and Philosophy book, this one written by Gregory Bassham.

Tolkien’s Middle-earth is a place in which many people would like to live to be happy; what can we learn from its inhabitants? Here are the lessons the author suggests:

1. Delight in simple things.
Both Hobbits and Elves enjoy the everyday pleasures of living. Why do those make people happy? They can be found readily and easily, says philosopher Epicurus, while the big goals in life are more elusive. Why do we so seldom experience happiness? Bassham says “because we’re too busy to focus on the things that most reliably produce it.”

2. Make light of your troubles.
This is, interestingly, one of the Quakers’ rules for living and it could definitely be said of the Hobbits! Merry and Pippin can joke even in the worst circumstances, and Sam’s simple hope sustains him through events that would have been way too much for any of us to handle. It occurs to me that Frodo, the most Elf-like of the hobbits, has less of this ability, and Elves, perhaps because of their immortality, do not generally show this characteristic.

3. Get personal.
Friendship is an important theme in the LotR, and the societies, most notably the Hobbits’, are characterized by many intensive personal relationships. Bassham compares this to Aristotle’s lessons in the Nicomachean Ethics, where the philosopher says that “friendship is indispensable for a happy and fulfilled human life”, holding society together and supporting in need.

4. Cultivate good character.
“With very few exceptions, happy characters in The Lord of the Rings are good and come to good ends, whereas unhappy characters are bad and come to bad ends,” Bassham says, and numerous discussions along that line have taken place on our forum. Does that principle apply to our world as well? Often it seems to be just the opposite. But the need for inner integrity is ingrained into human nature; Bassham quotes Harold Kushner: “Only a life of goodness and honesty leaves us feeling spiritually healthy and human.” – and therefore, happy.

5. Cherish and create beauty.
Happiness, goodness and beauty usually go together in LotR, both in persons and places. Not only are the good ones beautiful and the bad ones ugly, but the good people are artistic and creative, while the bad are destructive in nature. “Ugliness… depresses, while beauty inspires and refreshes”, Bassham says. Modern psychology agrees that creativity often produces “flow”, the unselfconscious absorption that we experience as happiness. But according to Tolkien, there is a deeper, theological reason for creativity: We need to create beauty because we are made in the image of the Creator. He calls this “sub-creation”.

6. Rediscover wonder.
Seeing the world around us with fresh eyes, delighting anew in the beauty of things that are familiar, brings happiness. The Elves are a good example of this ability, and Frodo experiences it when he comes to Lothlórien:

He saw no colour but those he knew, gold and white and blue and green, but they were fresh and poignant, as if he had at that moment first perceived them…
…never before had he been so suddenly and so keenly aware of the feel and texture of a tree’s skin and of the life within it.

Tolkien calls this experience “recovery” in his essay “On Fairy-stories”, bringing “return and renewal of health.” Seeing the miracle of the world around us brings us happiness.


How often have I read posts that say, “I wish I could be in Middle-earth”?! Well, though that is not possible, according to this philosopher and others we can learn to put Middle-earth into our lives by following the examples we read in Tolkien’s books. What has LotR taught you about happiness? I look forward to your thoughts! Though this topic leaves a lot of leeway for personal opinions, I do ask you to keep your posts Tolkien-related by giving examples from the books…