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Old 03-26-2004, 11:30 AM   #1
Estelyn Telcontar
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Silmaril Tolkien’s Six Keys to Happiness (LotR and Philosophy)

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:
Quote:
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…
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Old 03-26-2004, 12:28 PM   #2
Sharkû
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I'm composing this from notes I made for a post to a morality thread I never replied to. In a way, it fits just as well here, since I captioned it 'Morality and Happiness - some conclusions from Myths Transformed'. I will see whether I can actually apply it to the six ways Esty described; it's definitely possible. Mainly, I imagine it as a 'theological' foundation for #4, integrity of character as required for happiness. I apologize for lack of definite sources, most of these points can be considered under the light of "cf. HoME X,5 [Myths Transformed]".

1. The immoral act in best intention (and the conscious intent of serving Eru) is not true sin/evil
2. repentance is divine and good: he who repents is not evil and can reach pardon and content/happiness
3. from 1+2: the immoral act without best intentions or conscious intent of serving Eru is sin/evil/truly immoral, even if not perceived as immoral [an interesting point, if we accept that - I'm not sure I even accept it as I concluded it myself]
4. he who constantly acts immorally/sins and never repents has to counts as evil himself
5. "all evil hates" (HoME X,5)
6. hate is the enemy of happiness, therefore immoral activity and happiness cannot go together

Morgoth, for example, eventually "liked" being a tyrant king, but existing solely as the desire to reign (etc.) he could never have been satisfied.
Knowing/conscious rejection of Eru's will has to result in and stem from hate of his creation and Eru himself. This hate can of course never be satisfied, it can only be amended through repentance.
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Old 03-26-2004, 01:42 PM   #3
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Shield

"We put the thought of what we love into all that we make."

To me that seems the essence of enjying work.

As for the "six steps"-- if I did them, I'd be happier... I do try, and am trying harder lately. When I first read them months ago I thought that I should find the biblical underpinnings for them, and see if they held together. I may yet do that.
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Old 03-26-2004, 01:53 PM   #4
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Tolkien

I can't think of six steps right now, but what about the hobbits love of giving? This might be a poor example, but think about the Sackville-Bagginses. All they did was want want want and they didn't strike me as very happy in FotR and The Hobbit.

And, in a way, this leads to the joy of self sacrifice. Even though Merry and Pippin knew, to a certain extent, the dangers of going with Frodo, they would not be happy unless they went with him, to help and comfort him.
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Old 03-28-2004, 02:55 AM   #5
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What has LOTR taught me about happiness... Well it has taught me that friends are important, and that you should do things for them, and always support them because they are your friends and remember that they do like you for a reason (which is probably the hardest key for me because I am very much a person who flys solo much of the time). And many times if you support them, they will support you in return.

I do like these keys. Though right now I am very busy with Senior things so I have not had much time to apply these to my life. But in addition to teaching me many things about happiness, LOTR has also taught me to never stop, keep going, and that the impossible is possible (even though it is a fantasy book). And I personally think that the "never give up" mindset can also bring joy to your life because once you are done with the task at hand, you are usually very joyful that you never gave up, and that you actually went through with it, and finished it.

These are very cool though, especially the one about "Rediscovering Wonder" (which is something that U.S. society really needs to do).
Thanks for sharing Estelyn
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Old 03-31-2004, 12:52 PM   #6
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Silmaril

Estelyn,

I love this thread; my answer has been percolating for days. I did go thru the scriptures and find some references, and gave it much thought. Here is a distilled and simplified response. (Since faith is a large part of who I am, that's going to show up in this answer, intermingled with references to LotR....) Here is my gut-level and scriptural considerations of a Hobbits' six steps to happiness.

1. Delight in simple things.
To me Delight is too strong a word, perhaps because I associate it with "Delight thyself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." So I would modify this slightly: enjoy simple things. Hobbits enjoy simple things. A flower, a mushroom (growing or cooked), a well-tilled field, a good pipe, ale, or meal. And I should practice doing the same. I would add: be content with the simple things. "Enjoy and be content with simple things."

2. Make light of your troubles.
"Count it all joy when you encounter various fiery trials... " Definitely. But I'm not good at it. If I had been with Merry and Pippin in Fangorn, I doubt I would have been chirping along with them. I need a hobbit's sense of humor! (God grant me wisdom, character and grace to DO it, and not just verbally agree to it.)

3. Get personal.
Yes; This one's easy... "Love your neighbor." And all those biblical one-anothers.
Frodo and Sam display the ideal friendship to me-- except that they are close only for four years, and then they are parted til Rosie dies. Too sad. Merry and Pippin, however, are a team 'til they die. Aragorn and Eomer remain friends for life.
The friendship I consider more and morelately is Frodo's early pre-war friendship with Gandalf. Gandalf was no stranger at Bag End; when he came, he was expected to stay for an extended visit. Frodo trusted him deeply. And the friendship continued after the war, even across the sea. Hmmm, I never thought of that before; makes his parting from Sam a little-- just a little-- less devastating, considering that his friendship with Gandalf had lasted for a good thirty years and was destined to continue.

4. Cultivate good character.
A no-brainer; for a supporting scripture see The Book of Proverbs... But yes, Aragorn always struck me as a man who would be able to hold his head high and not mourn his life, because he insists on doing what is right, whether it is comfortable or no. Likewise Sam. Likewise Frodo (when he's not ring-demonized inside the Sammath Naur...) Eomer, Legolas, Gimli-- stalwart do-gooders all. And amen to that; integrity is invaluable.

5. Cherish and create beauty.
I always did want to be elvish, this way. Creating beauty is scriptural, in a sense. And Tolkien (lately) has opened my eyes to the whole concept of sub-creation in worshipful imitation of The Creator (meaning, we are made in his image, and letting that image function as it ought.) But it also means cherishing the beauty of God, which is all about worship, and enjoying the beauty of his creation, which is all about thanksgiving. I wanted those Frodo-experiences of touching the mallorn-bark at Cerin Amroth. I still do.

6. Rediscover wonder.
See previous. God is a wonder; his creation is wondrous; and that shines thru in who elves are and what they do. I'm not sure that this is a hobbitish strong point, though. Certainly for Frodo (and often Sam) it is, but I wonder if that's largely Bilbo's elvish influence on them. I suspect it is. Nevertheless-- I want to be elvish this way, too.

I don't want to resemble a normal hobbit-- too "parochial", too neighborhood-bound, too inward-looking and self satisfied. But an elf-fraternizing, adventurous hobbit-- Yes. Tookish!
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Old 03-31-2004, 01:16 PM   #7
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Silmaril

Sharku:

Your post brought several things to mind.
Quote:
The immoral act in best intention (and the conscious intent of serving Eru) is not true sin/evil
This brings to mind an old saw oft quoted by my father: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" Also, Judges describing the descent into moral anarchy: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." It doesn't say everyone did what was *wrong* in his own eyes and anarchy ensued.


Quote:
from 1+2: the immoral act without best intentions or conscious intent of serving Eru is sin/evil/truly immoral, even if not perceived as immoral [an interesting point, if we accept that - I'm not sure I even accept it as I concluded it myself]
Reminds me of "That which is not of faith is sin." Faith is tied to mercy and grace just as rebellion is tied to sin.

Returning to the first point-- I doubt Feanor was doing what was wrong in his own eyes when he refused to surrender the silmarils to the Valar. He saw what they were asking him to do as wrong, I think; but his decision was about fearing for his own heart, it wasn't about faith or service.

Would he have been happy with the two trees restored? Or was he beyond happiness already?

And does it matter? We all want happiness (I sure do) but is the point of life to be happy? I act as though it is. Brain-heart disconnect, apparently. Our culture seems to have lost the internal fortitude that it takes to persevere against all odds for a distant goal: destruction of the ring, or establishment of a kingdom. I think devaluing what is *right*, the *right * thing to do in Eru's sight, and replacing it with *whatever makes us happy*. But that doesn't get us to Mount Doom, or through the Paths of the Dead either.
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Old 03-31-2004, 02:45 PM   #8
Estelyn Telcontar
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My first post was a summary of the points this chapter contains; now I’d like to add some very personal comments on one aspect that I’ve been thinking about – walking and happiness. No, I’m not adding a seventh point to Bassham’s list, but it occurs to me that several of these points are involved in what is not only my favorite exercise, but also a major part of LotR. After all, The Fellowship is also called the ‘Nine Walkers’! (I fully realize that what I write can apply to other forms of outdoor exercise as well, though it seems to me that running, biking, and riding don’t leave enough time for seeing the little things by the wayside.)

One way of adding happiness to my life is by walking. We all know about the hormones that are produced to make us feel better when we exercise, but there’s more to it than that. Walking is one of the simple pleasures; it takes no special equipment, costs next to nothing, and can be done almost everywhere. Do we stop to realize how fortunate we are to be able to walk? There are several people around me with mobility problems, which makes me thankful for my healthy body. And thankfulness certainly adds to happiness.

The most important aspects for me are those involving pleasure in seeing the small, simple things, discovering beauty around me and realizing the wonder of it. Most of the moments of wonder in LotR take place out of doors, seeing flowers, trees, stars, and more. Yes, seeing man-made beauty can bring a sense of wonder as well – a nicely built house, beautiful work of art or astonishing bridge construction, for example. Still, most of my experiences of wonder happen outside: the shape of tiny leaves outlined by frost, glittering in the early sunlight before the crystals melt; the vivid colors of sunrise or sunset; stars and planets (yes, and the man-made International Space Station when it passes overhead) lighting the dark sky; the fresh green of buds and the miracle of blossoms growing out of bare branches… I could go on, but I’d probably have to remind myself that I’d be getting off-topic!

Perhaps this awareness of the world around me can add the aspect of ‘making light of my troubles’ as well, since it helps me to look beyond myself. Walking with a dog does encourage conversation with others, thus ‘getting personal’ too. Does it also cultivate good character? Perhaps, since I sometimes have to overcome initial laziness and stick to what I want to do even if I don’t feel like it at the moment.

Walking in the steps of the Fellowship (I joined the ‘Walk to Rivendell’ last year and am still going strong) adds to the fun, connecting me with Tolkien’s story and other fans. Yes, walking and happiness definitely belong together for me!
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