If you haven't read Ben Wiker's book "10 Books That Every Conservative Must Read," it may surprise you to learn that one of the "books" he recommends is the trilogy "Lord of the Rings" (LOTR). (It is interesting to note that the author of LOTR, J.R.R. Tolkien, converted famed Christian apologist C.S. Lewis to Christianity -- Lewis was an atheist when Tolkien first met him. You might say that without Tolkien there would not only be no LOTR, but no Narnia either).
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As many of you know, either through reading the books, or watching the movies, LOTR is about an epic battle fought between Good and Evil. Good is represented by such avatars as Gandalf the wizard, Aragorn (Strider) the king, and the hobbits Frodo and Sam. Evil is personified by the entity Sauron, who through his hordes of minions attempts to grab the "One Ring," so as to rule the world, and plunge it into physical, moral, and spiritual darkness.
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One Ring to rule them all
One Ring to find them
One Ring to bring them all
and in the darkness bind them
Wiker observes that "the presence of the One Ring represents many subtle facets of evil, but three are particularly worth our attention."
First, it represents an evil far deeper and darker than mere hobbits can understand.... We hobbits must recognize that we are part of a far larger cosmic battle.
Second, the One Ring represents the essential, and often painful, self-limitation of the good man who could use an evil means to a seemingly good end, who is sorely tempted to use an evil means to a noble end, but forces himself to turn away.
Finally, we must not overlook the obvious. The Ring is...a single power that ultimately resides in a single source, Sauron in Mordor, [who] presents the very essence of totalitarianism: the desire to override all the real wills of real persons...and reform all that is below him into one master plan. He imposes government from the top down, crushing everything in its path as of no consequence.
I've read the LOTR trilogy several times over the years, and I concur with Wiker's take on the books (and movies). (I first read the trilogy in the mid 1960s, and I still have a letter from Betty Ballantine, who published the books [at least the American paperback editions]. The letter was in reply to a question I had regarding J.R.R. Tolkien).
Tolkien did not write LOTR merely as a fairytale to entertain children, but as a metaphor, a mythological story to instruct people about the dangers of totalitarianism in its various guises, and the courage needed to resist and, hopefully, defeat it. As Wiker observes, the essential point of stories like LOTR is that "they prepare us for the real battles."
If there is one single virtue that stands out in Tolkien's masterpiece, it is courage, the manly virtue of those who must fight against those who would enslave them and turn to ruin all they love.
In the "tale" that we currently find ourselves in, Sauron takes shape as György Schwartz (aka George Soros). Of course, "Sauron" in our time represents much more than just George Soros -- "Sauron" encompasses all of the Machiavellian, egotistical, greedy powers and players that seek to destroy that which is uplifting, charitable, and noble, and replace them with that which is crass, debasing, and self-serving. Nonetheless, for our purposes Soros will do as a face for "Sauron." Soros certainly has his hordes of "orcs and villains" at his beck and call.
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Although in order to more nearly duplicate our reality, Tolkien's Middle Earth leadership would need to be crammed full of traitorous Grima Wormtongues, Sarumans, and Denethors. Plus the bulk of the town criers would have to be mouthpieces for Sauron, and King Theoden's army and the soldiers of Minith Tirith would need to be gay, lesbian, and cross-dressing transsexual gender-bender compliant. Then it would more closely resemble what "we the people" are faced with.
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If the recent collusion between the Republicans and Democrats during the "lame duck" session of Congress didn't convince you that the political "rivalry" between the two political parties is essentially nothing but a dog and pony show, then I don't know what will wake you up. For those of us who are awake, it proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that we are under the tyrannical rule of a Power Elite who are concerned only with pushing ahead with their anti-American, anti-God, anti-freedom agenda -- "we the people" be damned.
That they will lie, obfuscate, and otherwise try to weasel their way out of such a declaration, goes without saying. They are for the most part lying scum, and duplicity is to be expected from them -- and their minions in the liberal media.
Whether you label it Marxism/Fascism versus Democracy, or civilization versus barbarism, or Good versus Evil, the battle is joined. Call it what you will, we are in a war, and if you haven't already, you had better choose which side you are going to align yourself with. Choosing not to align with either side is the same as choosing to align yourself with "Sauron" -- who delights in apathy, or cowardice disguised to look like moral integrity.
(A note to the newly elected Republican majority in Congress: It is time to stow the "hail fellow well met" collegiate bulls--t, and get down and dirty. If any "conservatives" in Congress think that's it's "business as usual," then they need to wake the # up. They are either too apathetic, too corrupt, or too dense, to be of any use where they are. If they refuse to awaken and get with the program, then they need to get the h--l out of the way, because "we the people" have work to do, and we cannot afford dead weight).
If, after the last two years, you are still unaware of the serious threats arrayed against America (and freedom around the globe), then you are either a dolt, or have chosen (consciously or unconsciously) to remain willfully ignorant.
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We are witness to, among other things, the culmination of a massive, long-term betrayal of "we the people" by "public servants," from the highest ranks on down. Whether because of greed, ideology, or ignorance, they are close to delivering the One Ring (totalitarianism) to "Sauron."
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You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes, or Einstein, in order to see the writing on the wall, for God's sake. As the song says, "it's in my face" everywhere you look. All you need to do, is get your head out of your butt and open your eyes -- the UN, Agenda 21, the Club of Rome (and its branches), the Open Society (and its branches), the Muslim Brotherhood, our open borders, and on, and on, and on....
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"We the people" will need to, as the saying goes, "stay frosty" -- which is to say, go about the business of fighting "Sauron" with the same dispassionate intensity with which you might take out a rabid animal that threatens your livestock, your neighborhood; your family.
And "take to you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
If the 112th Congress continues with their dog and pony show, then "we the people" will have to take things into our own hands -- come what may. It will mean the end of peaceful resistance. Our Constitution, our Declaration of Independence, our roots and heritage encourages -- no, DEMANDS -- that "we the people" tear at the yoke of tyranny whenever it threatens to ensnare us.
It may come down to fighting a guerilla war, a resistance-fighter's war, for years, or even decades. As the late Warren Zevon might have put it, "It won't be pretty at all."
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We'll need to infiltrate and subvert, even as the US was infiltrated and subverted -- although it won't be nearly as easy as we allowed it to be for the Alinsky-style subversives. Once they have fully seized control, they will deal with any resistance swiftly and brutally.
Also, as Churchill observed, we "may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves." True enough, although I also agree with another sentiment he expressed -- "Although prepared for martyrdom, I [prefer] that it be postponed." Nonetheless, God's will be done. If it gets down to it, there'll be no quarter asked, or given. Think that's all hyperbole? Think again.
Liberals, or "we the sheeple," will either continue to be willing dupes for the puppet-masters, or wake up to the fact that they have been used, lied to, and misled. I suppose whether they wake up, or not, depends on how thorough their indoctrination has been. If they insist on remaining willing puppets, then they are the enemy; ignorant dupes or not. In addition to aiding and abetting, they act as an obfuscating front for "Sauron's" power grab.
If you value your unalienable rights, love your country, and treasure your freedom, then consider yourself a "conservative" for the duration. Any ideological/political differences can be hashed out after the storm passes -- if it passes. For now, the quest to save the flame of liberty from being extinguished is paramount.
Warren Zevon, whom I mentioned earlier, wrote in another of his songs that "there's a sadness at the heart of things" -- and indeed there is, for we live in a transient material world from which all things must pass. In addition, it is a world of duality; where "up" must needs be coupled with "down," "inside" with "out," "gladness" with "sadness," and "good" with "bad."
The late Joseph Campbell, who knew a thing or two about heroes and mythology, declared that those who deny the sadness at the heart of things are "unfit for illumination."
Campbell observed that "instead of clearing his own heart the zealot tries to clear the world;" and that "we're not on our journey to save the world but to save ourselves," and then adds somewhat cryptically, "but in doing that you save the world."
This is the way of history's mystics, and odd as it may sound, it is also the way of conservatism, and it is totally opposed to the liberal stance of collective salvation, and the eradication of sorrow through social engineering. Liberals are forever looking for quick physical fixes to inside emotional/spiritual ailments. Conservatives, although compassionate and charitable (more charitable than liberals it turns out), believe in giving someone a hand up instead of a handout.
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The way of conservatism is the way of the hero, which champions the individual quest for freedom, truth, and eventually, salvation and enlightenment. If that sounds strange to you, remember that you have been listening to "Grima Wormtongue" and "Sauron's" town criers all your life.
Our life, or our quest if you will, is at heart a hero's journey of individual spiritual growth. Some spiritual teachers can be invaluable guides, pointing you in the right direction (even elevating your conscience by their mere presence), but no one can enlighten you but you, and God -- certainly no Big Brother government is going to enlighten you.
We are all at different stages on our journey, and for some atheism may be an important step in a fearless quest for the Truth. For others, merely striving to be decent and charitable may be a heroic personal struggle. At some point in a blessed journey the "holy grail" is reached, and duality and the "sadness at the heart of things" is transcended. The result is what Campbell popularized as "joyful participation in the sorrows of the world."
Almost suspended, we are laid asleep
In body, and become a living soul:
While with an eye made quiet by the power
Of harmony, and the deep power of joy, We see into the life of things.
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There is such a thing as, what Dr. Jung termed, the "collective unconscious." It is the reservoir of the consciousness of humanity, and has been assigned various labels such as the "race mind," the "mitote," the "noosphere," etc. When an individual, through a combination of individual free will, and God's grace, elevates their state of consciousness, they elevate humanity's collective unconscious by a surprising degree. This is what Campbell was referring to when he said that in saving yourself "you save the world."
"And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind."
In the end, conservatism is not only the way of truth and integrity, but it is quite literally the road to the salvation of the world. As such, the conservative way of life is something worth defending at all costs, by any means necessary. It is a hero's job to guard and defend it, and courage is a requirement.
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As the world's main source of conservative freedom, the United States of America is, has been, and will be, under constant attack by forces hostile to freedom, truth, and spiritual growth. Liberals, who are largely unaware that they are dupes for power-hungry puppet-masters ("Sauron"), are nevertheless destroying America, and must be stopped. To defend, restore, and advance the "shining city on the hill" is a job, a duty, and a privilege worthy of any true hero.
It is a cause easily worth my life, although I concur with Gen. Patton that my "job" is to "make the other poor bastard die for his." (In a different, but related vein, "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man [or woman] avails much," and is an essential element of any conservative action, and can certainly be heroic in its own right. Some folks can best serve the cause through their effective prayers).
Speaking of heroes, the jagoffs in JAG have sentenced decorated war veteran, and hero, Lieutenant Commander Terry Lakin, to Ft. Leavenworth prison, for questioning Obama's eligibility to be POTUS. I would imagine he could use a few words of encouragement, if you can afford the time to write a short note. Keep in mind that "we the people" are not allowed to send him any books, food, or magazines -- nor can you address your letter using his rank.
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Terrance Lakin #89996
830 Sabalu Road
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027
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Keep your head down, your powder dry, and recall that "Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain."
May God bless America.
Laus Deo.
The brave things in the old tales and songs...I used to think that they were things that the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for.... But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have just landed in them, usually.... I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn't. And if they had, we shouldn't know, because they'd have been forgotten. We hear about those who just went on -- and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. ...I wonder what sort of tale we've fallen into? -- J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) "The Two Towers"
"Man should not be in the service of society, society should be in the service of man. When man is in the service of society, you have a monster state, and that's what is threatening the world at this minute." --Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) author of "The Hero With a Thousand Faces"
"Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?" -- Gimli the dwarf (From the movie "The Return of the King")
