Yeah, you gotta pick just one, because I said so.
So, you got no power, magic, gold or height? Made a few mistakes? Don’t matter, bub, you gotta go do what you’re called to do anyway, even if you think you might not be able to it all:
The small can influence the world, so act even if you think it won’t matter.
Alternatives?
England uber alles.
Always travel with your gardener.
I’d say, the nature of good and evil, and of the struggle between them.
I’d go with “Never meddle in the affairs of wizards, because once they’re aware of you, they’re going to involve you in their plans and gamble your life in risky plans with low success chances”. Look at what happened to Frodo! If it wasn’t for Gollum of all people, it would have all gone pear shaped!
Entropy. Everything always gets weaker, uglier, shorter lived, and so on. Tolkienverse history is a long slide of decay from superhuman wisdom and glory to mundane dullness and folly.
All you need is love! (da da-da da)
Sparing Gollum’s life led to success.
And yet in that mortal mundane dullness is heroism, joy and meaning.
and THAT is the theme of LOTR- finding meaning & peace in a mortal world.
It’s all about the bling.
Individual choices are important and can made a big difference; the fate of Man is not set, individually or as a race.
Industrialization is BAD. Hand crafting is GOOD.
That simple people, not just the great and powerful, can affect the lives of everyone.
I agree completely.
Despite the farther and farther we and our world slide from perfection, we are still able to do great deeds and live lives worth living.
I think it goes “Doo doo doooo, doo doodle-dooo, dee deeee, dum da-dum dum dooo.”
I would have said the “little” people, since they are physically tiny in Tolkien’s world, but yeah, this.
Nobody’s perfect.
Faith and hope.
Both as in believing you’ll make a difference no matter how insignificant it might seem, and as in believing in a higher power and a higher purpose.
I believe Tolkien in his letters said the story was about death.
I’d say you hit the nail on the head, Dex!
That no matter how bad things get, or how dark and hopeless they seem, giant sentient eagles will come to rescue you and your friends and make everything OK.