Thinking as Philanthropy
The sun is rising
Can there be any hope when all our heroes are dead and revelation draws nearer? What is courage when past, present and future are being destroyed by a runaway belief in progress and modern ego? What is true virtue?
Thinking. Contemplation.
“You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it! They still defend it! They have died defending it!” - Aragorn
Thinking pays homage to the past, guides the present and drafts the future. More than anything it prioritizes the good, and may be said to be a prerequisite to genuine philanthropy (the love of humanity). Thinking is timeless in this manner.
In our paradoxical unfair world though, serious thinking is easier said than done.
“No, wait... it's right here in my pocket. Isn't that odd, now? And yet, why not? Why shouldn't I keep it? […] Well, no... and yes. Now it comes to it, I don't feel like parting with it! It's mine, I found it! It came to me! […] Well, if I'm angry, it's your fault! It's mine... my own... My precious...” - Bilbo
Pride is contrary to thinking. It allows the ego to conclude self-justifying frameworks of understanding. This behavior is often times deadly, but can be easily understood. Facing off against monsters is uncomfortable, to say the least.
“Don't tempt me Frodo! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand Frodo, I would use this Ring from a desire to do good. But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine." - Gandalf
Thinking is not for the faint of heart, as the banality of evil will be gazed at, and begun to be truly recognized within one’s own soul, through our neighbors and the very fabrics of political society. This is why even the best of us shy away from doing so.
However there is extraordinary hope, as genuine thinking (honest inquiry, seeking and attention) reveals what is truly good. Genuine thinking fights to reveal what is best within us and what our best capabilities are as imperfect human beings.
“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness, and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something. That there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.” - Sam
How to start? Take an idea, any idea and think about it. Take a day and then think about it some more. Even when you are tired and satisfied, inquire once again. Try doing so with further implicative topics, such as religion, anthropology, or political society. See how much you can lift. Believe in your aims, explorations and discoveries but never be satisfied with your conclusions, as that is an invitation for a larger monster to appear - which, perhaps, was always destined to be contested with.
Frodo - “You've left out one of the chief characters - Samwise the Brave. I want to hear more about Sam. Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam.”
Sam: “Now Mr. Frodo, you shouldn't make fun; I was being serious.”
Frodo: “So was I.”