A look into the future

This past week I've had no time to work on the blog. Just tonight I've had an hour to work on some music for a future Silmarillion Symphony release. Here is Rochallar:  https://soundcloud.com/aarondunnbassist/rochallar

This piece may not be released until later next year, as part of The Fall of Fingolfin.

Peace.

Empathy

The events of the past week have been a huge shock. There's an almost hopeless feeling about it all. Multiple incidents where people are dying. From Baghdad to Baton Rouge to Dallas, there's way too much pain to go around. 

Amid the host of voices saying "we must do this" and "we must do that", it's hard to hear a voice without blaming one person or cause, or (gasp) justifying killing another human being.

I'm not one for moralistic forms of reasoning, but I'm struck by the sheer amount of angry, empathy-less rhetoric. I wonder where the possibility of forgiveness has gone in our communal consciousness. Most of all I look for solutions. 

No matter how hopeless it feels, no matter how massive the scope of the changes that need to be made, we get to participate in changing the world for the better. It may seem ridiculous for one person to change the course we are on. But it's worth a try.

A beautiful pattern emerges in Tolkien. We find that his heroes are the types we would not easily pick out. An exile 'crept from the shadows.' A few little people from an obscure, naive culture. A haggard, homeless orphaned man (on more than one occasion). Even old people. I greatly enjoy how heroic many of his female characters are. Often they are not the most outwardly impressive people. A lot like us.

So I'll leave us with a quote from Tolkien. This, I believe is something worth taking heed of, and immediately.

“I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay, small acts of kindness and love.” –J.R.R. Tolkien