Friday, November 25, 2005

Where Have All the Hobbits Gone?

I saw a bumper sticker that gave me a laugh: "Frodo Failed. Bush Got the Ring." The sad thing is that the person sporting the bumper sticker, and perhaps the manufacturer of it, seemed to miss the real point of the Ring of Power message from The Lord of the Rings. You see, the person had another bumper sticker, one advocating John Kerry for President.

The problem is not that the wrong person got the ring. The problem is the ring. Specifically the corrupting power of the ring. Power corrupts. That problem cannot be solved by the acquisition of the ring by anyone clamoring for it.

We need a Hobbit. We need someone willing to carry the ring with the only purpose of destroying it. Such a person, just as in The Lord of the Rings, is hard to find. And with the "gimme" attitude of many Americans, that person would probably never be allowed to take the ring. Because people don't think the ring is the problem. People think ultimate power is fine, as long as their guy is the one who wields it.