How many times have you read The Lord of the Rings? Once, twice, or too many (like me)? Even if that answer is zero, its author J. R. R. Tolkien’s message remains incredibly influential. So much so that he was recently quoted by the Pope. In the author’s work, you can find a call to action, and beyond that, the moral imperative to meet life’s challenges in the best way possible.
In Pope Leo XIV’s most recent encyclical letter he included the following Tolkien quote, surprising Lord of the Rings fans worldwide.
“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.”
The one speaking in the book is Gandalf, after the first major defeat of the antagonist Sauron.
Tolkien, as a devout Catholic, would have been delighted to read this. But what exactly does the passage mean? It is a call to action, but of the right kind.
Tolkien Speaks Through Gandalf
Gandalf is in many ways the protagonist of the novels. He is an ancient being of immense wisdom, and is the mover and shaker of most of the events leading to the temporary defeat of evil.
But most of all, his role in The Lord of The Rings is that of a mentor, not only for the characters in the book, but for all of mankind.
Tolkien’s world is one in which magic is slowly fading, one that is moving away from legend and towards history. The age of humans is approaching, and, in the text, what differentiates us from older races like elves is the capacity for agency and action. The deities in Lord of the Rings are aware of this special gift, and have sent Gandalf, together with the other wizards, to guide humanity rather than command it.
This is relevant because it shows how the quote mirrors Tolkien’s own beliefs, and what he thought you need to know about action.
The Duality of Action
Have you ever felt the frantic need to keep doing things? To be productive for the sake of productivity, to systematise things so you can be even more efficient? This is not the kind of action Tolkien called for, but rather what he warned against.
Sauron, The lord of the rings himself, is the embodiment of an unchecked desire for power. His goal is to exert his will as much as possible, not necessarily to do bad.
This inevitably brings us to the author’s view of morality, which is drawn from the philosopher Augustine of Hippo.
That evil is but the absence of good.
Sauron, and the other characters in Lord of the Rings who have fallen down a dark path, are depicted as empty husks. As action without conscience.
The One Ring itself does not make the wearer evil, but it amplifies their authority, their ambition, their vanity. Those who fall victim to it often have good intentions, and it preys on those very intentions with its promises of power.
Let’s return back to the quote. When Tolkien warns against trying to become the “the master of all of the tides in the world” he does so not only because it’s futile. But because it’s fundamentally damaging. To yourself and to others.
What To Take From Lord of the Rings
Tolkien’s analogy about tilling the earth much more closely resembles healthy action.
The Shire, the idyllic countryside where the protagonists are from, is somewhere that has been carefully maintained and nurtured. Not out of ambition, but out of appreciation for life and its simple pleasures.
This doesn’t mean that you should be complacent in your everyday life. The protagonists of the Lord of the Rings are spurred into action by the threat of Sauron, and it is their responsibility to protect everything good in the world.
But as the character Faramir, who Tolkien has stated he most identified with, says:
“I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”
So do not love or seek action for the sake of action. If you feel stuck in your life, it may be because you haven’t found something that nurtures you and those around you. A garden for you to care for and protect. To till instead of control.
As a genre, fantasy is often not taken seriously. But Tolkien was a scholar, and someone with a tremendous understanding of philosophy and theology. He believed that all of us are capable of action and self-determination. But how we use is matters just as much.
We recently published blogs on celebrities like Daniel Radcliffe or Ronnie O’Sullivan getting unstuck. They were able to by finding something deserving of their action. It’s always something attainable, constructive, and that brings you and others happiness. But it’s unique for every person.
