Not all those who wander are lost
Like many of us here, I grew up on Tolkien. Yet as I've gotten older, the childhood wonder for his books hasn't gone away, it's grown.
I used to read Aragorn's story as being about destiny, about how we're all meant for greatness. But The Lord of the Rings isn't about being destined to do great things and becoming a great man. Tolkien writes about how important it is to do good things and be a good man
.
All that is gold does not glitter
Aragorn's most heroic moment is when he goes to The Black Gate, not to challenge Sauron himself, but to buy time for Frodo and Sam. The high king returned is not the glittering gold, the two small hobbits are who really matter, yet the mighty king is humble enough to put himself in danger for them with no promise of victory
.
Not all those who wander are lost
Aragorn was supposed to go south to Minas Tirith with Boromir. Instead, the fellowship breaks as Aragorn cries over Boromir's corpse - a stark contrast from the plan Aragorn had built up in his head
Lives aren't linear. The lives we dreamed up as kids don't play out the way we expect. But that doesn't make our lives any less meaningful or us any less valid as people because when it counted Aragorn stopped wandering and took The Paths of the Dead
.
The old that is strong does not wither
Aragorn was 88 when he finally gained Gondor's crown. His coronation has little to do with destiny or birthright, instead coming as a direct result of him refusing to wither before adversity. The long years had been hard on him, but he earns the crown by challenging Sauron in the palantir
Reading The Hobbit as a kid made me want to be somebody. I think most of us all want to be high achievers, to accomplish great things early and often. But that doesn't always happen for us, and yet we're never too old to try new things and find new accomplishments
.
Deep roots are not reached by the frost
Boromir was corrupted by power and tried to take the Ring. But Aragorn knew Boromir was not an evil man at heart, so he gave him a chance to defend Merry and Pippin help now! Go after those two young hobbits, and guard them at the least
Faced with the hordes of Isengard and Mordor, the Horn of Gondor calls drawing the orcs away from the Ringbearer. Though it costs Boromir his life, Aragorn giving him a chance gives Frodo and Sam a window to escape
It's always worth getting to know the people around us. We owe it to ourselves to not assume the worst in them and to be the first to apologize it is I that have failed
.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken
As the fellowship breaks and Aragorn feels small he makes a promise Minas Tirith shall not fall!. And so, at the very moment the Gate of Gondor breaks and The Lord of the Nazgul rides in and all hope appears lost, hope fills Aragorn's sails. Thus came Aragorn, and Minas Tirith does not fall
Our worst moments can become our most important. When it looks like we've lost everything and we've failed, it's time to pick ourselves up and move forward
.
A light from the shadows shall spring
At Weathertop, the Ring nearly falls into Sauron's grasp. At the very moment Frodo is stabbed, Aragorn comes leaping out of the darkness with a flaming brand of wood in either hand, his light driving the Nazgul back
We've all faced shadows in our lives. I know the works of Tolkien have been a light for me in those times. But Tolkien's work, especially Aragorn, shows how we can be a light for others. For all the loss and sadness in Aragorn's youth he still has the strength to be a light for Frodo against the darkest shadows like Tolkien has been a light for me
.
Renewed shall be blade that was broken
Narsil, the blade that cut the Ring from Sauron's hand. Elendil it was that stood alongside Gil-Galad against Sauron himself. By Aragorn's time men and elves no longer had the strength to defy Sauron in any real way
But two small hobbits could, maybe, with some luck find a way to destroy the Ring. When Anduril is reforged, Aragorn does not face the Witch-King or Saruman with it in an epic one on one duel. He shows it reforged to Sauron in the palantir, goading the Red Eye away from Frodo and into a premature strike
The blade that once defeated Sauron in an epic duel instead gets used to spring a trap and so it is that shadow is vanquished forever
Not everything goes the way its supposed to go. But when our lives fall apart, we can put the pieces back together in a new way. It won't be what we dreamed of, but it doesn't have to be worse. Every divorce can be the start of a new relationship, every shattered dream can be the root of new aspirations, a failed degree or lost job can be a pivot into something fresh
.
The crownless again shall be king
What does it mean to be a king?
Aragorn knelt for a while, bent with weeping, still clasping Boromir’s hand
The hands of a king are the hands of a healer
I have no help to send, therefore I must go myself
Aragorn becomes king because he's a good man, not a great one