The veiling shadow that glowers in the East takes shape. Sauron will suffer no rival. From the summit of Barad-dûr, his Eye watches ceaselessly. But he is not so mighty yet that he is above fear. Doubt ever gnaws at him.
Gandalf
The toughest enemies and dominators all act out of fear, fear of losing power, fear of submission and failure. Sauron is no different. He is hard-pressed to enjoy his dominion over Middle-Earth, overcoming every hindrance to his will through Saruman. A much-needed supporter and ally.
Sauron brings death and destruction slowly but consistently. It appears his advancing would not find an obstacle considerable enough to stop him.
Confidence out of self-esteem
Confidence and belief in oneself is a double-edged sword. It is a feeling of complete surety in one`s own abilities. This feeling is as important for a person as self-esteem because both are inextricably linked to one another. As one`s self-esteem grows with exercising one`s own abilities, improving them and making use of them, so does one`s sense of confidence soar.
You become confident when there is a sure ground upon which you stand. To know yourself, your likes and dislikes and work on improving yourself with every step forward are to cement your own personality. Be your own person and rejoice in yourself.
Confidence out of fear
However, there is also confidence that rises out of fear. This confidence is nothing more than a shielding mechanism. For fear of losing or failing, one tends to develop a hollow sense of confidence that only fuels one`s desires further. Now, basing anything on fear is a losing battle in itself.
We all live with some kind of fear, and we all conquer it daily. Fear that Sauron feels is not that different from fear we feel.
Fear
In itself, fear can be a motivating agent or a crippling one. Fear can steer you towards greatness, or it can paralyze you. It can also make you cautious, deliberating every decision many times before reaching a decision. Self-doubt in moderate quantities is a healthy ally, in any higher amount it stops you growing, keeping you in place with your thoughts ever swirling.
Fear can also make you hasty. Haste is rarely a good thing. I have noticed that when I am hasty I make mistakes I would normally never do, just because I wanted to do something quickly.
And so he`ll strike hard and fast at the World of Men. He will use his puppet Saruman to destroy Rohan. Was is coming.
Gandalf
Fear is what drives Sauron to haste. He might be confident enough to start the overturn. But as his power grows, the fear and doubt he inherently carries within him grows as well. The more one gains the more there grows the fear of losing it all. Therefore, out of fear of failure, Sauron will move in haste against the opposition.
The character of Sauron
Sauron is not interested in a fair battle between two opposing forces. His interest lies in the annihilation of everything that might oppose him. Given the choice of a head to head combat, his fear of failing might take over, and he might lose. So, the only sensible thing is to just destroy it all, and rule without even getting a scratch.
Sauron is an interesting character. In the Lord of the Rings and well as in The Hobbit, he is an elusive, incorporeal being, and still, he installs terror upon the free people of Middle-Earth. He has been building himself for ages and has only come to this point because of the existence of the One Ring.
Given his limited modus operandi, he has to rely on others such as Saruman and Gríma to do his bidding. That, I must say, cannot be easy. Being the enemy, he seeks control of the land. Relaying that control onto others and trusting them to operate in his name is never a safe bet.
Altruism vs. selfishness
Saruman is convinced he would share power with Sauron once the Ring is in his possession. And Gríma`s motivation is a romantic one. Therefore, there is selfishness in taking part in Sauron`s quest for dominion. Neither one of the two can ever have the same motivation as Sauron has, and can, therefore, not be as consistent as they should be. Both are looking to gain something for themselves, instead of joining Sauron altruistically.
Why would you need to give anyone a reason to side with you apart from your own? Is it because you know they would never join if that were the case? Or is it a question of the two not inherently being malicious?
I would say it depends on the level of corruptibility one is prone to. Some would fight against, some would side with the enemy. But again the corruptibility is based on an individual’s insecurities with which the corruptor can manipulate. In turn, the insecurities come from lack of confidence, non-existent self-esteem, and general fear.
The rumor has reached him. The heir of Númenor still lives. Sauron fears you Aragorn. He fears what you may become.
Gandalf
However, here Sauron has a name for his fear – Aragorn. Now that he has learned of his existence, the fear takes shape and is focused on this one being. He fears the opposition.
Sauron`s one fear
Aragorn, on the other hand, has not yet taken to being Sauron`s true opposition, for he himself has not decided on his own fate. Aragorn`s mere existence is reason enough for Sauron to fear him, but if Aragorn never claimed the right to the throne, he would never have been more than a mere Ranger.
Gandalf looks at Aragorn with confidence, knowing what he would be capable of if he only made the right choice. Aragorn is still not sure. Although he doesn`t immediately dismiss this notion, as he did in the Fellowship of the Ring, he has still not reached the level of security he needs to feel secure in his decision. The challenges before him, he welcomes, I think. They will be proof enough for him to step up.
United against evil
Rohan must defend itself and therein lies our first challenge. Sauron and Saruman are tightening the noose.
Gandalf
Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas have a quest filled with challenges in front of them. Their newest mission is to rid Rohan of Saruman`s hold. They move as a single beam of light through the increasing shadow across Middle-Earth. Gandalf as the main instigator is the only one who could stand against another wizard`s spells. The three hunters are his wing-men more or less. There are there to create a safe path for Gandalf to work his magic.
But for all their cunning, we have one advantage. The Ring remains hidden. And that we should seek to destroy it has not yet entered their darkest dreams. And so the weapon of the enemy is moving towards Mordor in the hands of the Hobbit. Each day brings it closer to the fires of Mount Doom.
Gandalf
The difference in perspectives
It is an interesting thought to ponder, why Sauron and Saruman hadn`t come up with the idea that anyone would want to destroy the Ring? Their want lies in the Ring being used, which would, in turn, make it easier for Sauron to reclaim it, given it only answers to him.
So, basically, Sauron and Saruman are hoping for the Men or any other race to be consumed by the Ring to such an extent to use it in the belief that it would either bring about equality between the two forces or that the bearer would want power for himself alone.
Both Sauron and Saruman share the same perspective on the subject. They both consider the Ring too valuable for anyone to be stupid enough to try and destroy it. It is a perfectly normal way of thinking.
Anyone who ponders anything would firstly look at it from one`s own perspective. What would I do? The mastery of thought, however, lies in considering every possible outcome. Objectifying the situation rather than only subjecting it to your own views.
A beam of light in the darkness
Despite Gandalf`s return and his reunion with the three hunters, Frodo remains alone in his quest. Well, alone with Sam and Gollum. The rest of the Fellowship cannot help him directly but can try to be a diversionary tactic.
The fact that they are going against Saruman`s lordship of Rohan seems miles away from what is happening on Sauron`s doorstep. They need to fight against the increasing amount of enemies and assemble as much men power as they can to prepare for the War of the Ring. That is their task. They are in essence providing Frodo with support and a limited amount of safety, as he treads the dangerous paths toward the destruction of the Ring.
Gandalf: “Do not regret your decision to leave him. Frodo must finish this task alone.”
Aragorn: “He`s not alone. Sam went with him.”
Gandalf: “Did he? Did he indeed? Good. Yes, very good.”
Ever since Amon hen, Aragorn has been riddled with guilt. Even though there wasn`t much he could have done otherwise, the need to protect Frodo still flames within him. Although Aragorn resisted the lure of the One Ring, there is no telling if their relationship would have remained idle if he went with Frodo. The fact that he didn`t, shows great strength, I think.
We must trust now in Frodo. Everything depends upon speed and the secrecy of his quest.
Gandalf
There can only be one ring-bearer, everyone else around him would be there to protect him. The danger of ending up like Boromir would be ever-present. Sam is the only one with enough concern and care for Frodo and indifference to the Ring to be of any real help to him.
The guilt of leaving Frodo to head this perilous journey without his protection is what Aragorn struggles with. This decision he made, although the right one at the time, goes against every fiber of his being. He has pledged himself to protect him with his life or death, and now he has abandoned him.
Going against one`s own word is never an easy thing. Especially when a life is at stake. However, Gandalf claiming that Frodo has to do this task alone is somewhat a comfort for him. Gandalf can always be trusted to know exactly what needs to be done and how, and Aragorn trusts in him.
The remaining member of the Fellowship has put all their trust in Frodo. But, how is he getting on? Read on in my next post.
Featured image by Arto Marttinen on Unsplash.
