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The forces of darkness are gathering.
Those word struck me as rather dramatic when I heard them uttered by my husband last week, but he's right. They've been gathering for a while now and they are gaining momentum.
It's a frightening thing to witness in one's lifetime. Somehow it seems that it should be something relegated to the history books. We should have learned by now.
In times like this I find myself taking comfort in unexpected places. As I ponder my place in all of this, I am reminded of this scene from the movie version of the Lord of the Rings where Frodo and Gandalf are talking.
Frodo:
"I wish none of this had happened!"
Gandalf:
"So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo besides evil."
One line in particular rumbles around my head and my heart:
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.
And how will I do that? Do I thrust my head into the sand and pretend that it's not happening or hope that someone else will handle it? Just live my life doing the things that make me happy? Do I rush into it headlong, unprepared and unarmed only to be mowed down in the first wave of battle? Sacrificing myself and my happiness to "the cause"?
Well, those are rather extreme examples. And examples of my own tendency to be dramatic and also to put things into the either/or paradigm we are so fond of using in this broader culture.
What if there was a third way? And maybe a fourth and a fifth way? What if the ways of fighting the darkness were as varied and unique as each individual? What would it look like then?
Most importantly what is my way??
How do I best use my gifts, abilities and interests to serve the greater good? To shine my light into the dark places and to share it with others that are in danger of being consumed by the darkness?
How do I do it all? How do I fight the good fight as well as do the things that make me happy? Are they always opposites and if so how do I have them both? How much of each can I manage? Can they ever be one and the same?
I don't entirely know yet, but I know this. The time for hiding is over. We must risk being brave enough to be seen.
And when I say we I mean me. But I hope you’ll consider these questions and join me.