A planet in potential devastation — a dark power dangles within reach and tantalizes humans to the point of valuing increased personal opulence over the survival of all. Few stewards fight to maintain peace, while the plague of human obsession for abundance and domination spreads across the land.
The masses remain naïve to the situation, while an equal amount believe their actions won’t make a difference in the play out of good versus evil. The sky darkens. The earth crumbles beneath. The only chance of survival depends upon the kindling of hope burning in the hearts of the beings of Middle Earth.
Sound familiar? That may be because it is a synopsis of "The Lord of the Rings," or it may be because the LOTR story line is starting to fit our global reality. The unfolding evil manifesting from the great ring of power in LOTR parallels the devastation in our reality inflicted by powerful institutions/organizations on the natural world and in turn humanity.
Here are five reasons why LOTR well represents our world under climate change conditions.
1. The fate of the world all boils down to individual choices.
Throughout LOTR, there are countless occasions in which individuals come close to the ring of power and yet resist their desire to obtain it for the greater good of all. We each have the same individual choice to make by being conscious consumers, giving up simple luxuries and getting educated about the impacts of our waste. Those with big salaries also have this choice to uphold humanity rather become corrupted by power. Yes, I am speaking to you, Koch Brothers.
2. The trees play a huge role in taking down the evil eye of Sauron, but are undervalued.
It’s true, trees hold measurable value in terms of ecosystem services and yet, we literally blow through ancient, precious trees in boxes of Kleenexes. In LOTR they are also undercounted. It is only by chance that Merry and Pippin convince the trees to join the fight against Sauron. In the end there couldn’t have been victory without them. In real life, trees are vital for combating climate change.
3. Most remain naïve or ignorant to the situation.
Just as the masses stay unaware and unconcerned by the growing power of Sauron in LOTR, so do the masses of our global population about climate change. There are still people who question the validity of climate change and this makes sense. The only way to effectively educate yourself about climate change is by taking a college level class covering the topic or doing extensive independent research. The ties between the health of our planet and humanity's health have only scratched the surface of mainstream knowledge. Mostly, people remain apathetic from lack of education.
4. Many die.
Many die in LOTR either fighting against the ring of power or by merely being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In our world, it is projected that many will face the threats from climate change effects whether it is water scarcity, food scarcity, disease outbreak, extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, forest fires and pollution. Correlation between climate change and human death toll has already been recorded in countless reports.
5. Defeating Sauron requires teamwork!
In LOTR, all different kinds of beings must come together to fight in unity for Middle Earth in order to defeat the likes of Sauron. In our world, it will take many different business sectors, educated specialists and policy makers to ensure we can provide a habitable world for our future generations. Moreover, it will require lifestyle changes from every individual to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and resource depletion.
In my freshman Human Event class, we were given the task of analyzing a piece of literature, which has since stayed with me. The work is called the Oration On the Divinity Of Man (and women) by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. The work essentially poses the question: What is the human being? Are we closer in relation to beasts or angels? From what I gathered, the piece furthers the idea that the human being is neither beast nor angel exclusively, but can choose to embody either of the beings’ qualities.
I see this idea exemplified in the story of LOTR and our current world. There may be some of us who are orcs, born into evil doings. There may be some of us who are hobbits living in cozy havens, remaining detached from the issues. Undoubtedly, there are those of us who are presented with the facts, experience cognitive dissonance and have a choice. We can either change our actions or change our morals.
Let’s hope the Sams, Frodos, Aragorns, Faramirs and Gandalfs of our world can tip the scale of our fates into a healthy and equitable future. When humanity makes it through, we'll know who to thank.
Now, I may just be another fanatic nerd, but alas, if there is one thing to learn from LOTR, choosing to act on unbridled desires like Sméagol can only lead to your body disintegrating in a fiery sea of lava.
Related Links:
Don't forget to worry about climate change
Obama, UN and China are perfect trio in this climate
Reach the columnist at ralydfor@asu.edu or follow @ralydford on Twitter.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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