This Year's Model of Humanity

1. On the Way Home -- Real Life
So, every night when I drive home from work, I pass a church. Said church has one of those outside billboard things that changes regularly. Recently, it has been saying 'few people have ever repented of silence'.

This strikes me as a horribly short-sighted thing to say. There are many occasions when silence is the wrong response. If something immoral/unethical/illegal is going on, it is wrong to stay silent about it. I mean, hello, 'all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing'.

I mean, they probably don't mean "don't rock the boat" there, but that's still how it sounds to me every time that I read it.


2. Straight Bar -- Queer as Folk (UK)
There is a moment of perfect music on QaF (UK). Well, more than one, but this one is priceless. So, Vince goes to a straight bar and it is his first time in a straight bar. And the song that is playing? Game of Love.

I will quote the relevant lyric for you: The purpose of a man is to love a woman and the purpose of a woman is to love a man.

How perfect is that? Vince is in the straight bar, everyone assumes that he's straight, too, because he's in the closet at work, and, of course, as the song reminds us -- the natural assumption is that he's straight. Because that's 'normal' and that's, well, the way it is. The purpose of a man is to love a woman. And Vince's presence there reminds us that the song is complete bullshit.


3. Last Six Minutes -- Queer as Folk (US)
So, I've downloaded and watched what I've been told is the last six minutes of QaF (US) ever.
( Spoilers for the last six minutes of QaF (US) ever )

I've said that I love the story of The Lord of the Rings but don't like the books. Tolkien's style in the book just doesn't suit me at all. Oh, but the world and the characters that he created are glorious. And he can write and write quite well. There are so many lines from the book that I do adore. And I love The Hobbit (have I mentioned that before? I'm not sure that I have. It's quite an engaging tale.).

If the roads are clear enough and the library is open, tomorrow I'm going to see if it has The Silmarillion. I haven't yet tried to read that and I might like its style better.

Tolkien's an interesting guy - he disliked allegory, but both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are steeped in who Tolkien was and comparisions are nearly impossible for me to ignore. And just because he didn't want allegory in his stories doesn't mean that it can't easily be found in them.

Because there's always more to a story than what the author puts in it. Every single reader brings their own perspective to the piece - making the work richer and more vibrant by the act of interpretation.

When we reread a story, it's because something in that story calls to us. There's so much in The Lord of the Rings that's worth thinking about. So many ideas and ideals and idealogies at work in the story. I'm bringing up The Princess Bride again because that's the story that made me into the reader that I am - that story is all about choosing your own story inside the text.

What's The Lord of the Rings about? That's something that's unique to each reader.

To me, it's about friendship and love triumphing over corruption and fear. It's about compassion and courage. It's about unlikely heroes and unlikely friends. It's about nature and power - the fight between what is natural and what is artificial. It's about sacrifice and war and the consequences of growing up. It's about doing the job that needs to be done, regardless of the personal cost. It's about understanding who you are and that anyone is capable of being more than what they seem. It's about knowing what's right and standing behind that, come what may.

It's a million and one ideas, all fascinating. All worth delving into and exploring. And the characters. Words cannot express how much I adore the main hobbits.

I definitely understand why the books sold so well and have become what they are today. The story and the characters, yes, but also the sheer reality of the world that Tolkien created. It's a breath-taking accomplishment.

It's a world well worth many a visit.