Arthur_Again
@arthuragain.bsky.social
White / male / cis / Episcopalian / born citizen; about as privileged as they get; lawyer. He/him.
Yes. You have to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Men are told by just about every voice in our culture not to be vulnerable. Sometimes we don't even know how - we never got the training.
November 23, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Yes. You have to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Men are told by just about every voice in our culture not to be vulnerable. Sometimes we don't even know how - we never got the training.
G'night, Lysbeth. Sweet dreams.
November 23, 2025 at 2:31 AM
G'night, Lysbeth. Sweet dreams.
We've been waiting for the GOP to pay the butcher's bill since at least the W Bush administration. Somehow they seem to be in charge of everything again.
November 23, 2025 at 2:19 AM
We've been waiting for the GOP to pay the butcher's bill since at least the W Bush administration. Somehow they seem to be in charge of everything again.
I tried planting barley to make beer once.
Birds ate it all.
Birds ate it all.
November 23, 2025 at 1:45 AM
I tried planting barley to make beer once.
Birds ate it all.
Birds ate it all.
Thank you, Sarah. Glad it had the intended effect.
November 22, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Thank you, Sarah. Glad it had the intended effect.
And what they say is truth.
It works.
Do justice, love kindness, walk with humility - and Empires will fall.
Love your neighbors, your friends, your families, your self - and corruption and evil will not touch you nor bring you to harm.
It works.
Do justice, love kindness, walk with humility - and Empires will fall.
Love your neighbors, your friends, your families, your self - and corruption and evil will not touch you nor bring you to harm.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
And what they say is truth.
It works.
Do justice, love kindness, walk with humility - and Empires will fall.
Love your neighbors, your friends, your families, your self - and corruption and evil will not touch you nor bring you to harm.
It works.
Do justice, love kindness, walk with humility - and Empires will fall.
Love your neighbors, your friends, your families, your self - and corruption and evil will not touch you nor bring you to harm.
I know it sounds hokey and useless, that it's hard to see how small acts of kindness among ordinary people can change the course of this world.
But they do.
The words of all the (uncorrupted) sages of all the communities in the world amount to much the same thing - Love your neighbors.
But they do.
The words of all the (uncorrupted) sages of all the communities in the world amount to much the same thing - Love your neighbors.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
I know it sounds hokey and useless, that it's hard to see how small acts of kindness among ordinary people can change the course of this world.
But they do.
The words of all the (uncorrupted) sages of all the communities in the world amount to much the same thing - Love your neighbors.
But they do.
The words of all the (uncorrupted) sages of all the communities in the world amount to much the same thing - Love your neighbors.
The answer is to see the stars, and know that there is a far off beauty that is beyond the reach of even the worst of the evil that we know, and to hold that in your heart.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
The answer is to see the stars, and know that there is a far off beauty that is beyond the reach of even the worst of the evil that we know, and to hold that in your heart.
The answer is to not take power and try to wield it, but to form friendships and to care for people.
The answer is to find something beautiful, something worth protecting - like the Shire, like Lothlorien - and to hold that in your heart.
The answer is to find something beautiful, something worth protecting - like the Shire, like Lothlorien - and to hold that in your heart.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
The answer is to not take power and try to wield it, but to form friendships and to care for people.
The answer is to find something beautiful, something worth protecting - like the Shire, like Lothlorien - and to hold that in your heart.
The answer is to find something beautiful, something worth protecting - like the Shire, like Lothlorien - and to hold that in your heart.
The answer is not to drop a ring into a volcano.
The powers of evil are more subtle than that.
But the answer is to look for corruption and avoid it. To look to the underprivileged and oppressed, those who need to hide for survival, and take guidance from them on corruption and how to avoid it.
The powers of evil are more subtle than that.
But the answer is to look for corruption and avoid it. To look to the underprivileged and oppressed, those who need to hide for survival, and take guidance from them on corruption and how to avoid it.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
The answer is not to drop a ring into a volcano.
The powers of evil are more subtle than that.
But the answer is to look for corruption and avoid it. To look to the underprivileged and oppressed, those who need to hide for survival, and take guidance from them on corruption and how to avoid it.
The powers of evil are more subtle than that.
But the answer is to look for corruption and avoid it. To look to the underprivileged and oppressed, those who need to hide for survival, and take guidance from them on corruption and how to avoid it.
That the People together can elect representatives to lead communities, nations, states, cities.
And when the influence of the great obscures reality, pardons those who have done truly wicked deeds, shifts blame from the responsible to the vulnerable - then the People no longer run the world.
And when the influence of the great obscures reality, pardons those who have done truly wicked deeds, shifts blame from the responsible to the vulnerable - then the People no longer run the world.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
That the People together can elect representatives to lead communities, nations, states, cities.
And when the influence of the great obscures reality, pardons those who have done truly wicked deeds, shifts blame from the responsible to the vulnerable - then the People no longer run the world.
And when the influence of the great obscures reality, pardons those who have done truly wicked deeds, shifts blame from the responsible to the vulnerable - then the People no longer run the world.
The world wants us to think that the world is run by the great and powerful, the wealthy, the leaders of the institutions.
We know when that is true, because the world starts to fall apart.
The great - inspired - idea of democracy is that the world can be lead by the ordinary.
We know when that is true, because the world starts to fall apart.
The great - inspired - idea of democracy is that the world can be lead by the ordinary.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
The world wants us to think that the world is run by the great and powerful, the wealthy, the leaders of the institutions.
We know when that is true, because the world starts to fall apart.
The great - inspired - idea of democracy is that the world can be lead by the ordinary.
We know when that is true, because the world starts to fall apart.
The great - inspired - idea of democracy is that the world can be lead by the ordinary.
That's why Sam and Frodo both spared Gollum in the end.
Love yielding kindness.
(Something I disliked about the movies - the portrayal of Sam as annoying, loud and cruel. He was never cruel, not even to Gollum. And Frodo falling for Gollum's trickery. His trust in Sam was deeper than that.)
Love yielding kindness.
(Something I disliked about the movies - the portrayal of Sam as annoying, loud and cruel. He was never cruel, not even to Gollum. And Frodo falling for Gollum's trickery. His trust in Sam was deeper than that.)
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
That's why Sam and Frodo both spared Gollum in the end.
Love yielding kindness.
(Something I disliked about the movies - the portrayal of Sam as annoying, loud and cruel. He was never cruel, not even to Gollum. And Frodo falling for Gollum's trickery. His trust in Sam was deeper than that.)
Love yielding kindness.
(Something I disliked about the movies - the portrayal of Sam as annoying, loud and cruel. He was never cruel, not even to Gollum. And Frodo falling for Gollum's trickery. His trust in Sam was deeper than that.)
Instinct and ability to hide from power helped get them through Mordor. Not strength with arms nor wisdom.
Magic cloaks helped.
But the key ingredient was their companionship - Love.
That's why Sam risked everything - the whole world - to rescue Frodo. That's why Sam and Frodo stuck together.
Magic cloaks helped.
But the key ingredient was their companionship - Love.
That's why Sam risked everything - the whole world - to rescue Frodo. That's why Sam and Frodo stuck together.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Instinct and ability to hide from power helped get them through Mordor. Not strength with arms nor wisdom.
Magic cloaks helped.
But the key ingredient was their companionship - Love.
That's why Sam risked everything - the whole world - to rescue Frodo. That's why Sam and Frodo stuck together.
Magic cloaks helped.
But the key ingredient was their companionship - Love.
That's why Sam risked everything - the whole world - to rescue Frodo. That's why Sam and Frodo stuck together.
Sam and Frodo could so resist the influence of corruption that they walked half-way across Sauron's front yard *while he was putting all his energy into looking for the ring (his form was just an eye for cryin' out loud)* to bring the ring to Orodruin.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Sam and Frodo could so resist the influence of corruption that they walked half-way across Sauron's front yard *while he was putting all his energy into looking for the ring (his form was just an eye for cryin' out loud)* to bring the ring to Orodruin.
But it was Sam who really proved the wisdom of the wise.
Sam took the ring from Frodo when he thought that Frodo was dead in Cirith Ungol.
Remarkably, Sam gave the ring back to Frodo.
Sam is the only character in the LOTR universe who ever willingly gave up the ring without a great deal of help.
Sam took the ring from Frodo when he thought that Frodo was dead in Cirith Ungol.
Remarkably, Sam gave the ring back to Frodo.
Sam is the only character in the LOTR universe who ever willingly gave up the ring without a great deal of help.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
But it was Sam who really proved the wisdom of the wise.
Sam took the ring from Frodo when he thought that Frodo was dead in Cirith Ungol.
Remarkably, Sam gave the ring back to Frodo.
Sam is the only character in the LOTR universe who ever willingly gave up the ring without a great deal of help.
Sam took the ring from Frodo when he thought that Frodo was dead in Cirith Ungol.
Remarkably, Sam gave the ring back to Frodo.
Sam is the only character in the LOTR universe who ever willingly gave up the ring without a great deal of help.
Merry and Pippin's pebbles of truth, spoken in a manner that the Ents could believe and understand, roused the Ents and brought the avalanche down on Isengard.
Not their cunning, but their honest caring for their world touched Treebeard and the Ents.
Not their cunning, but their honest caring for their world touched Treebeard and the Ents.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Merry and Pippin's pebbles of truth, spoken in a manner that the Ents could believe and understand, roused the Ents and brought the avalanche down on Isengard.
Not their cunning, but their honest caring for their world touched Treebeard and the Ents.
Not their cunning, but their honest caring for their world touched Treebeard and the Ents.
Hobbits are little people who blend into the country, live in holes in the ground, like a nice garden.
And, I think, are quite guileless.
They survive not by cunning, but by hiding. Disappearing.
Exactly the kind of person who would understand the Ents who hide in the woods - and vice versa.
And, I think, are quite guileless.
They survive not by cunning, but by hiding. Disappearing.
Exactly the kind of person who would understand the Ents who hide in the woods - and vice versa.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Hobbits are little people who blend into the country, live in holes in the ground, like a nice garden.
And, I think, are quite guileless.
They survive not by cunning, but by hiding. Disappearing.
Exactly the kind of person who would understand the Ents who hide in the woods - and vice versa.
And, I think, are quite guileless.
They survive not by cunning, but by hiding. Disappearing.
Exactly the kind of person who would understand the Ents who hide in the woods - and vice versa.
Merry and Pippin themselves were the pebbles that caused the avalanche of Ents to overcome Isengard.
The movies credit Merry's cunning - he had Treebeard walk past some slaughtered trees, and that's what roused him. But in the book, it was just the hobbits being hobbits.
The movies credit Merry's cunning - he had Treebeard walk past some slaughtered trees, and that's what roused him. But in the book, it was just the hobbits being hobbits.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Merry and Pippin themselves were the pebbles that caused the avalanche of Ents to overcome Isengard.
The movies credit Merry's cunning - he had Treebeard walk past some slaughtered trees, and that's what roused him. But in the book, it was just the hobbits being hobbits.
The movies credit Merry's cunning - he had Treebeard walk past some slaughtered trees, and that's what roused him. But in the book, it was just the hobbits being hobbits.
(After taking the time to honor Boromir. Those hours might have been better spent pursuing the orcs, but mourning and honoring the dead is very human. And elf and dwarf, apparently. In the long run, it caused no harm.)
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
(After taking the time to honor Boromir. Those hours might have been better spent pursuing the orcs, but mourning and honoring the dead is very human. And elf and dwarf, apparently. In the long run, it caused no harm.)
Wisdom might have told him to protect the ring at all costs, but the call of the hobbits in distress overcame his wisdom.
Love changed his mind, and he made the correct decision.
Love changed his mind, and he made the correct decision.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Wisdom might have told him to protect the ring at all costs, but the call of the hobbits in distress overcame his wisdom.
Love changed his mind, and he made the correct decision.
Love changed his mind, and he made the correct decision.
Merry and Pippin also saved Aragorn, who had despaired of his own ability to lead after Gandalf fell.
He had a choice, to go after Frodo and Sam (and the ring), or go after Merry and Pippin.
Frodo and Sam were not in immediate danger, and I think that helped turn Aragorn.
He had a choice, to go after Frodo and Sam (and the ring), or go after Merry and Pippin.
Frodo and Sam were not in immediate danger, and I think that helped turn Aragorn.
November 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Merry and Pippin also saved Aragorn, who had despaired of his own ability to lead after Gandalf fell.
He had a choice, to go after Frodo and Sam (and the ring), or go after Merry and Pippin.
Frodo and Sam were not in immediate danger, and I think that helped turn Aragorn.
He had a choice, to go after Frodo and Sam (and the ring), or go after Merry and Pippin.
Frodo and Sam were not in immediate danger, and I think that helped turn Aragorn.