J.R.R. Tolkien's Six Keys to Happiness
A summary by Dominic Tramelli
In this article, author Gregory Bassham explains the “six keys to happiness” he found expressed in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series. The first key is “Delight in Simple Things.” He explains that hobbits are generally happy people who take delight in life's simple pleasures such as eating, drinking, giving, and attending parties. I believe that this is an important key in real life as well. There are so many simple pleasures that surround me that I often take for granted, such as the amazing meals my mom cooks for my family, or the great education I am receiving. The second is “Make Light of Your Troubles.” The hobbits, in the book, have the power to make light of their troubles. If I were to make light of my troubles I would be able to reduce my stress level significantly and by doing so increase my happiness. I tend to dwell on my troubles and repeat them over in my head and end up making them worse than they are. The third is “Get Personal.” Bassham recalls that the hobits are highly sociable people. The importance of this key is that we need to have healthy relationships with people around us. Bassham explains how Aristotle devotes nearly a fifth of his Nicomachean Ethics, to the importance of good friendship.
Next is “Cultivate Good Character.” The characters of in the book seem to be divided into two types. There are the morally good people, the hobbits, elves, ect. who are generally very happy creatures. Then there are the morally bad people such as Gollum, and the orcs. It is important to have a morally strong mind. I know that if I make a bad decision or do something not necessarily moral I always end up feeling unhappy. The fifth is to Cherish and Create Beauty. This explains the importance of creating beauty and taking it in from our surroundings. To me it means take time to notice nature and even to create beauty by using the talents we have to make something beautiful. Last is “Rediscover Wonder.” This to me is a very key idea to happiness. It tells me that it is very important to wonder, and to ask questions. Our minds need to be open and aware. We need to be able to discover new things and wonder about the future or who we even are as people. The characters of the “The Lord of The Rings” were happy people and there is no doubt that the reason is because they practiced these key ideas. In no way is our world anything like that of middle earth but these ideas can easily be applied to our lives.