To: Muser44
From: Hudson hermit
Re: Sipping from the Cup of Hope, Part I

A Simple Hobbit

It's been a long time my friend. I apologize for the late response. I've gone through many fits and false starts. It might have been as Bilbo was fond of saying, "the third time pays for all." The truth is, the count is too complicated, and it is certainly not three. Instead, fortune found a more appropriate quote, as I begin this journey, so it was that the simple hobbit Samwise was beginning his:

"I know we are to take a long road, into darkness; but I know I can't turn back. It isn't to see Elves now, nor dragons, nor mountains, that I want -- I don't rightly know what I want: but I have something to do before the end, and it lies ahead, not in the Shire. I must see it through, sir, if you understand me."

It was at the end of your last post addressed to me, that you wrote:

Please fill that cup and pass it again. Perhaps with enough of such optimism, the jaded scales may yet fall from my eyes.

That's a poser. For I interpreted this as, fairly or not, "Why hope?" Here we were, after regaining GOP control of the Senate, and yet there was still a need for reasons to hope.

Mind you, I was prepared to admonish brother TEEBONE with the warning not to gloat. There is something to brother Rafa's sense of doom, although I don't accept it completely. The coward that I am, I left unspoken the prediction that I felt the GOP was going to do well in the last election. And later after an electoral victory, I understood that Trent Lott was only marginally better than Tom Daschle, in that Lott would at least give a hearing to conservative arguments, whereas Daschle will be deaf to them. I knew that gloating missed the overall point, that final victory had not been achieved, that conservative groups should prepare themselves well for the battles ahead, for we can never expect political leadership from the GOP elite. The hard work for pushing forward a conservative agenda will need to be accomplished at the lower levels, so as to make it easy for those less courageous at the top. Now, the fact that Trent Lott is no longer in a leadership position has not changed my outlook. In some ways, the GOP position improved (I never understood why the GOP was so loyal to Lott, when Lott offered so little loyalty in return). It appears that the Bush administration is going to push for a colorblind society. Hurrah! On the other hand, the GOP Senate caved on Democrat demands for committee spending levels in order to regain control of the committees (apparently the deal between Lott and Daschle had become void even though Lott had paid up front).

So here we are. The Bush administration has the weighty burden of dealing with the unpredictable and dangerous North Koreans and it looks as if public support for a war against Iraq is uncertain, while Bush is left hanging with a massive deployment there. Tough position. He can't back down. Can he move forward? And now he's confronted with the tragedy of the space shuttle Columbia. If I were so disposed, I might say that the situation doesn't look good.

Well, I'm caught up to the present. I've spouted some opinions that bring me up to date since my last, but I've not answered the question. Is there reason to hope?

That, as I wrote above, is a poser. Not because I don't hope, for I do. It's just that I can't explain it. I suppose I could find a trend in the past few months, and point to it, and exclaim, "See! I told you it was getting better. They've gotten rid of that spineless Lott." Or, I could wait a few more months, after an awesome victory in Iraq, and a cowed North Korea, start singing praises for the great Texan's iron nerve. No shrub he. But that would be wrong. I think you would agree. No focus on current trends could really satisfy the question.

You might ask, why bother? I've been thrashing about with this for several months, promising the courteous few who've noticed my absence that I'll post next week. Why not let the moment pass, surely everyone has forgotten it. Well... for me it is an essential question. I would rather fail in the trying than not try at all.

I've still not got my arms around this, and maybe I never will. It's not than I don't know how to hope, I just don't know how to explain it. I remember an occasion that might convey my meaning clearly. It was a five minutes before a Calculus III class, and I was minding my own business. A very cute girl, who had chosen to sit in front of me, turned around to ask how I solved several homework problems. Brain lock -- after all, it's a pretty young woman. I manage to explain the steps that I took, which is fairly easy because I've got the homework in front of me. Then, the next question, how did I know how to do that? I had made an assumption, obviously a correct one, since I was never marked off for missing a step. I dunno, I answered, it just seemed right. I've had that type of mathematical "gift" for as long as I can remember. I'm able to peer down the correct paths, bypassing the incorrect ones without much trouble. If I had been tortured on threat of death, I doubt I could explain it. Obviously, my answer failed to satisfy her. She wanted to know how and why I chose the correct procedure and "it just seemed right" was plain arrogance as far as she was concerned. For me, it was blindingly obvious.

Luckily, on the question of hope, I was not born with the gift. I was indoctrinated in it. The simplest answer is a faith in Jesus Christ. But that would be like saying circles are round. Not exactly defining, even if correct. I know that we share a faith in Christ, so no denigration of your faith is intended here. I do not claim a lack in your faith creates your lack of hope. I'm sure that your faith does inform you to hope. What I read into your request is one that asks for more evidence, more reasons to hope, in a mundane world. I'm sure that you are more hopeful at times than at others, just as I am. Whether you are at a nadir for the moment, or that moment has passed, I still intend to continue this missive. I know that hopes and fears are cyclical, for Man is a fallen race. I hope at least, my words might have some future use, even if I fail to convey my meanings here.

I should admit that I am a Roman Catholic and a sinner. I've fallen and risen in my faith and in my deeds. I am in some regards a simple-minded man, who has no claim to a deep theological knowledge. I can only claim a striving toward orthodoxy. I've no desire for deceit or for others to follow me (follow Christ instead). My purpose is not to proselytize, although I would welcome a conversion. What this is, is a poor attempt to explain my rationale for hope by opening a window into my mind. Take what wisdom you may find.

Of the tragedy of the Columbia, Peggy Noonan has written of the many coincidences involved. It is almost like a bad novel that could never pass muster with the publisher. However, I believe she is suggesting that a special story is unfolding. Perhaps she is even suggesting that a Sign has been given. I have not given in to that latter emotion. It's a bit too mystical for my temperament. Whether she could be right is not my concern, for she has touched upon the story. As J.R.R. Tolkien has said, it has dropped into the cauldron. At any time, a Story may be ladled out of it. And it is Stories that I am on about.

As Tolkien was the expert in these matters, I will follow his lead in conflating (for it seems so to me) the meanings of myth, fairy tale, and fantasy. The particular tale that I have chosen to weave these essays around is The Lord of the Rings. I chose it, because I'm most familiar with it. I've read it many times since I first read it as a teenager. It is a story whose richness unfolds in new and different ways at each reading. It just keeps getting better.

And I've added two other master story tellers. They are more recent additions to my library. I've added them because their words have helped unfold another mystery. It was perhaps a mistake, because with these additions my essay has grown. And it continues to grow, as I continue to find things of relevance. At some point, I must stop and freeze it, or I will never be able to deal with all the changes... the things that have dropped into the cauldron. So, I've done nothing more than to scratch the surface. Rather than bore everyone with an impossibly huge post, I've decided to break it up a bit, and post it in several parts.

Peace be with you,
a hermit from Hudson