[Child of the 7th Age]

Davem -

What a great post! When I read this chapter (and a number of others as well) similar thoughts have crossed my mind.

Does that mean there's something of Saruman in us, in our own worship of the Machine & our contempt for the natural world?

I'm of two minds on this. I would like to say no, but I am leaning towards a yes. Still things aren't totally one-sided.

Believe me when I tell you that it used to be even worse than it is today at least in terms of awareness of the kind of danger a Saruman poses. Back in the 50s except for lone voices crying out (and Tolkien was one of a scant few in literary/academic circles) most people were simply unaware of the extent of ecological damage. If there was one aspect of the books that attracted 'sixties college students, it was the sense that Middle-earth was a living, breathing world and the author cared about what happened to it. That seemed so different than what was going on at the time.

In many respects things have improved. There are laws on the books for one thing. Not perfect ones but better than nothing. There are groups trying to protect what's still there, and some species have actually fared better than in the past. Yet, at the same time, the areas of green continue to shrink, acres of rain forests are being burnt to the ground every day, and the list of endangered species grows. Many places of sanctuary I knew when I was a kid have been taken over by cement, something I personally lament.

I know these questions are complex: it's not always so open and shut. How can someone from an industrialized country that's been blessed with comparative wealth look 'poorer' countries in the eye and demand that they wait and find another way that is 'less exploitive'? Sometimes it seems easier just to follow a Saruman.

Sadly, then, I do think Saruman is alive and kicking. When I read LotR it's not Sauron who sends chills up my back. It's Saruman. I have trouble imagining a Sauron taking over things completely in our modern world. I have absolutely no problem imagining a Saruman or two or even more....in government, business, education, and a dozen other situations.

Tolkien was not the most optomistic man in the world, and I can empathize with that. Sometimes it seems that nothing will really change unless we transform our values. And what is the likelihood of that happening? But, if it doesn't happen, what a price there is to pay in the long run. We've already lost so much of the wonder, and every time we hack down a tree, I think we lose another piece. And that lesson is part of the tale Tolkien was weaving in this chapter.