Hookbill has made a very good point. Even though the Ring was destroyed, or 'unmade' its evil still lingered in the form of the shadow it cast on those who had been Ringbearers. This is very interesting, as on the one hand we are told it was 'unmade', but on the other hand, the effects of it still lingered - and in many more ways than in just the Ringbearers' pain; the whole of Middle-earth had suffered through the effects of those who sought power under the influence of the One.
To me 'unmade' might mean something more than simply destruction of the object and its powers; it would mean that the thing had never been made, that the stain it left was erased, and that could not happen. Just as one example, the destruction of the One led to the Eldar leaving Middle-earth for good.
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Gordon's alive!
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