[Gurthang]

I'm not sure that I can answer this question without having 'special freedom' defined specifically. I don't suppose it will be, so I will do my best without such a definition.

First, I've always considered Death to be the Gift of Men. That is quite frankly the most freeing thing in all of Tolkien's works. The fact that the Elves, Valar, and Maiar are all bound within Ea seems almost restrictive, even cosidering how vast the world is. Men, however, can specifically leave the Circles of the World. That gives them so much 'freedom' since they are no longer trapped in Middle Earth. I should note that this 'freedom' is not exactly free, because they don't have an option not to die. That's mostly why Men shunned Death as a Gift; they decided that they would rather stay in the world. Strange to think that the 'freedom' that was 'given' them was often against their will. Anyway, I do believe that Death is meant to be freeing to Men, so I will certainly vote for that.

But I will also check the box beside "During his lifetime...". It is right there in the text, so I can't really say a lot against it. Men could make their own choices amid the Music of the Ainur, choices that the Elves and the Valar could not make for themselves.

Although (and maybe this should be it's own thread), I do question the equality of between the Music of the Ainur and Eru's Theme. I think most of us take those to be exactly the same, but it just occured to me that they don't have to be. What the Ainur 'played' was certainly what Eru wanted, and was part of his Theme, but maybe it wasn't all of his Theme. Somewhat like a real composer whose musicians play mostly what he wants, but not to the fullest potential. That doesn't really put it quite right, but I hope it helps. Anyway, take for instance Melkor's Discord. It was not supposed to be a part of the Music, but it turned out that it played directly into Iluvatar's overall Theme. The Music of the Ainur was not Iluvatar's complete Theme, but only a part, and Melkor's Discord was another. This makes me think that Men, by nature, are similar to Morgoth. The Free Will given to them is freedom outside the Music (for Ea), but not ouside the overall Theme. Basically, Men, by their actions, fill in the gaps around the Music of the Ainur so the that the Theme may be utterly complete as dictated by Eru. This would mean that the actions of Men are predestined by Iluvatar, but were not a part of the Music played by the Ainur.

I'm not sure what to think about what I just typed. It seems sound to me, but I just don't know. Any input would be splendid.