[Selador]

First, my apologies for placing this in the wrong forum. But wow! What great responses!

I have to admit it, a Ring of Invisibility would definitely be on my Christmas List. I would use it, too. My hat off to those of you who could truly walk away from it. But for me - well, let's just say that I imagine that I wouldn't have any worries about money anymore. A bit of a moral dilemma, true, but along the lines of what The Might has written, I think it would be easy for me to justify just how underserving some of the wealthy are. I would be carefully selective in my victims, I think, but I would have few qualms about playing Robin Hood. The ring would make it a lot easier. And I would be generous. I'm quite sure of that. Truth is, besides a few creature comforts, I don't really want for much. But Robin does have to eat.

And if the train is already going across country anyway - or if the airplane is already flying off to venice - who am I really hurting by slipping into the empty seat, right?

And it would be nice to smite all my enemies. Well, maybe not smite, but at least embarrass the really jerky ones who totally deserve it.

And, eh ... well, maybe that's as much as I dare admit. For now. I'm censoring myself, Eomer.

I greatly appreciate all the responses. Thanks! Terrific post, Selmo! And Bêthberry, I am overwhelmed thinking about the details of the operation of the magic. It is fascinating to consider. And I love your observation that we are all wearing the Ring right now. So true.

What really got me thinking of this was that I was trying to get into Sméagol's head. How evil was he to begin with? How much did the Ring warp him? Should we pity him or condemn him? And when I put myself in his shoes, I suddenly realized that - if I'm honest - I have to admit that I would use the ring in many of the same ways he did - or in wicked ways of my own, justifying them with my own rationalizations. I'm not proud of that, but I didn't think I would be the only one, and it made me wonder if perhaps Gollum is too harshly demonized for motivations that are more common than many suspect.