Lesson from Thorin

I know it's been a while since I last posted. It has been one crazy semester. I have finally found a few minutes to sit and write about the Hobbit. So, without further ado, I'll tell you about a lesson from Thorin. It'll be short and sweet, but still important.

For those of you who have not read the book, Thorin is a dwarf prince without a home. In his childhood Smaug the dragon took over his home in Erebor. During the attack, the elves living nearby brought their army, but turned away when they saw it was a hopeless endeavor. Thorin's heart hardened toward any elves after that day and as a result will have nothing to do with any elves. This hatred is further incited when Thorin and the rest of the company are captured by the wood elves of Mirkwood, the very same elves who refused to help his grandfather in the attack on the lonely mountain.

Whenever Thorin is approached with the idea of wielding an elvish blade or seeking refuge with elves, even if they are not woodland elves, he refuses. Gandalf recognizes this and chastises him, saying that he is not his grandfather that the past is in the past and he needs to just let it go. Okay, so I may have pulled that last little bit from Disney, but who's counting ;-) The rest of it is what he said in a nutshell.

We can learn from Thorin's hate and unwillingness to forgive. He has the stubbornness of his people ingrained within him. For us, if there is someone who has wronged us in the past, we should be willing to forgive them and let bygones be bygones. Thorin slowly realizes this as the story comes to its climax. It's easier to hold a grudge and stay angry at someone for the rest of your life, but does that really make you happy? Thorin's pride and stubbornness kept him from gaining valuable allies; the hate he kept inside made him bitter and cold. Forgive and forget. You will be all the happier for it.

It's just one more week until the final installment in this saga comes to theaters. I hope y'all are planning to see it at some point.

Let me know what you think, if you agree or disagree. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Happy reading!