In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Tolkien endeavors to explain the keys to happiness. He says that the six keys to being truely happy are delight in simple things, make light of your troubles, being close to others in relationships, cultivate good character, cherish and create beauty, and to rediscover wonder.
To delight in simple things means to enjoy the small things in life that many people leave unnoticed. Tolkien says that some of the most important factors that contribute to lasting happiness are a fit and healthy body, positive self-esteem, optimism, outgoingness, and challenging and meaningful work, just to name a few. Hobbits and elves alike take delight in simple things, such as singing, dancing, drinking, eating, and telling tales. If we want to be truely happy in our life, we must not let the small things go unnoticed. We need to see the pleasures in those small things in our lives and take part in enjoying every second of those moments. This key has come up in this course a few times. One time is in the wonder and awe section. Many people can have wonder in very simple things, and those things usually make them happy.
The second key to happiness that Tolkien lists is for us to make light of our troubles. One of Pippin’s greatest characteristic is that he is unceasingly happy and cheerful. When Merry and Pippin are apart, “Merry finds himself missing his friend’s unquenchable cheerfulness,” (52). Making light of troubles means to find hope and beauty in the most dreadful looking situations. When everything seems to be crashing down on you, you must remember to find good in it.
The third key to happiness as Tolkien lists is to be close to others in relationship. “Friendship... is indespensible for a happy and fulfilled human life, for it holds families and communities together, stimulates to nable actions, provides refuge and consolation when misfortunes strike, and offers guidance to the young and assistance to the elderly,” (54). Studies have shown that people who have intimate, supportive relationships are generally happier people than those who do not have such a relationship.
The fourth key to happiness is to cultivate good character. One of the goals in Tolkien’s writing was “the encouragement of good morals.” Tolkien does this by linking happiness with good moral character. Many people who are happy are usually good people, but not always. “Goodness is neither a “necessary” not a “sufficient” condition for being happy,” (56). Rabbi Harold Kushner says that “[h]uman beings have a need to be good... Our human nature is such that we need to be helpful, thoughtful, and generous as much as we need to eat, sleep, and exercise.” (56). Hobbits already knew these truths, as do we. But sometimes we just need to be reminded of it. This key is shown in the Right Speech Experiment.
The fifth key to happiness is to cherish and create beauty. Happiness and beauty are strongly linked in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was right in thinking that we need beauty in our lives. Everywhere we look in our lives, “ugliness enervates and depresses, while beauty inspires and refreshes,” (57). Whenever we see things that are beautiful, we rarely are angered or frustrated by it. Tolkien is also right in seeing the connection that exists between creaticity and happiness. Those who are involved in arts are usually happier because they have a way to express themselves. Tolkien looked at this from a theological stand point. “The Christian God creates the world, and as a creator, he is... an artist... We find happiness in beauty and creaticity because we have our source in... Beauty and Creativity itself,” (57).
The last key to happiness that Tolkien lists is to rediscover wonder. In The Lord of the Rings, elves take great pleasure in poetry, songs, gazing at stars, and walking through the forest. “Tolkien is saying to us:...Cultivate wonder, delight, freshness of vision,” (58). According to Tolkien, “[r]ecovery...involves regaining a ‘clear view...so that the things see clearly may be freed from the drab blur of triteness and familiarity,” (58). If we want to be happy, we need to stop thinking about the world as we normally do and force ourselves, if necessary, to view everything with a new sense of wonder and amazement. This key to happiness was shown in the wonder and awe section.
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