What A Taoist Parable and Gandalf Can Teach You About Your Mind
You can calm it if you take on a new perspective
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf says to Frodo,
“…do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”
He says this in response to Frodo’s wish that his uncle Bilbo had killed Gollum when he had the chance.
Death is the ultimate judgment, isn’t it? There’s a finality to it that other kinds of judgments don’t have — there’s no going back. So, if you’re going to deal out death in judgment, you better be damn sure you’re not making a mistake, right?
But there’s also a subtler way of taking this advice. If dealing out death in judgment represents ultimate certainty, Gandalf can also be interpreted as saying, don’t be overconfident in any of your conclusions. After all, he advises Frodo, “even the very wise cannot see all ends.”
Unless you count yourself amongst those who are wiser than the very wise, this is worth pondering, and there’s a Taoist parable that can help you do just that.
The farmer
This ancient Taoist parable illustrates Gandalf’s advice perfectly:
Long ago, a farmer grew vegetables on a…
