Be a hobbit: courage without hope
Sh** happens. Some of us lose hope and are unable to recover. Those of us who remain are left bereft. Some of us, despite the odds, are able to hold on to hope and courage, and are able to trudge on. And some of us lose all hope, but, nevertheless, hold on to courage. We do what we are called to do; we consider it our duty, our calling, or our destiny.
Quoting from the article on Courage Without Hope (cited below):
In JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy,
"Sam was given the task of staying with Frodo and helping him along his journey, though he didn’t know exactly what it would cost him in the end. As the seemingly endless miles of their journey wore on, Sam grew weary -- as anyone would -- but his ability to hold onto courage despite having no hope of a return journey home is incredibly inspiring.
In the Return of the King, Tolkien writes:
"But the bitter truth came home to him [Sam] at last: at best their provision would take them to their goal; and when the task was done, there they would come to an end, alone, houseless, foodless in the midst of a terrible desert. There could be no return.
'So that was the job I felt I had to do when I started,' thought Sam: 'to help Mr. Frodo to the last step and then die with him? Well, if that is the job then I must do it...
But even as hope died in Sam, or seemed to die, it was turned to a new strength. Sam's plain hobbit-face grew stern, almost grim, as the will hardened in him, and he felt through all his limbs a thrill, as if he was turning into some creature of stone and steel that neither despair nor weariness nor endless barren miles could subdue.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.teawithtolkien.com/podcast/trd2021%3fformat=amp
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I needed that
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