Fantasy is the bridge that meets the world of reason with the perception of what one suspects is there, but does not yet have the facts, or the methods of obtaining those facts. Under such conditions we can never say with any certainty what something is. But in our rational minds we can spot truth even if it is laced in the play of fiction. It is because of these elements that I am fascinated by the production of The Hobbit directed by Peter Jackson where he takes viewers on a journey through the third video blog directly from the set. You can view my previous comments about The Hobbit by clicking on this link. You can see the next video below where Peter Jackson has traveled to London to film Christopher Lee in his pick-up shots at the legendary James Bond stages in England. There is so much to like about this clip as it is a wonderful trip into the history of film that crosses many genres to explore the significance of the dwarves in full make-up.
My enjoyment of fantasy films and books is not to say that I openly embrace the theories of mysticism, the practice of arbitrarily placing faith in ideals that do not have any roots in reality. To me, I see the theories of most modern economists, particularly those of the Federal Reserve to be more mystical than the actions of the dwarves and wizards of The Hobbit. I see blind faith into any idea to be mysticism, and that includes religions and even the political trends of global warming. Anything that is believed with an abandonment of fact is considered a form of mysticism. That includes the arbitrary statement that education funding must increase to improve education, because such statements have nothing to do with reality. The reality is that increases in funding do not improve education. Such statements are made because the participants who say those things want to believe it, not because things are actually that way in actuality.
To say that the earth is warming and therefore carbon credits must be sold to save it from mankind’s degradation is to place the same faith in fantasy and mysticism that one places in a religious figure, which is why such political measures are presented in the same fashion as a religion. People are asked to arbitrarily subscribe to a theory based on completely agnostic comprehension. They are asked to believe that the earth is in danger because “experts” told them this was the case. To me, these thought patterns are pure mysticism.
So the magic in a film like The Hobbit wielded by a wizard like Gandalf the Gray is not a lesser concept than anything proposed by a modern mystic such as those behind the global warming movement. All politicians who propose that they can heal the sick, bring riches to the poor and thus change the world for the better are simply making arbitrary claims rooted in pure mysticism. I find the literature of J.R.R. Tolkien to be more valid than those mystics who run for president or state governments. Because I have learned that I can’t believe anything that the average politician says, or the media that reports it. But I can trust in the sincerity of the characters in The Hobbit. There is a truth in their actions that point to observations not yet made with human eyes.
We are all children of the universe and we come into its existence learning greater and greater truths as each year meets us. We might not understand at age one the complexities we can fathom by age 19, or age 50. As time passes we develop the cognition to piece together observations based on reality. So with age we can be said to gain much wisdom. This is why the mystics seek to discredit the old and give power to the young, because the young are not yet developed and do not understand the tricks of the mystics. But the wise do. And in The Hobbit, it is Gandalf, the wise old wizard who embodies more truth even in his magic than most who live and breathe among us in the real world.
When I see these clips from The Hobbit I see an honesty present that is more real than a whole day of watching CSPAN on cable TV. There is less fiction in a fantasy set in an unspecified time in a fictional place called Middle-Earth, than in the suit and ties of modern politics. And that is why dear reader, I am spending so much time on this subject of the upcoming film called The Hobbit.
The mystics of our time point at fantasy stories like Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars and declare them to be harmless fantasies intended for light entertainment and escape. But the escape is not one from reality, but toward it. In these fantasies I do not seek them so diligently to leave the world of reality to immerse myself into their imaginative splendor. I seek these epic stories because there is a truth present in the actions of the characters that hint at knowledge not yet discovered through the mechanisms of deductive thinking. It is through the imagination that we see what our senses have not yet matured enough to see and the mystics of our time would have us cast away logic and drink ourselves drunk so that we are enchanted by their crooked tongues.
And even as one of the greatest film directors on the planet, Peter Jackson cannot help but be enchanted not by the film he is currently making, but by the memory of the great films of James Bond at the historic sound stage in England. Because as all story tellers and lovers of those epics know, there is truth in myth that shows the error of those actual mystics who wish to defy logic with every breath they take and word they squeeze through their teeth. It doesn’t matter if the fantasy is from The Hobbit and its magic wielding leader the wizard Gandalf, or the suave charisma of James Bond, there is truth in those fantastic movie characters that point to reality and those of us who are hungry for it.
I’m not really interested if what I’ve said here is too obscure for most to understand. I’m sure a handful of you will know what I’m saying, and a majority will be thoroughly baffled by my statements. That doesn’t matter because I’m writing to those select few who have developed the ability through their love of fictional fantasy to grasp complicated concepts. It is in those types of people who the world is not a mystery and the actions of the mystics are obvious. Because before one can see the big picture, they have to be able to grasp it in their mind and it is in fantasy that the tool for developing this ability manifests.
The world is full of false prophets and mystics at virtually every step in the human experience. Yet the answers are usually in all the places they tell you not to look. And they say not to look at fantasy films like The Hobbit for any grasp of reality. But in my experience, if it’s reality you seek, you will find it in those places of the imagination built with the scaffolding of observed logic.
Rich Hoffman
https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com
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The Overmanwarrior 
The last two words of your post are the most important in my opinion: “observed logic”. I’ve noticed that both are severely lacking in many people. Without observation of the people and events around you, you cannot begin to piece together the way things work in this world. Without logic, one cannot hope to see the order that must be followed to arrive at the correct conclusion. Without both you are stumbling in the dark, and vulnerable to believing charlatans like Obama.
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I was wondering who would comment on this one. It’s a little down the rabbit hole. The more I have thought about it, people who don’t allow themselves to have these large concepts have difficulty dealing with large concepts in the real world.
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The way I see it, if you are an intelligent, observant individual, over the course of a lifetime certain truths reveal themselves to you. Some of us refer to it as “taking the red pill instead of the blue pill”. At that point, I believe you can go one of three routes. You can keep this wisdom to yourself. You can take the more courageous but perilous route Ron Paul and others have taken which is to use your platform to overtly call things as you see them and hope that people hear your message while the forces of the status quo attempt to ruin your character. The third path is to covertly work your message into the art and culture of a society and know that there will be a segment of the population that will be observant enough to “get it”, as Rich has discussed here many times. These are the people whose works inspire and entertain us at the same time, and can truly affect change in a culture.
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Amen!
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You are so incredible. I can’t believe the range of topics you cover! I wish I had such a vast intellect as you do. You should run for president.
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