Reading high fantasy such as the works of Tolkien is delightful. It's invigorating to follow along with heroes as they struggle against deadly foes. In a work like this war and battle are glorified, and death is filled with meaning and the dead are venerated. That's what we're doing today. Many have given their lives to protect the democracy which is so at risk in the current year.
The United States has never been the ideal it strived to be. It was a reaction against monarchy, there was to be no return of a king in this land of the mostly free. Slowly, much too slowly all of its citizens came into their sufferance and were allowed to participate in the control of their own lives. Slavery was ripped away in a bloody war. It was replaced by decades of a bitter segregation which sought to foil the dreams of free citizens. Later still women at long last got their right to vote and later than that the right to control their own bodies, if only as it turns out for a few precious decades.
Always there was the struggle against those who had the power already, just as we see today. They guard it jealously, just the enemies in Tolkien's works guarded their wealth. They seek power over others just as the villains in Middle-Earth sought control over everything. We cannot allow the sacrifice of so many to be in vain. We must, with our action and our votes do what we can to protect the land and the freedom to control our own lives. We must do this in memory of those who have given their all.
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