"Seeing is both good and perilous."
“‘I do not counsel you one way or the other. I am not a counsellor. You may learn something, and whether what you see be fair or evil, that may be profitable, and yet it may not. Seeing is both good and perilous. Yet I think, Frodo, that you have courage and wisdom enough for the venture, or I would not have brought you here. Do as you will!’” - The Lord of the Rings, The Mirror of Galadriel
The elven realm of Lothlórien was unknown, clouded by doubt and magic; it was, as he had long been told, a perilous realm from which Boromir believed “none have escaped unscathed.” Aragorn responded to Boromir’s fear with a gentle correction, “Say not unscathed, but if you say unchanged, then maybe you will speak the truth.” The magic of the elves was powerful, and strange, and hidden. But it was not evil. Neither is it evil to be changed, though it may be perilous.
As Galadriel presented Frodo with the choice to look into the Mirror, she told him “seeing is both good and perilous.” To look into the Mirror of Galadriel was to see things that are, things that were, or things that yet may be. The mirror simply presented information; like Galadriel, it would not tell you to go this way or that. But for Frodo and Sam, to look into the mirror was to see things more clearly. In their visions, they each understood what was at stake should they fail, and how they were connected to a history so much greater than themselves.
To see is perilous because it presents you with a choice. Will you find an excuse to return home to your cosy hobbit hole, or will you carry on towards the Slopes of Doom? It is good to be informed, but do not linger here needlessly. Let the things you are reading and hearing and watching online prompt you to action.
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