As I write this entry, we are beginning a new year. Like me, I’m sure you’ve reflected on the year that’s passed, and you’ve come up wanting. You note the glaring failures and missteps. The missed opportunities, disappointments, and delays. And all the while, you’re reminded of just how far you are from realizing what you set out to accomplish.
The eagerness we felt at the onset of the journey has long faded, lost in the fog of insurmountable challenges. If you’re a writer, you know the pain of the rewrite. Countless hours of work often result in rejection or the need to repeat the process all over again. And over time, these obstacles can prevent us from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
As unpleasant as it is, this valley of “divine misery” is a necessary threshold that must be crossed to reach our “divine destiny.” This principle isn’t just a product of our personal experiences. It is also a crucial theme that runs through every story that has ever stood the test of time.
The Purpose of Misery
The Lord of the Rings is among the best examples I could think of when it comes to illustrating this valley of “divine misery”. Near the end of the second film in the series, The Two Towers, Frodo and Sam find themselves in the most unlikely of places. Their unexpected capture has led them into the middle of a battle where Frodo is nearly taken by the enemy. Sam saves Frodo only to have his friend turn on him in a violent rage—a rage brought on by the power and influence of the One Ring that Frodo has sworn to destroy in the fires of Mount Doom. As Frodo comes back to his senses, he crumbles beneath the weight of his quest. He slumps to the ground in defeat with little resolve to continue.
That’s when Sam utters his beloved speech. He acknowledges their misery and the darkness that seemingly has them in its grasp. But as desperate as their situation is, Sam understands misery has a purpose. Misery exists to remind them of the hope that started them on their journey in the first place
Sam recognizes that their quest began with their desire to see good restored to their world. But ultimately, it is a hope that exacts a hefty price. It has cost them friends and companions. It has led them across countless miles of hostile terrain. They’ve had to fight off fatigue and starvation and face unholy terrors the likes of which they’ve never seen before. Yet, despite the unsurmountable odds before them, Sam beautifully reminds Frodo that the cost of their misery is a price worth paying to see the light restored to their dark world. Good is something worth fighting for.
Why Misery Matters
Sam’s words transcend the film and even the story itself. It’s impossible not to look at the world around us and not see the timelessness of the words and their meaning. The speech resonates with us because it stirs our resolve. It reminds us of the hefty price associated with anything worth doing and demands that we decide whether we are willing to pay the price to see things through to their glorious resolution.
No story worth telling ends in misery. As Sam so vividly expressed, it exists as nothing more than a shadow that will inevitably pass as we forget the past and reach forward toward the light of a new day.
There are no shortcuts. If your story’s worth fighting for then stay the course. Forget what’s behind you and press on toward your goal with everything you’ve got. The light of your divine destiny lies on the other side of your misery.
Until next time,
Neat post Rene, especially since I am a LOTR fan. Misery seems to remind us that we choose from ego versus the intuition. The intuitive ways glides while the ego punishes us into resistance.
Thanks for reading! I agree with that insight. Ultimately misery serves us because it builds perseverance!