A Hobbit Hole

My son liked the book, The Hobbit, and the character, Bilbo Baggins. Soon my son was describing my personality as that of Bilbo Baggins.

It is true I do not like to leave my "Hobbit Hole". It was not always so. I used to yearn for motion, travel, and excitement. My pursuit of pleasure fired my illusions and self love. Now my blog allows me to speak to the world from the comfort of my hobbit hole. The internet allows me to listen to the world. Why should I leave my hobbit hole to confront a world of noise and people who have lost their civility, to confront traffic and road rage? Life is more peaceful and serene than ever before in my three score and ten years. Socrates said, "To want nothing is divine." It is impossible to want nothing, but to be the master of our desires is the ultimate success.

At a social gathering people should be polite and civil. This requires compromise. It is too easy to become disagreeable in a group with different views. Man has a strong desire to be right. His desire is so strong he will kill those who disagree with him. When alone in my hobbit hole there is no conflict or disagreement. There is no one around whose desire to be right, and whose beliefs are a threat to me. To be sure, the threats exist, outside, in the complex world of myths, and from those who believe in ghosts and big foot, and those who lust for power.

I believe I have become like Lord Byron's, The Prisoner of Chillon. I think I have become psychologically chained, comfortably, to my hobbit hole. This probably happens to many people.

Captain Bilbo Baggins