I’ve thoroughly enjoyed #RingsOfPower. Here’s why:

Tolkien’s stories are primarily about Wisdom, not War. Courage & hope aren’t given, but learned & cultivated. The humble prevail by guiding each other’s hearts with wisdom. Truth paves way for goodness. This show gets this. War exists on Middle-Earth — & it often seems central— but it’s dreaded, avoided, & always rooted in foolishness. This is why this isn’t an Epic War show. It’s a book of wisdom on screen. It’s unique right now as a story that uses actions AND words to elevate goodness over power.

I think this may the most valuable lesson I’ve been been learning over the past few years:

Debates are almost never fruitful. Save your peacemaking energy for open dialogues. We cannot open closed doors with closed hearts and we cannot build bridges with bridge burners.🧵 Debates are exhausting; specially if they’re deceptively disguised as “dialogues”. You engage thinking you’ll learn together. But as you start trying to build, all you find is a vast and lifeless ocean of rebuttals. No compassion. No curiosity. No humility. No shore to land on.