Sauron has snatched the ring.
That’s pretty much how I’ve felt since last Wednesday morning when gloom fell over Middle Earth, I mean, since Donald Trump won the U.S. election.
Lord of the Rings fans will get the references. If you’re not a Lord of the Rings fan, read the books or watch the movies. But seriously, read the books. As good as the movies are, the books are better. Read them.
I’m not going to rehash the plot, but Wikipedia lists the themes of The Lord of the Rings as: “Death and immortality, good and evil, fate and free will, gain and loss, environmentalism and technology, pride and courage,” so, yes, very relevant today.
Suffice to say, Sauron is the villain, and the ring gives him absolute power over Middle Earth where he wants darkness to descend on the land. You can guess who I’m equating him to and what the ring is.
Our modern-day Sauron may not bring darkness, but he will certainly bring chaos. It’s what he thrives on.
On this side of the border the federal government, while keeping a calm face, is no doubt cursing mightily behind the scenes and scrambling to come up with a plan to deal with a Trump presidency.
Trump loves tariffs and we know what that means for Canada … trouble. During his last term, Trump set his eyes on Canada’s dairy and steel industries, and more. Plus, he does not like the fact the North American auto industry is integrated across the border. That’s just for starters.
In terms of fresh water, he has suggested Canada has a big tap that can be turned on to feed U.S. thirst. We don’t.
Here in Canada our governing class are debating who is best to deal with Trump. The Liberals are arguing that they’ve dealt with him before, so they’re best suited to do it again. Conservatives suggest that because leader Pierre Poilievre is more aligned ideologically with Trump that he is best suited.
Let’s not waste our time with these arguments because neither is true. Trump has shown that he is as fickle as the adolescents in Mean Girls. We can be friends one minute then on the outs the next. All it takes to draw his ire is a look or a perceived slight.
Trump’s strength is that he is unpredictable. To deal with that, we have to be alert and we have to be nimble. The sad part is whoever prime minister, he, and our government, will spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with our biggest trading partner and best friend.
In The Lord of the Rings, the hero of the story is a halfling named Frodo Baggins who, against all odds, including personal demons, destroys the ring Sauron so desperately covets. Who will be our Frodo?
One thought on “Who will be our Frodo?”
There are some positives that we can look at:
1. Trump has only four more years in politics and then he is finished as far as the Presidency goes.
2. At 78 Trumps health may not last another four years, and he will have to retire early. Not sure that his VP will be any better, however time will tell.
3. Its not likely that the Republican Party will let Trump create 4 years of chaos and then leave, so he will have a lot of controls on him.
4. Trump (This is a long shot) might decide to become a good and great President so that he can leave this earth without all the present baggage.