Gandalf and the Death Sentence on Gollum






The call to revive the Death Penalty is echoed on the marbled halls of congress once again. Somehow, the perceived resurgence of heinous crimes with the burning of a prominent lawyer's son being the example is made as springboard by advocates of Death Penalty.

In some point, I can repeat the words uttered by one of the relatives of Evangelista (another victim whose death is similar to that of Lozano) and call the perpetrators, "Monstrous murderers". Yet, deep in my heart, I don't have the guts to cast death on someone (Can't even disposed of a stray cat which has been stealing foods on our table, which I bet is doing great injustice to my family). While it is true that anyone can blow up on evil deeds brazenly done right in one's face and say with Frodo: "Now at any rate he is as bad as an Orc, and just an enemy. He deserves death." There are those among us whose vision is wide and far and whose wisdom deserves due consideration. Take for instance Gandalf's response to Frodo:
"Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Book Four, Chapter One)
Those who have read the end of Tolkien's Trilogy (The Lord of the Rings) will surely appreciate the wisdom of Gandalf. Those who have seen the Return of the King will gladly applaud him for voting down the proposal of Frodo of killing Gollum right away. But for us who lack the facility of seeing our road's end, we can only surmise the future. For a while, we will debate on whether we reimpose death penalty or not.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Something About Tumbo (Cara y Cruz): A Hypothesis

Image
They say that mahjong is just a diversion, a recreation of some sort of the bored and the retired. But they say that cara y cruz is a different case. However you look at it--in both sides of the coin (pun intended), it is gambling and therefore those who indulged in it (read, the poor ones) are playing in conflict with law. And so, since yesteryears, people accepted those facts. Mahjong is recreational while cara y cruz or tumbo is gambling and illegal at that. An Alfonso showing its head and tail or if your prefer its "hari" & "corona" But I was amused at the scene of a group of individuals by an "island" at corner T.M. Kalaw and Taft Avenue I happened to pass by while doing research at the National Archives of the Philippines sometime in August 2010. I just alighted from the Light Rail Transit (LRT) at UN Station and was finding my way to cross T.M. Kalaw when I noticed a bunch of lot playing cara y cruz on the elevated concrete "isla
Read more

SOOTHING AS NIGHT WINDS ARE: An Interpretation of the poem by that title by Salvador B. Espinas

Image
Love is gentle, love is quiet Like any distant star; In loving by which we approximate the nature of love, we do not coerce those we love—as much as possible we give room for freedom to grow and respect each other’s independence, i.e., each other’s time of searching. In loving, the lover is like the distant star, manifesting his presence and yet quietly, not trying to obstruct or block the path of the beloved. He stands besides quietly assuring her of his gentle presence and constant attention. Love is beauty, love is music Soothing as night winds are. Lovers are enchanted by the wonders of creation. One who is in loved would often quips that everything seems beautiful and that “ life has music, rhythm and rhyme” –which actually is. Somehow, love enables man and woman to see reality as God sees it. As even in times of trouble, loves comes like night winds, soothing our weary mind and aching heart.
Read more

Balete Community College's Humble Beginnings

Image
Balete Community College earns the title as the first and foremost tertiary institution in rural Balete. It stands as one of the only four community colleges in the Province of Aklan. Its becoming is a story worth telling.   Its Humble Beginning While it is not mandated of a 4 th class municipality like Balete, Aklan to operate and afford tertiary education for its people, the circumstances it finds itself in are indicative that it carries the load towards its desired end despite its poverty and capacity gaps. These circumstances were offshoots of an extension program introduced in 1998 by then Roxas Memorial College of Arts and Trade (RMCAT) that paved the way for the birth of the community college in 2004. Late in 1998, officials of RMCAT in their attempt of preserving the college’s independence from the impending integration with Aklan State College of Agriculture parleyed with Mayor Teodoro V. Calizo, Jr. to allow it to utilize makeshift huts (remnants of an agricult
Read more