In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie …

Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

JRR Tolkien's fabulous book is an allegory of the age-old battle between good and evil. In recent years it has been brought to life by Peter Jackson's magnificent trilogy of films: fittingly concluded by Annie Lennox's beautiful song "Into the West", which is poetic and profound on many levels. I first read "The Lord of the Rings" when I was about 15 and confined to bed with a severe attack of gastroenteritis which prevented me from undertaking my end-of-semester school exams. A family friend lent me the book and I found it captivating and could not put it down. It is interesting how humans will use humour as a defence, and some colleagues and I have adopted elements of LOTR in describing our own workplace struggles. Galadriel, Frodo, Sauron and Gollum have thus far come to life in our imaginings. Somehow the story is always the same - for good to triumph over adversity enormous effort and sacrifice is required, and in the end, like Frodo, you are utterly changed and bear a scar from being touched by darknessl that will never quite heal and your heart will never truly be at rest until you sail into the West. In my own life I am currently fighting the last great battle to recoup something of what has been lost through 21 years of being cloaked by darkness and pain. I can only hope that once it is over I still have something to show for it after the lawyers have taken their share and like Aragorn I can make a triumphal return to life.