All that is Gold Does Not Glitter

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light form the shadows  shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

This poem entitled "The Riddle of Strider" or "All that is Gold Does Not Glitter," is my single favorite poem from the Lord of the Rings universe (or the whole universe for that matter). It portrays power and confidence. It encourages an unyielding view towards life's challenges. But, most importantly, it teaches us to be careful and prudent in our judgments. While the whole poem causes me to geek out beyond belief (let's pretend I don't type this poem (from memory) into different speech recognition software on the internet to hear the epicness in voices way cooler than my own), I want to focus on the first two lines of the first stanza.

All that is Gold Does Not Glitter - Sometimes people think they are quoting Tolkien when they say, "All that glitters is not gold." Fortunately, they are not. They are quoting an old proverb popularized by Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare's proverb means that not everything that is appealing to you is worth your time (or something to that effect). I think Tolkien's diametrically contrasting thought is more useful and much more poignant. Think of it:

Not everything that is worth your time will appear attractive to you at first. The hard things in life don't look that appealing. The people that are easily written off as weird or strange or crass can turn out to be the most important and influential people in your life. The good that lies in a person can only be seen after we disregard the flaws that draw our attention initially. Every person, no matter their lifestyle, deserves our respect and love.

This is apparent in the canon of The Lord of the Rings. The subject of this poem is Aragorn. A man with no apparent beauty, a rough face and (for all of you BYU students right now) a beard. He could have easily been written off as the scum of Middle-earth. He is an example of gold that did NOT glitter. Little did the people know who passed him on The Great Road in Arnor, that he was Elessar, the rightful King of Gondor. Little did they know that he was the wielder of Andúril, the Flame of the West, the very blade that cut the ring from the Dark Lord Sauron's hand. Little did they know that he would be the first person to unite the sister kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor in an Age.

Little can we know the trials and struggles of those we meet each day. Little can we know the potential that each person we see possesses. Little can we know the gold that lies beneath someone's outward appearance. If that is true, what right have we to pass judgment on our fellow travelers in this life?

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost - Similarly, this phrase also indicates that Aragorn is more than meets the eye. It gives us more to think about, specifically concerning theactions of the people around us. Allow me to add the following commentary: If someone is currently not living their life the way that you are living yours, that doesn't mean that they are lost and sad and miserable. They are not pining for your correction, counsel and guidance. They have their own goals and hopes and dreams. They are doing their best, making sense of life one day at a time. Though their path, to you, may seem jagged and unguided, you can be assured that they are trying their damnedest to move forward.

Aragorn's path led him from the field where his father lay dying, struck down by orcs. It led him to Rivendell to be reared by the elves. It led him to take charge of the Dúnedain rangers in protecting the free peoples of the North. It led him to guard and protect a small hobbit through a perilous journey on which the balance of the world depended. It led him to become the greatest leader (besides Gandalf of course) that Middle-earth had ever seen.

Aragorn's example in these situations are paramount to our understanding of those around us. Remember the wise counsel that Gandalf gave: "Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends."


TL;DR - Don't judge people before you get to know them. Gandalf, Aragorn and JRR Tolkien say so.