When Greed Takes Hold

          I have to admit that I was apprehensive as I walked into the theater to view the last part of The Hobbit  trilogy. Like most of my friends, I had been disappointed with the first two movies as they seemed animated to a fault and the special effects lacked the polish of The Lord of the Rings.  However, The Battle of the Five Armies contained lessons that resounded within my heart. Also, the message the movie contained appeared somewhat convenient for the time of year.

           

        After Smaug destroys Laketown, viewers are shown a slightly changed Thorin Oakenshield  staring at his kingdom of endless riches. Now, he has always been my favorite character because of his good looks and as the movie continued, I began to feel betrayed. Perhaps it was the sudden separation from being his fan that allowed me to look a little deeper.

 

          The movie drug on and I was getting more irritated with Thorin for letting greed take hold of him. Still, I began to remember some of the greedy people I had been around. Thorin represented those people. I have watched as money turns someone you view as a friend into something ugly and reveal where their true loyalty lies. In my short lifespan I have found greed to be the generator of suspicion, damaged families, heartbreak, and ruined trust. Once greed takes hold it is one of the most difficult things to defeat. The real battle in the movie was not between the Elves and Dwarfs or even against the rising Orc armies. It was between a man and the spirit of greed. Greed will rip you apart, leave you with a skeleton of a house, create a bitter existence, and a life void of friendship. You may have given people material things, blessed them with wealth, or kept it all to yourself, but take a good look around. People are crying out. They are begging for fulfillment, and that fulfillment is not found in wealth. 

 

 

Can we not look at history and see where greed brought some of the most powerful rulers to their knees? Can we not look at some celebrities who have everything the world deems as pleasurable and still struggle with substance abuse? Can we not look into our own hearts and see that greed brings nothing to satisfy our spiritual cravings and in the end our genuine emotion?

Eventually, I decided that The Battle of the Five Armies is my favorite, but not for the battle scenes or storyline. I love it for the victory that Thorin Oakenshield achieved over one of life’s greatest challenges. He rose above the choke hold of greed; a hold that is one of the hardest to break. 

 

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