How hobbits and the Shire can provide a Zen perspective for everyday life.

Hello again, dear reader. As we have been discussing minimalism and living a more stress-free life by living with less, or at least striving to own quality material objects. Rather than merely focusing on the quantity of the objects, as a way to live a more fruitful and productive life, feeding about minimalism and quality of life, eventually brought me around to thinking about living a more "Zen" lifestyle during my search for literature and information on this particular topic. I came across a very unique and interesting book called "the wisdom of the Shire by Noble Smith. This is a very interesting little book, because it explains and breaks down. The concept of Zen style mindfulness, by allowing the reader to view them through the lens of J.R.R. Tolkien's hobbits, I would wager that there are very few people. They do not have at least a basic concept or working knowledge of the hobbit and the Lord of the rings stories (especially thanks to Peter Jackson's theatrical adaptations). This book does an absolutely wonderful job providing very useful wisdom and knowledge in bite-size chunks that are easily related to Tolkien’s stories (the author uses very specific scenes and incidences for each chapter) and digestible. So that the reader can put them into practice, in his or her own life, and so dear reader; if you've always wanted to learn more about Zen and mindfulness without all the baggage of Eastern philosophy. This book is a good place to start. I will admit however this book may not be for everyone, especially those who are not a fan of Tolkien's stories. That being said, however, this book can provide you with a hobbit sized meal of food for thought....



In The Wisdom of the Shire, author Noble Smith breaks down modern and everyday troubles from the perspective of the hobbits of J.R.R. Tolkien’s creation.
The foreword is written by Peter S. Beagle, the author of The Last Unicorn and the introduction to The Lord of the Rings, who says, “The Wisdom of the Shire is an idea whose time has unquestionably come. I’d buy it like a shot, give copies away to deserving friends, and keep it by the bed for bad nights.” What follows are chapters that explore subjects like food and health, friendship, and courage, with clever titles like, “Eat Like a Brandybuck, Drink Like a Took,” “Love in the Third Age,” and “Bearing the Burden of Your Ring.”
While I can’t imagine anyone picking up this book that had no concept of a hobbit, a substantial knowledge of Tolkien and Middle-earth is not required. Each chapter is full of examples that can stand on their own, but coupled with a familiarity with the texts; your understanding can only grow. Having only read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings myself, I still felt entirely comfortable with any references to The Silmarillion or the Unfinished Tales because every example is used and explained for a specific purpose.
Be forewarned! If you want to embrace the lifestyle of a hobbit, you may have to give up the convenience of fast food and start buying food that is grown locally. Turn off the television and just get more sleep. Smith is unequivocal when it comes to describing many of our modern day habits as “orcish.” He is not condescending, but I found myself really confronted by the contradictions between the life I desire and my confirmed behaviors. If you truly want to live a life of tranquility, you might need to take a step back and look at your tendencies through a new filter.
There are ample annotations in this book, both clarifying and tangential. Unlike cumbersome back-of-the-book commentary or the sometimes awkward footnotes, Smith’s annotations are infused throughout the text. Some offer statistical and expositional facts from Middle-earth, others give insight into the life and times of author J.R.R. Tolkien, and some are just fun. My favorites are the comments that make me want to turn down the page corners; these highlight real-life hobbits, like Simon Dale of the Lammas Project, the inhabitants of Ashland, Oregon, and the owners of The Hobbit Pub in Southampton, England.
The Wisdom of the Shire is great to read all the way through, but would also be a perfect reference when you find yourself approaching “Your Own Personal Gollum” or when you want to “Sing like a Hobbit.” If you need a quick reminder, you can always thumb to the end of the chapter where a short morsel of wisdom summarizes the hobbit attitude.

As always thanks for listening. There will be more to come soon.

 
PS, I would give this book five stars; but to be fair. I am big fan of the hobbits and their universe and have been since I was in grade school.