Concretions of mollusks
polymorphed into aragonite
nacreous and iridescent
a case of necromancy by mōdor
lusters as the Lord of the Ring
The concept of a ring of invisibility and its impact on the morality of man was already a subject for discussion during Plato’s time, well before Tolkien. In Plato’s book The Republic, his brother Glaucon argues that with a mythical ring of Gyges, that gives its owner the power to become invisible at will, even a just man will end up unjust, because “No man would keep his hands off what was not his own... for all men believe in their hearts that injustice is far more profitable to the individual than justice”.[1]
Socrates then gets his way with Glaucon and proves that although man may escape one form of punishment as justice cannot catch him, his corruption will backfire and corrupt his soul: “justice in her own nature has been shown to be best for the soul in her own nature. Let a man do what is just, whether he have the ring of Gyges or not ...”
Therefore, man is inclined (or should be) to do good, even if he has the impunity to do otherwise, to avoid enslavement to his own appetites. To remain in control of yourself is a prerequisite to happiness.
Margarites are formed as an immune response to imperfections or intrusions. Similarly, if we are able to ringfence and encapsulate our own imperfections with grace, we create lustre in our character. We build our character written in our scars (see also Love for your scars). “All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster's autobiography” — Federico Fellini. What is yours?
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[1] Plato, The Republic, Introduction page 62, 1273-1288, August 27, 2008 [EBook #1497]