What ideals does Tolkien hold up in his characters in facing such an enemy? Courage certainly. But not blind courage - courage tempered by wisdom. Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, and the others choose as best they can to go on fighting, but using the wisdom they have. In our day, we must listen to the wisdom of our medical professionals - wash hands, distance as we can, don't gather in large groups, etc. Doing even small things that are good has an effect.
But more important to me is to remember that evil has an end. The suffering due to COVID-19, though it brings death for many, will pass. And even more, for those of us who are in Christ, we know the end of evil and the curse on our world. To summarize the book of Revelation in two words: Jesus wins. He wins over the forces of Satan. He wins over our own rebellious, sinful hearts, he undoes the curse on our world, and brings in the new heavens and new earth. In the darkness of all sin, pain, toil, and death, even through the death of Christ on the cross, victory, grace, and peace come through in the end. His resurrection from the dead is the great eucatastrophe; victory in the face of sure defeat.
To my fellow Christians I say, be of good courage, but exercise wisdom. We need not fear, but we also need not be foolish. Even if suffering and death take us due to this, we know they must come on us sometime in our life. Our final end is still life, rest, joy, and peace. Look forward in joy and comfort, and do the good to your neighbor that you can.
To those who are not Christians, I hold out hope to you. No one is free from suffering in this life or from death. And no one is free from guilt for sin, our own moral failures. I can hold out freedom from guilt, the love of God who made you and has provided for you, and strength for your soul to walk through this life. I can hold out life after death, and rescue from the judgement to come that we all deserve. Feel free to ask, I would like to talk about nothing more than this with you.
