The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater. — Fellowship of the Ring

My Take – I talk a lot of doom and gloom around here.  There seems to be a lot of that going around these days, but to be honest, the world has always been ending.  The point of being prepared, of standing up for what’s yours, and defending that which you value is to keep the bright and sunny spots in life there for you when you need them.  The world is indeed awash in blood and tears, but it is also awash in joy and song.  Concentrating on the bad things in life for too long makes a person pessimistic and unable to see the good that the world contains.