Journey to the Shire

 

This is the ninth part of the story which began here. The second is here.
The third is here. The fourth is here. The fifth is here.  The sixth is here.
The seventh is here. The eighth is here. This saga continues below.

Journey to the Shire

The Travellers awoke before dawn to find Gandalf sitting quietly by the embers of the night’s fire. He was smoking his pipe, as he had been when they went to sleep.

“Good morning!” He said. “It looks to be a beautiful day. Perfect for walking! I believe we should reach Bree today, probably in time for supper!” 

They had a light breakfast and started on the road as quickly as they could. Try as they might, they could not get Esmerelda to say anything more about what she said before going to bed. Instead, Gandalf told stories from long ago, from before he met Bilbo Baggins and the Old Took. Mostly they were about his journeys through this same area and how reaching Bree always seemed to be a treat. The Hobbits listened intently as he spoke. 

His stories were always happy and cheerful. They made the Travellers laugh. The stories shortened the road so before they knew it, Bree was close at hand.

They arrived at the Prancing Pony uneventfully, although many Breelanders started to see Gandalf, let alone four young Hobbits coming from the East. They stayed in the same rooms Frodo and his companions stayed in so many years before. Barliman Butterbur was still the same as he had been for years, only a bit older it seemed. He greeted them warmly and encouraged them to enjoy the common room, where travelers and residents of Bree mingled.

Many remembered their visit some time before, when they headed out in search of information and ideas on testing. They spoke with them on this. Elanor was polite, but evaded their questions, replying only that they had talked with many wise people and had many ideas to consider. 

She said they needed to think about and discuss how they could apply them. The others all agreed and said they needed to think carefully. They were glad they had made the journey and had learned much. Now they needed to see what would work for Hobbits in the Shire.

These answers all resulted in the Bree-folk’s heads shaking and chins wagging. “No good can come of upsetting the right, proper order of things.” A few, however, looked thoughtful.

Gandalf left the Hobbits to entertain questions. He had a mug of beer sitting in a dark-ish corner where he could see the room and listen to all the goings-on without being in their way or the center of attention. Mr Butterbur kept an eye on him, making sure he did not go without.

“Mr Gandalf,” he said at one point. “Have you seen Strider, I mean, the King?” Gandalf smiled, almost laughed. “I have not seen our mutual friend in some time. He has been very busy, you know. I did see some of our other friends who knew I was coming this way. They send greetings. I also asked them to remember both of us to Aragorn when they saw him again. I think you may see some elves come through as well before too long. Elves usually prefer wine but your beer is uncommonly good. They may want that instead.”

“Funny you should mention beer, Mr Gandalf,” Butterbur replied. “It has been uncommon good for some years now. I don’t understand but I’m not one to turn a gift like that away. I’ll make sure to keep plenty of beer and ale in the cellar. Thanks for the warning.”

“Barli. You should know I’m likely not to be by again. It is time for me to head West for the last time. You’ve been a good, honest fellow and I’m glad I could see you and enjoy your inn, one more time. Better times are coming. Not just because the King is making things better. Young folk like these four are working very hard to set the world to rights and make it better than it has been for ages.”

“It has been worse than it is, by a long distance,” said Butterbur. “It has been better of late, of course. If they can make things better still, I’d be happier still.”

With that, he left to attend other customers. Gandalf finished his beer and quietly slipped out for his room. The four Travellers remained for some time. There was no rush and no need to worry. They were nearly home.

The next morning dawned bright and clear. The Travellers met Gandalf for breakfast where they talked excitedly. Butterbur had agreed to lend them ponies who would be returned after they reached their homes, in memory of the ponies he received from Meriadoc Brandybuck, by way of Tom Bombadill, long before. 

They left Bree and headed toward home. When they had gone a few miles, Gandalf said it was time for him to leave them. He wanted to see Tom Bombadill and they were close to his lands. After many words and cheerful encouragement, Gandalf left them, waving before they were out of sight.

They made good time as they rode, talking of all that had happened on this journey. Abby called it a quest. This made them laugh and make jokes that it was anything but a quest. They simply wanted to do good work and wanted to know how to be better than they were.

As they approached the Shire, Elanor said they had gone to learn about testing and how they could do the kind of testing they all knew could be done. “It is simple, you see. We have known all along what the problems are. Everyone knows, if they can admit it to themselves. Most won’t. They are afraid of what that might mean. But I think we have the answer.”

They crossed the Brandywine Bridge and passed through the Gate where they made straight for the Golden Perch in Stock. It was the nearest inn to the Brandywine as the Bridge Inn was still not yet rebuilt. They got rooms for the night and had a quiet supper of good, solid Hobbit fare.

As they sat in the common room talking amongst themselves, they realized the room was nearly full. This was no remarkable thing. Except it was mostly other folk who worked in software. They were watching the four Travellers intently. As they looked around them, the Travellers fell silent and realized nearly everyone there had been listening to their conversation. There were no secrets being told but they found it a little unsettling. 

Finally, someone said “You four came through asking about software and testing and how to do things better some time ago. Then you said you were going to Bree to see if folk there had any ideas. Can you tell us what you found out?”

There was a murmur of agreement from around the room. The Travellers looked at each other.

Then Elanor spoke. “What would you know? We have met with many people and traveled beyond Bree to learn and find answers. What would you like to hear? The adventures of the road? The people we met with? What we have learned? The telling of any of these things will take a long time and we are weary from the road.”

“We want to know everything!” they cried. “We did not want to admit it before but things don’t always make sense! We are told to test for “acceptance criteria” except those keep changing. We are told to test for the requirements being met but no one seems to agree on what that means. Our companies bring in experts who tell us everything we do is wrong, and we can’t figure out what the right way is! None of them agree and all of them say the others are wrong! Can you help us?”

Elanor looked at them all. She heard the familiar pain she had wrestled with. She smiled as she recalled some of these same people telling her to not worry about things so much. She looked at her friends. They all nodded.

So she stood and said “We are weary from the road. We want to share what we have found. Meet us here tomorrow after breakfast and we will talk then.”

The Travellers then stood and followed her to their rooms, where they fell asleep quickly and spent the night undisturbed by anyone except their own thoughts.

Good Testing When the Audience Calls for Jaja Ding Dong

 Sat down for a night a silly entertainment a little while ago. Found myself watching the movie "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of FireSaga." Yup, That is the name of the movie. OK, ignore the critics. It is silly. High-brow? This ain't it. (Will Ferrel produced and stars in it. That should tell you about the type of humor in it.) 

To Start, for Americans who have never heard of it, Eurovision is a huge, big deal. In Europe. Each year there are these amazing groups who compete for the honor of representing their country as the national representative at this massive contest. There are fantastic bands playing each year. Sometimes the "bumper" entertainers get loads of attention (Riverdance became a "thing" as a result of one of these performances.)

Like musicians everywhere, I could relate to the dilemma facing Will Ferrel's character early on, and at the end of the film. Each band has stuff they are pretty much expected to play at bars, clubs, concerts, festivals. Whatever. Then there is the stuff they really LIKE to play. The stuff that allows them to shine and show what they are capable of as musicians and as performers.

We ALL want to play the stuff that we like. We want to play the stuff that shows off our talents and leave people in awe. The only problem is, the audience wants us to play the stuff that is, well, not very good. It is not good musically or in any other way. Except, it has a beat and a simple, catchy tag line.

For the fictional band Fire Saga, that song is "Jaja Ding Dong." It is as lame as a song can be. Except it has a simple, obvious tagline that people drinking in a bar can sing along with. Sometimes that is about all you can ask for.

On Stage

I spent a lot of years playing in bands in bars and beer tents where people were there not for the amazing music we played, but to have fun. I absolutely promise that the stuff they found "fun" paid for the night. It also kept them coming back.

This allowed us to experiment and play the music we wanted to play. It allowed us to experiment and tweak it in front of humans who likely would not care. When we had their attention with what we WANTED to play, then we knew we had something that would work anywhere.

If we could not get something to "work" after several tweaks and modifications over a bunch of performances in bars and the like, then that piece was retired. We could use it somewhere, just not there. It stopped being fun for us because it became massive amounts of work. No matter how "good" it was, it wasn't good enough and likely would never be.

The goal was to get enough of what WE wanted to play to the point where audiences wanted to hear it. If you could get the 100 or so folks in a bar to listen, then get several hundred in a beer tent to listen. THEN you could get a couple thousand at a festival to listen. And when you play it at a concert venue, the response will be tumultuous. You have something they really want when not long ago they thought they wanted something very different.

Here's the trick. If you REFUSE to play the stuff they want to hear early on, you will never have the change to play the stuff you want to play. Ever. You won't book that venue again. You likely won't get booked anywhere else again because the owners and operators and reps know each other and will talk.

Testing

What does this have to do with testing software?

When you come in as the "new" person to an organization, remember that they often have their own way of doing things. Walking in and telling them they are doing everything "wrong" and you simply refuse to do it that way and you are the only one there who "knows how to test" is likely not going to get you very much.

Even if you are being brought in for some version of a "leadership" position, walking in and telling them to "change everything" is likely going to do more harm than good. Try joining them. See precisely how people are working. Work with them, side by side, as a partner.

That way, you are demonstrating you can do the "testing" that is expected. You can then try other ideas that are similar, but not exactly the same. If these ideas show an improvement in results and still meet or exceed all the control metrics in place, you might be able to tweak them a little. By small changes, you might be able to show more improvements.

In time, you can do the kind of testing you want to do and provide the value the organization needs. If you are patient you might just find yourself helping others do testing that way. That "new" way. 

Then the people demanding you do things their way, once upon a time, will want you to do it this "new" way. Except it likely won't be a new way then. It will be a better way. Then, they might just want everyone to try testing that way.

Then, when someone wants you to do testing like "Jaja Ding Dong" everyone else will laugh at them.

Many Plans Made

This is the eighth part of the story which began here. The second is here.
The third is here. The fourth is here. The fifth is here.  The sixth is here.
The seventh is here. This saga continues below.

 Many Plans Made 

The Four Travellers had a subdued dinner and an evening talking quietly in the gardens of Rivendell. They were daunted by the task before them. No one more than Eleanor, who had taken it up. 

Ever after, she said she could not say why she needed to take this on and what motivated her to stand up and speak. She would simply say it seemed the right, and only thing to do.

Her friends felt her pain and knew the struggle within her. They felt their own struggle as well.

How do you go about and change how everything is done? How do you make something happen that likely has never existed before, from something that likely never been imagined and possibly does not exist, except as an idea.

They wrestled with these ideas all the next day. The wise people they met in Rivendell, elves, humans and dwarves, all spoke with them. All spoke on how they thought they would take up the challenge as Eleanor had.

None of the ideas these others came up with seemed to help them. “This is all well and good for Elves and Dwarves, but we’re hobbits! We’re sensible folk who do not like having things upset. These other folk go from one changing thing to another. We don’t! We like things to be the same today as they were last week. We like knowing that tomorrow will be much the same as yesterday. How will we do this?”

They spent what seemed to be days in this debate. One evening Gandalf joined their discussions. They were glad for his company. He was wise beyond measure. He had aided their fathers, mothers, and great grandfathers and back beyond their reckoning. Now, finally, he appeared to be aged.

He had been old before, but seemed ageless. Now, he seemed to be really old. They asked him why this might be. He laughed.

“The Rings are gone. When the One Ring was destroyed by Frodo and Samwise, the other Rings all lost their power. With them also went a great deal of the power of Magic in the world. Most would not know that. All the Wizards do.

Our time is over here. I came to help see you on your way. There is little I can tell you I have not already said. The same words I said to your father and his companions still apply.

You have grown. You are wise enough now to choose and make your own paths. I am glad I could see this before I return to the West, for the last time. You have proven the trust I had in Hobbits all those years ago. You do not need me or anyone to tell you your way now.”

With that, he lit his pipe and smiled. “I shall need to remember to bring as much Southfarthing leaf as I can bring before I go. I shall miss this otherwise.”

The four looked in wonder, amazed. Then Eleanor spoke.

“I don’t feel wise. I don’t feel at all like Frodo Baggins or my mother or father. They are wise. I don’t think I am at all.”

They all said she was wise, very wise in fact. More wise than any of them or most people they knew. She argued that she was not wise, certainly not as wise as they thought she was. If she was really that wise, she would not be in such a state, a dilemma over what to do.

She sat and looked into the fire in the brazier next to where she was sitting. She quietly held her cup of wine while her eyes took on a far away look.

“I think part of the problem is the experts who came in with changes and improvements talked to everyone as if they had all the answers to all the problems. They used words and terms people did not understand. They tended to talk down to people when they said they did not understand what those terms meant. They rather insulted people for not using the right words.

“Those same people were the ones who would need to make the changes a reality. Their bosses and managers were the ones who were demanding consistent language and terms they understood. These were the terms the experts said were wrong, did not mean what they thought and insisted they be abandoned without a strong understanding of what their new terms meant and how to get management and managers to accept them.

“The problem is, I think, our managers and these experts are invoking the power of the Lord of the Testing Rings as their source of authority. Both can’t be right. Both can’t represent the authority of the Lord of the Testing Rings, can they?”

She blinked. She looked at each in turn until her eyes met Gandalf’s. Then they opened wide in shock and understanding.

“Gandalf! You said when the One Ring was destroyed, all the other Rings lost their power. If that is the case, then there is NO authority anyone can claim as being the single, right authority for testing. Is there?”

Gandalf looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. He began laughing and the laughter carried all around them and brought them all into it.

“My dear Hobbit. That is precisely correct. They are invoking an authority that has no relevance now. I’m not certain it ever had any relevance except to those who would see the world ordered precisely as they would wish it. If it had any relevance it was in the effort to control everyone. How they work, how they think and what they do. That is nothing more than a small, weak mirror of Sauron’s desire.”

Then Eleanor said, “I think I understand now what must be done. I think we should get ready to head home to the Shire as soon as we can. If we spend tomorrow getting ready and making our farewells, we can leave the day after. The Road should not be too hard this time, afterall, we know where we are going.”

She sent word to Elrond of the decision. She, and all of them, appreciated his hospitality and counsel. They had arrived at a decision on how to apply that counsel.

The next day, the Travellers filled their packs. The Elves gave them generous supplies of food, including their waybread, which would help speed them until they arrived at Bree. If they carried plenty of food and water, they would not need to spend time hunting for food and could move more confidently. The packs would be heavy to start, but would lighten quickly as they travelled.

They also had notebooks and references, transcribed and saved so they could be packed easily with little weight to them. When all was made ready, they joined a farewell banquet given for them. It was then Gandalf said he would like to travel with them as far as Bree.

“As you no longer need my counsel, or protection on the Road now that the King has restored order and peace, I’d simply like to travel with you on this part of your journey. I’ve a mind to see old Barliman one more time at the Prancing Pony. I always liked that inn.”

The Travellers were extremely happy. They had heard tales of Gandalf travelling with Samwise, Frodo, Peregrin and Meriadoc. Now they would have him with them for a journey as well, even if only for a short time.

The next morning dawned fair and bright. Not too warm, no chill in the air. It was a perfect day for walking and talking and singing songs to make the road short as it is said.

Several days into the journey, as they were approaching Bree, Gandalf told them stories about the days when he first met their parents, and “uncle” Frodo. He told them how silly Peregrin and Meriadoc seemed. Esmeralda Took, daughter of Peregrin and Bell and Amaranth Brandybuck, daughters of Meriadoc, the companions of Eleanor, laughed. They always seemed so wise to them.

“Good heavens! They were among the most foolish Hobbits I’d ever met! And that is saying something. But they were all in their tweens at the time so had not really been expected to be serious. The journey with the original Fellowship forced them to grow. And grow quickly.”

“But Gandalf! None of us have 'come of age' at 33 yet! We’re all in our tweens as well!” said Bell.

 “Of course you are Bell! Remember many people, men in particular, don’t think much of women, unless they excel. People fail to notice the accomplishments of most women I find, particularly younger women.”

All of the Travellers cried out in protest. Esmeralda was furious. “Gandalf! That is ridiculous! Why is this? Why do we need to work harder and show more success than other hobbits our age with the same experience? Why is this?”

Gandalf looked very sad for a moment. “The reasons for that are many. Most are hidden from the Wise. I think, and this is only a guess on my part, the cause lies deep in the nature of most living things. Hobbits tend to be more willing to be open to other Hobbits. Dwarves the same with Dwarves. Humans tend to trust no one but other humans who look, generally, like them.”

 “If I needed to give you a single reason, I think that might be the closest I could give. In this we see another reflection of the power of Sauron. He is gone but his influence remains. Many Hobbits have gotten so comfortable in their lives over the many, many years, that things which upset the “natural order of things” are looked at with great scrutiny. I believe this is part of that. People in software have gotten used to not seeing many women in strong technical roles. Many have convinced themselves it is because women are not capable of doing that work. Nonsense of course. Still, it reflects what the world has become.”

Bell huffed, much as her father used to. “Gandalf, this is a ridiculous reason. The four of us are smart and hard working and understand problems better than most others we know, including those older with more experience! Why should we need to prove ourselves over and over?”

Amaranth, called Amy by her friends, very quietly said, “This needs to change. It needs to change NOW. It has gone on far too long. So many have gotten used to it that it became normal. It is not normal. It is wrong. But who can change this?”

Gandalf made no reply.

After going some way, they stopped for the night and made their camp. A fire was built and they prepared a meal from the food the Elves had given them. The Hobbits talked amongst themselves. They returned to the talk from the road. They repeated the points and concerns. Gandalf lit his pipe and sat silently.

When all fell silent and everyone was looking at the fire, Eleanor quietly spoke.

“We went looking for answers about testing and making software. We found ourselves in Rivendell talking with many important and great people. We found answers and are searching for how to apply them. And now we have more questions and problems to solve.”

“Gandalf said both sets of problems were part of the influence of Sauron. He is gone, but his evil lingers on in some small ways. Except for us, they are not small. They are big.” 

Gandalf looked at her with a strong intensity. She saw something in his eyes. She was not sure if he was sad or happy. Perhaps a mixture, a little of both.

Esmeralda looked at Gandalf for a moment then at each of the Travellers. “I know who will change this behavior and attitude. I know who will change all the problems we have been talking about. I know who will upset the apple cart of the people who want to be experts and in charge and control things. I think I know why they tolerate the behavior and attitudes toward people like us in software. I know who will change all of this.”

“We will.” She said. “But not tonight. We must sleep now if we are to reach Bree tomorrow and the Shire the day after.” With that, she opened her bedroll and went to sleep.

Agile: Walls Dysfunction & People

A comment made at the recent GRTesters meetup meeting left me with a hard choice. I could jump on that and lead us further down a rabbit hole we were already in, and well off the topic of the evening, or I could make a note to myself and revisit my thoughts later.

This is "later."

We were discussing team dynamics in a macro sense - how teams function, the interactions between team members, how they interacted with other teams and the like. Specifically, we were looking, briefly, at the difference in relationship between software testing specialists who were embedded with development & delivery teams and who were in external teams.

The apparently "classic" case of "OK, our code is done, now we give it to the test team."

The problem is, by pulling testing specialists farther away from collaboration with the people specializing in creating and writing the production facing code, the testing specialists become "others" - not part of the actual development team.

The idea of pulling people into a team and having them work together is great. If you allow for teams to build trust and get to work together.

So there we were, talking about teams and silos and how divisions between teams can lead to huge dysfunction for the organization. Then one person said, "I've seen these kinds of problems everywhere. But if you really want to see huge problems with silos and Us vs Them, look at how most companies do 'Agile.' Teams don't cooperate with each other. Teams don't help each other. Teams barely talk to each other."

Most of us stopped and blinked. I had some thoughts on that, particularly as he had just described what I had seen at many organizations.

To Begin

First, some considerations on Scrum and Agile.

While there are certainly proponents of both who will be happy to tell you that delivery will be faster and quality will be better, I am not certain these are universal guarantees. I know this flies in the face of the statements and pitches made by sales people of "Agile" and Scrum and various certification programs.

What I tell people, much to the chagrin of certain "leaders" is that Scrum will almost certainly identify problem areas very quickly.

You will get very fast "returns." These returns may not be what you expected.

For example, if you have an organization with many development teams. Randomly relabeling them as "Scrum Teams" is rather counter to the point of Scrum, and certainly counter tothe Agile Manifesto itself.

Then, targeting a poorly functioning team as the Proof of Concept group, as many organizations do I have seen, might not give the shining results hoped for.

A team that is troubled in delivery, with low quality product, might not be the ideal group to "demonstrate" the benefits of "Agile." Likely it will be a trainwreck. This trainwreck, as happened with early steam trains, can put people in other teams and other parts of the organization completely off the "new" concept.

The problems are not in Agile or Scrum - or any other method or framework associated with Agile. The problems exist in themselves. Using a team with problems as the prototype simply highlights the problems the team already has.

 Did "Agile" Cause This?

No. Not at all.

The "transition" to Agile - any type, form or flavor - simply exposed this issue. The problems existed. People working with the team, oftentimes people ON the team, are fully aware of the problems.

The team lead or manager might be aware. They may be working to make it better. They might be trying to address the problem.However, if the issue is chronic and sustained, there is a strong likelihood they will not improve things.

Why?

The largest single problem in any organization is not the technology. It is not the tech stack. It is not the language used for development or testing. It is not the development models and methodologies in use.

The largest single problem, is People.

Gerry Weinberg wrote (and said) "No matter how it looks at first, it's always a people problem." (Find that in Secrets of Consulting, 1985.)

What does that have to do with this situation? Loads.

The team lead or manager might BE the problem. OR, there might be a person (or two) who are engaging in damaging, if not destructive, behavior.

The Problem?

There are loads of other possibilities. The issue might not be with people on the team. If people on other teams have "issues" with people on the troubles team, a wee bit of animosity can go a long way. This can point to broader issues within the organization.

My favorite issue, still a "people problem" is Byzantine processes and methodologies around software. Everything from multiple levels of approvals before software can be moved from one environment to another to mandated control measures to "protect" the production environment.

The less clear the process to be followed, the greater the odds of dysfunction. 

These exist whether the organization is "Agile" or not. A mandated decision to "do Agile" might just make these problems more obvious - the light can be shown on them and make them clear.

The Response?

This varies. Often times we see this as a "Fragile" implementation. People (that word again) focus on the forms, ceremonies and rituals around Agile and not on the purpose.

Many, many organizations ignore the Principles behind the Agile Manifesto and focus only on these rituals. The problems are not addressed. The challenges remain.

Except, now they get blamed on "Agile."

The Fellowship is Formed

This is the seventh part of the story which began here. The second is here.
The third is here. The fourth is here. The fifth is here.  The sixth is here.
This saga continues below.

This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their
quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great.*

Gandalf was silent. The Four Travelers shuffled their feet and looked around the room as if they were looking for an escape from his gaze. There was none. They felt like he was testing everyone in the room, but them in particular.

Then one noticed Galadriel was sitting quietly, next to Elrond. She looked at them and smiled a gentle smile, as if to reassure all of them that things would work out. She relaxed immediately.

It was then Gandalf spoke.

“Elrond has spoken of the past, the distant past some might say, of how electronic computers and software came to this point. Faramier, Gimly and Legolas have spoken with words of warning in their hearts. You yourselves, all of you, have seen the growing trends of late. The changes in wind and water. The unsettled energy all around us.

“Most of you here have been witness to great shifts though you may not have recognized them as such. The shift toward a regulated and controlled method of creating software has been subtle. Even among those who call out for more “flexibility” they are implementing greater controls than existed before.

“The idea of teams being ‘self-organizing’ is a threat to some organizations. They demand strict compliance. They demand fierce loyalty and they expect each worker to reject anything other than what they are told to do. Because the “Company” knows best. 

“We have heard these things before. The slave of Sauron and Saurumann spoke ever thus. The Haradrim or Southrons spoke thus. Though we defeated Sarumann and Sauron, we did not defeat all of the evil they drew upon and fed. There is still darkness here. Our challenge is to be diligent in searching it out, identifying it and destroying it. 

“The proud and fell Easterlings are still present. The Haradim still live. They reach out and corrupt ideas by twisting words to fit their purpose. Beware of them! Beware of the words spoken as reasonable people speak that run counter to what others might say.

“Beware those who belittle and demean others because they have different ideas. They will insist those ideas are false and must be overturned. They will speak from emotion rather than fact and truth. Remember, to the crooked eye, truth can wear a wry face.

“Their words will be comforting, as were Sarumann’s words. They will seem reasonable and draw you in to wish to appear reasonable as well. This is their trap.

“Beware those who tell you you speak wrongly or ill. They will find ways to undermine your heart and spirit. They will tear down how you communicate with others and insist their words are the only true words. If you question them you will face their wrath.

“You fear them. But you do not fear them enough. They can bend and twist your words around you then deny they are doing it. When they finish, you will be worn down and vulnerable. Then no one will understand your words when you speak.

“When you explain your new truth, you will become the outside to them. You will become the outlander who threatens all.

“Make no mistake, you will threaten them. You will threaten the ones who dwell in comfort and accept their lot. You will threaten their masters who hold them in thrall. You will threaten the order imposed from above. You will threaten their models and justifications. You will threaten all that they have built up, which others see as strong and powerful and ‘right’.”

Gandalf stopped and looked directly at the Four Travelers. Then he continued.

“This challenge is nothing more than the challenge taken on themselves by Meriadic Brandybuck, Perigrin Took, Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins. They journeyed with great purpose, with people in this very room, to do a great task. They accomplished it. It was only on their return home they realised their hardship, suffering, challenges and loss prepared them for the great task no one could ask them to do.

“They arrived home and found it disordered and disturbed. Violence was present in ways it had never been before. The very values that were cherished by everyone in the Shire had been upended and tossed away.

“No person told them they must do this thing. They told themselves they must do this thing. Everything they had seen and done prepared them for the doing.” 

Then, looking around the room, Gandalf said “You four from the Shire, and all others here who would see a better world have the same challenge. Find a way to make your world better, or accept all as it is and be still.  No wizards can aid you. No elves or dwarves can help you. Our time is past.” 

With that he sat down. The room was silent. The Travelers looked at each other. They looked around the room. Most people in the room were looking lost, deep in thought. Some were frightened by Gandalf’s words. 

Then Galadriel spoke.

“All of you, heed the words of Gandalf, Elrond and the others who have spoken. I have words for you as well. Gandalf gives words of warning. Words to help you avoid traps and snares that will capture the unwary. These traps are not of the sort that you might think. But they are present nonetheless. Remember how comforting things seemed at first, the words and instructions you were given? Remember the result of following them? Remember what advice was given by those who advocated, then pushed, then demanded they be followed?

“We elves can see some outcomes. We do not know which actions lead to which outcomes. Our power is fading. Now is the time for those who believe they have no power to discover theirs. Now is the time for each of you, all of you, to consider in your hearts what it is you would have done and what kind of world you, your colleagues and your children will live in, work in and grow in.

“Many long lives of Men we have lived here in Rivendell. Many things have we seen start well then fade. Many things have blossomed unexpectedly and grown and flourished, when nothing was anticipated. This decision is on each and every one of you.”

Then she sat and looked to the center of the room and said no more.

For a long time no one spoke. Most looked down at the floor in front of them. Some were deep in thought. Even Gandalf and Elrond look uneasy. A stirring began inside one of the Four Travelers. She looked up. First at her companions then around the room. She felt herself rise silently. Everyone looked to her.

“I will take these words and ideas and warnings. I will go back to The Shire and spread them as my father spread the soil  from your garden you gave him long ago, great lady. I do not know what shall happen. I do not know what will come of it. But I will go and I will try.”

Then she sat down. Her companions looked amazed at her. She herself looked amazed the words came from her.

Gandalf looked on her with a soft smile, as if remembering deeds long past. Elrond looked at her with great pity. Then Elrond said, “Once, long ago by your reckoning, I told your father’s companion that no one could place the burden he was taking on him. No one could order him to take up his great task. Indeed, your father was hiding in that dark corner of this very chamber, behind that very plant.” 

The young woman looked where Elrond indicated, and was amazed. She had heard the tale but had not quite believed it. Then Elrond spoke again.

“No one can place this burden on you either, Eleanor Gamgee. If you take it up of your own free will, then so be it. This is a task that will bring hard labor and likely hard words. Your Father, Samwise and your mother Rose, have prepared you as best they can for any challenge. Choose companions who would do well and who can help and support you.

“As I said all those years ago, again, this is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great. You have greatness in you. Use that greatness for good to overcome the greatness which is aiding ill.”

With that, Eleanor smiled. Her companions stood and embraced her. One by one, they pledged to work to make testing and all software creation better. Not with threats and intimidation and whips and cruelty. But with wisdom and compassion.

Wisdom and mercy in their proper measures, with determination and a will to succeed will do more than threats and fear ever could.

The others in the room looked at each other and nodded. Many murmured assent. All pledged to take up the challenge in the path shown by Eleanor, daughter of Rose and Samwise, and return to their homes with the same task.

--

*JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, ©JRR Tolkien, 1954, renewed 1982, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, Boston, 2014, p. 264