When the world closed inward,
Those of us scattered abroad had a choice to make.
Stay. Leave.
Each option presented its disadvantages.
Each option was wrong in some way or another.
When the world closed inward,
Those of us in a foreign country assessed our options.
Some left.
We hastily packed and said hard goodbyes.
We soared off into the atmosphere with a sense of relief, and perhaps also a twinge of guilt.
Some stayed.
They steadied themselves and said hard goodbyes.
They settled in for the long isolation with a sense of peace, and perhaps also a twinge of trepidation.
When the world closed inward,
Those of us far from our homeland decided where to make our home for the foreseeable future.
There was no right or wrong answer; there was only the answer inside us.
"I wish that the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
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