In J.R.R. Tolkien's famous Lord of the Rings trilogy, the term 'ringbearer' was used to refer to a person who was in possession of the One Ring - an enchanted band which could turn its wearer invisible, in addition to other neat stuff.
Over time, the ring corrupted its wearer - a reference to another older story of the Ring of Gyges, a mythical ring (with similar powers of invisibility) found in Book 2 of Plato's Republic. In the story, the tale is uttered by the student Glaucon, who claims that no one could resist the temptation to behave immorally if they did not have to fear the consequences of their actions.
On any given day, my teammates and I are ringbearers. Through the magic of the Internet, we are brought together, yet the distance also provides a sense of invisibility. If desired, we could hide in plain sight through our participation (or inaction).
It's part of why we're encouraged to make our journey as public as possible. Doing so makes us 'visible', both as a teaching tool and as a sense of accountability to others. I've told my family, friends, co-workers, and all of my students about this project, so now it's very difficult to hide.
Yet, if I wanted to, there are still opportunities to be invisible.
At some point during my day, I will be alone. For all intents and purposes, I am invisible during this time. No one to see me cheat, no one to see me slack off, no one to see me be less than the person that I strive to be.
This is where the lesson of the ringbearer returns: the moral person is the one who can wear the ring and still behave justly.
In my head, that means: we must wear our black belts, or act like champions, even when no one is watching.
Even me.
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