How has growing up changed your perspective on Tolkien's Books?

I'm sure there's many people here who, just like me, got into The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and maybe even Tolkien’s other works at a young age (I was around 13-14), and are still fans many years later. Now, I am much older, have gained some life experience and re-read the books for the first time since back then, and it's like reading a completely different story.

As a teen in the early 2000s, my view of the books was definitely shaped by the movies and pop culture at the time. But a lot of the deeper themes - like mercy, Frodo’s lasting trauma after the Ring’s destruction, or even the symbolism behind Mordor, Isengard and the Scouring of the Shire being about industrialization completely went over my head.

Like, I never could've imagined anyone saying Frodo was their favorite character. He goes all this way...and then just fails to destroy the ring? I pretty much only cared about the epic battles and destroying the bad guys, all while barely understanding why the journey unfolds the way it does.

How has your perspective changed over time? What parts do you appreciate more nowadays?