Destroying the Ring of Power
In Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring, Galadriel gives a monologue that has been ringing in my head since news came down of our political future in America. “…nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern over each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret, a master ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all. One by one, the free peoples of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted.”
No matter the underlying motivation, I honestly believe power ultimately corrupts. At first it seems like the way to get things done. It’s fulfilling and rewarding…even justified in some instances, but eventually, once power begins to collect in one person, group, or system, that power consumes and destroys those who try to wield it.
Power, and particularly the power to rule over others, is an addiction that is never satisfied. If I’m honest, this is why I don’t trust or place hope in politics or political movements, no matter how well meaning. After all, in some ways, human history is the story of how long people can hold on to power before it destroys them completely. Was I disappointed with the results of the election? To say the least. Was I surprised at the results of the election? No. At its worst, politics is the embodiment of an out of control power addiction. At its very best, politics will only ever be power trying to achieve what only love can accomplish.
In life, I’m coming to believe that we take one of two roads: the road of power and the road of love. Most of us find ourselves having traveled both at some point. On the road of power, we serve ourselves. We collect power, individually and in groups. We differentiate ourselves by focusing on our disagreements, further solidifying our perceived control of, and hold on power. Either directly or through our association with the right groups, we see ourselves at the top of the food chain. We collect things and people and experiences we expect will fulfill us.
The road of love often comes after traveling the road of power long enough to find that the power you thought you were using was actually using you. Stumbling through the resulting emptiness, those who come to walk the road of love are often covered with the scars of insatiable addiction. Like the most addictive of substances, power uses them up until they are mere shells of themselves, uncertain if there even IS a future, much less what that future might be.
Slowly but surely, mile by mile, the road of love heals us, not because of what it can do for us, but because walking the road of love requires us to do for others. It is not an easy road, nor is it free, and it is especially not fair, but I’m convinced it’s the only place where the things that truly matter ever get done. I used to think love was a form of power, but now I’m not so sure that power (in the traditional sense) has anything to do with it. Love is an unyielding and unselfish reality that we all float on, even when we cling to power like it’s our last hope. Love is the oxygen that surrounds us and sustains us, even as we try to inhale the carcinogen of control and manipulation. Love is the antidote for hate, and we exchange love for power at our ultimate peril.
Whatever you do now, don’t despair. Cry, scream, rage, and process, but do not lose your heart. Remember what Gandalf said, “I have found that it is the small everyday deed of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” We all have a ring of power that we must destroy in the fires of Mount Doom. That’s part of where the road of love leads. When it comes time, I hope we can make the right choice.