Where is Samwise? There are Gollums in DC!

The tragic, messy drama that is being exposed room by room in our nation's capitol demonstrates the truth of those wise observations that can be found in ancient Greek plays, in the Bible, in any source that has recorded honestly how human beings respond to the siren of power. 19th Century British historian Lord Acton may have said it best: "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

However, it was another Englishman, 20th Century author J.R.R. Tolkien, who gave this truth vibrant shape and form in his Lord of the Rings Trilogy. In this complex and deep drama, Frodo lived out a dynamic mid-point between Gandalf the Wizard and Sméagol. Gandalf swayed under the intense pull that absolute power generated. He barely could resist the temptation to take the ring, but resist he did. Given the powers he already had, he knew what the ring would do to him if he were to remain too close to its will-sapping lure. Sméagol, on the other hand, had given his soul over to the power of the ring long ago, devolving into the grotesque, pathetic Gollum.

It was left to the innocent Frodo to carry the ring back to the fire from which it was born, the only way in which it could be utterly destroyed. Frodo, as we know, was himself seriously tempted by the power of the ring. He crossed the line from using it only in an emergency to using it because he enjoyed its powers. As a result, his character began to change for the worse. His "simple" friend Samwise was instrumental in calling Frodo back, but not without being savaged by Frodo. Who, then, was the real hero? Frodo rose to the occasion at the key moment to toss the ring into the fire. But if Samwise had not risked everything to keep Fordo on course, it is unlikely Frodo would have come to his senses. The world would have been lost to the darkest of the dark powers.

In the world of the Bush Administration, there are no Samwises; or if there are, they are not tolerated but silenced or banished. This theme was painfully exposed over and over in Thomas Ricks' book, Fiasco. Ricks, a seasoned Pentagon correspondent, used his extensive contacts with military officers at the highest levels, as well as those at mid-rank and at the bottom, to show how virtually every problem that has emerged in the pre-emptive war in Iraq was discussed in depth by top-ranking officers in the Army and the Marines - and arrogantly ignored by those closest to the President, Rumsfeld and Cheney in particular. Now, Bob Woodward, in State of Denial, brings out these same themes.

As these rooms in our nation's capitol are being exposed, we are finding a host of slimy Gollums. If there were any Frodos, they have disappeared or, more likely, have become Gollums themselves. The Samwises are regularly attacked, scornfully assigned the rolls of cowards and traitors. Or, simply ignored. The current pileup of power all on one side of our formerly bi-partisan government has amounted to the ring sought by Sauron. Clearly, there has been far too much power in the hands of a small number of people who have managed until recently to command all party members to follow their lead.

The damage done to an enormous range of our nation's critical institutions and their underlying values is profound and will not be easily undone. The destruction of our image and credibility around the world will not be repaired easily, either. The fuel our nation's top leaders have given to young men and women who rage to overcome deep and profound disrespect of their religion and their way of life will produce more terrorists than we want to imagine. Our leaders have been extraordinarily naïve and, as a result, extraordinarily dangerous. Naïve and dangerous - a deadly combination.

Because of the growing scandals and soberly stated assessments of the incredible wrong-headedness of this costly war in Iraq, I am hopeful that November's elections will restore some of the missing checks and balances so critical to our democracy, so wisely placed in our nation's Constitution by our realistically idealistic founders.

Yet, while I am starting to believe we will have a rebalancing of power in our capitol as a result of the upcoming election, I remain with a sad heart. I am deeply sad about the extensive damage that has been done and my personal inability to do much to prevent that from happening. But I have an even larger sadness because I have little confidence that the Democrats (or anyone else) can really be that much different in the long run. Lord Acton did not say that only U.S. Republicans are susceptible to the seduction of power. All of us are susceptible. When we deny this truth, we are at even greater risk of becoming Gollum-like.

Yes, I admit, I am tempted to roar my outrage at this present culture of greed and corruption. In my darkest moments, I would like to send the lot of them to prison - or, better, to force them to perform acts of restitution for the balance of their lives. Yet, then, I would be in the position they are in, acting without recognizing the danger of wielding absolute power and the irrationality of imposing polarized, black and white perspectives on our highly ambiguous reality.

Each and everyone of us has numerous facets to our soul, some of them sacredly informed and inspired, and many of them that fall far short. We all can be saints and we all can be sinners. In fact, most of us are both most of the time.

This does not mean that all motivations and all actions are equal. Some clearly are better for humankind, for the world, than others. But we must understand that in order to ensure we will make those difficult decisions that support the greater good at the expense of our private interests, we have to live in such a way that we recognize we are part of an enormous community and not isolate ourselves in a tiny enclave (such as the Oval Office or its equivalent). In a community, we are forced to listen to others who disagree with us, who see that our perceptions are incomplete or distorted.

Cheering Frodo when he throws the ring into the fire, we identify with his heroic nobility. We aspire to be Frodo and, in that one special moment, we become him. In our life outside of Tolkien's story, we must all seek to be a part of a great community where we can aim to be a Frodo while listening to a Samwise. Or, even more heroic, be a Samwise to a Frodo when he needs it most.

--David E. Roy, Ph.D.

Copyright 2006 by David E. Roy, All Rights Reserved.

Return to Home