Leadership Lessons From The Great Books

My name is Jesan Sorrells, and this is the Leadership Lessons from the Great

Books podcast, episode number 78.

With our book today, the final book in

the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and a book that

stands as the author's most compelling commentary

on Christian eschatology, Christology,

and the world views of leadership

in desperate and unsure times.

JRR Tolkien's, Lord of the

Rings, the Return of the King.

This day we fight. By all that you hold dear on this gird earth,

I bid you stand, men of the

west.

And I pick up in order of the rings, the return

of the king. Picking up in book

5, Menias Tirith.

Then the old man looked up. Pippen saw his carven

face with its proud bones and skin like ivory and the long

curved nose between the dark deep eyes, and he was reminded not so

much of Boromir as of Aragorn. Dark indeed

is the hour, so the old man. And at such times, you are want to

come, Mithrandir. But though all the sides forebode, the

doom of Gondor is drawing nigh less Now to me is that darkness

and my own darkness. It has been told me that you bring

with you one who saw my son die. Is this he?

It is, said Gandalf, one of the twain. The other is with

Theoden of Rohan and may come hereafter. Halflings they are, as you

see, Yet this is not he of whom the omens

spoke. Yet a halfling still, said Danathor grimly.

And little love do I bear the names since Those accursed words come to trouble

our councils and drew away my son on

the wild Aaron to his death. My Boromir,

Now we have need of you. Faramir should have gone in

his stead. He would have

gone, said Gandalf. Be not unjust in your grief. Vormer

claimed the errand would not suffer any other to have it. He was

a masterful man and one to take what he desired. I

journeyed far with him and learned much of his mood. When you speak of his

death, You have had news of that air we came?

I've received this, said Denethor. And laying down his rod, he lifted

from his lap, the thing that he had been gazing at. In each hand, he

held up 1 half of a great horn cloven through the middle, a wild

ox horn bound with silver. That is the

horn that always wore, cried Pippin.

Verily, said Denethor. And in my turn, I bored and so did eldest

son of our house far back into the vanished years before the failings of the

kings since Vorendil, father of Mardil, hunted the wild kind of

Arar in the fields of Rhun. I heard it blowing dim upon

the northern marches 13 days ago when the river brought it to me broken. It

will wind no more. He paused and there was a

heavy silence. Suddenly, he turned his black glance upon

Pippen. What say you to that halfling?

13 days 13 days, faltered Pippen. Yes. I think that would be so. Yes. I

stood beside him as he blew the horn, but no help came, only more orcs.

So, said Danathor looking keenly at Pippen's face, you were there. Tell me

more. Why did no help come, and how did you escape, and yet he did

not? So mighty a man as he was and only orcs to

withstand him. Pippin flushed and forgot his

fear. The mightiest man may be slain by 1 arrow, Oh, he said, and Boromir

was pierced by many. When last I saw him, he sank beside a tree and

plucked a black feather shaft from his side. Then I swooned as was

made captive. I saw him no more and knew no more, but I honor his

memory for he was very valiant. He died to save us, my kinsman

Meriadoc and myself waylaid in the woods by the soldiery of the

dark lord. And though he fell and failed, my gratitude

is nonetheless. Then Pippen looked the

old man in the eye. Her pride stirred strangely within him still stung by the

scorn and suspicion in that cold voice. Little service, no doubt, will so great

a lord of men think to find in a hobbit, a halfling from the Northern

Shire, yet such as it is, I will offer it in payment of

my debt. Twitching aside his gray cloak, Pippen drew forth a

small sword and laid it at Denethor's feet.

A pale smile, like a gleam of cold sun on a winter's evening, passed over

the old man's face. He bent his head and held out his hand laying the

shards of the horn aside. Give me the weapon, he

said. Pippen lifted it and presented to the hilt to him.

Once came this, said Denethor. Many, many years lie on

it. Surely, this is a blade wrought by our own kindred in the north. In

the deep past? It came out of the mounds that lie on

the borders of my country, said Pippen, but only evil whites dwell there now,

and I will not willingly tell more of them.

I see that strange tales are woven about you, said Denethor. And once again, it

is shown that looks maybe lie the man or the haveling.

I accept your service, for you are not daunted by words, and

you have courteous speech. Strange though the sound of it may be to us

in the south, and we shall have need of all the folk of courtesy, be

they great or small in the days to come. Swear to me

now. Take the hilt,

said Gandalf, and speak after the lord if you are resolved on this.

I am, said Pippen. The old man laid

the sword along his lap, and Pippin put his hand to the hilt and

said slowly after Denethor, Here do I swear

fealty and service to Gondor and to the lord and steward of

the realm to speak and to be silent, to do and to let

be, to come and to go in need or in

plenty, in peace or war, in living or dying. From

this Or henceforth, until my lord release me

or death take me or the world end,

So say I Peregrin, son of

Paladin of the Shire of the Halflings.

And this do I hear, Denethor, son of Achethalian, lord of

Gondor, steward of the high king, and I will not forget it

Nor fail to reward that which is given, fealty

with love, valor with honor, oath breaking

with vengeance. Ben Pippen

received back his sword and put it

in his sheath.

You now, sir, have the right hand of the steward

of Gondor. Door. Pippen.

This is a pivotal moment in return of the

king because Not only is the fellowship broken,

not only have there been firefights and death,

but Great tragedy and loss has come to the steward

of Gondor. And we're going to focus a lot today in our commentary,

in between the various, pieces of Lord of

the Rings, Return of the King that we are reading today.

We're gonna focus really on thinking

about and looking at the actions of 2 pivotal men

in the return of the king, and then we are going to

wrap up by going directly

to Mount Doom where the

ring has its final or gets its

final reward. The 2

men that really form the 2

towers of return of the king. There's 3 men,

that form the triumvirate of return of the king

are Denethor, the steward of Gondor,

Gandalf, of course, now come back at the turn

of the tide, and, of course, Aragorn

Or, we met him when we met

him, he was calling himself Strider.

He is the one true king, but Denethor doesn't

know it. Boromir knew it at the end.

And Faramir? Well, Faramir is just trying

to get his dad to like him.

Now when you serve at the right hand of the steward of Gondor, here's what

you don't understand. The steward

is playing a role. He is a person who

is set in place. He is

a person who is not the leader, but he's a

person who watches over needs to be protected, makes sure

that it is protected and, in some cases,

goes to his death to make sure that that protection

is well founded.

In return of the king, you can clearly tell that Tolkien

he read his Shakespeare because Denethor is

a mix of Julius Caesar, King Lear,

and Macbeth, kind of all the worst parts of all 3 of those

guys, at least in Shakespearean terms, all rolled into

1. This goes directly

to an idea that leaders need to grasp early from the

return of the king, And it is this

idea, serving a bad steward is bad, but

serving a mediocre leader is infinitely worse. And Denethor,

As we shall see in our readings today, is not

only a bad steward, but he is a

terribly mediocre leader.

There's a reason for that. Now

it's not immediately revelatory in

the return of the king but if you know enough about

Christology if you know about eschatology if you know Anything about

the Bible at all, you will realize

that Tolkien is leveraging Denethor's

behavior to make a comment on gnostic

heresies. If you don't know what that means,

gnostic means secret or searching for

secret knowledge. And in the early church, the early

early Catholic church, back during the time of the creation of the

Nicene Creed, There were all kinds of heresies,

all kinds of heretical beliefs about the nature of Christ, the

nature of the Bible, and the nature of human

existence that were floating around at the time. And this

was arguments that were occurring outside of the pagan world.

The larger pagan culture of Rome, the larger larger

pagan culture of Greece, and of other

civilizations didn't much care about the arguments that Christians

were having. And the Jews, well, The

Jews were too busy dealing with their own the results, the

backwash of their own diaspora that had occurred,

in 79 AD when the

Romans destroyed the temple or 76 AD, when the

Romans finally destroyed the temple at

Jerusalem and got rid of those pestering people, or at least

they thought. All they did was send them scattering and

wandering throughout Europe for the next

1900 years or so. Anyway,

point is, there's a there were a lot of heresies that

were going on at that time, a lot of heretical teachings about the nature

of Christ. And the gnostic heresy was an interesting one

because it was a pursuit of secret knowledge.

It was this idea that said that if you could

somehow go beyond the Bible, If you could somehow

go beyond the books as they are written in Matthew, Mark,

Luke, and John, that you could Find out secret knowledge

that Jesus was sharing with people that the people

in authority in the year 300 or

200 or 350 or 450 wouldn't share with

you. This seduction to secret knowledge

is well, it lays at the roots of secret societies. It lays at

the roots of all forms of masonry. It lays at the roots

of the Illuminati, and, of course, it lays at the roots

of folks who are running the World Economic Forum.

But I digress.

Leaders, and this is the point that Tolkien is making,

leaders in search Secret knowledge

always wind up committing heresies,

heresies of all kinds. And Denethor, in the return of

the king, was in search of secret knowledge. He wanted

to know what Sauron and the evil at Mount Doom was

going to do, how hard the hammer was going to fall on

Gondor. If you ask him, he believed that that was part of

his responsibility. That was part of his

mission, part of his task as being a good

steward. And so he used the palantir,

seeing eyeglasses, what we would call crystal balls.

He, of course, would have

if Tolkien had decided to put it in the book, would have used

runes, The palantiers are good enough.

And in using these palantiers, he got himself caught up with

evil because that's where gnostic heresies Get You.

Look, leaders, there is no secret

knowledge. Not at all. There's just

knowledge that you have and then everything

else is merely guessing.

I return to the lord of the rings, the return of

the king, book 5, once again, the

siege of Gondor. Back to the book.

Gandalf paced the floor. The morning of 2 days ago, nigh, on 3 days

of journey, how far is the place where you parted? Some

25 leagues as a bird flies, answers Veramare, but I could not come more

swiftly. Yesser eve, I lay at Cair Andros,

the long isle in the river northward, which we hold in defense, and the horses

are kept on the hithered bank. As the dark drew on, I knew that haste

was needed, so I rode then with 3 others that could also be horsed. The

rest of my company, I set south to strengthen the garrison at the forces of

Osgiliath. I hope that I've not done ill. He looked at

his father. Ill, cried Danathor, and his eyes flashed suddenly. Why do

you ask? The men were under your command, or do you ask for my judgment

on all your deeds? You

your bearing is lowly in my presence, yet it is now is long

now since you turned from your own way at my counsel. See, you have spoken

skillfully as ever, but I have I not seen your eye fixed

on, seeking whether you said well or too much? He

has long had your heart in his keeping. My

son, your father is old, but not yet a dotard. I can see and hear

as was my want and little of what you have said or left unsaid is

now hidden from me. I know the answer to many riddles. Alas, alas

for Boromir. If what I have done displeases

you, my father said Fairmer quietly. I wish I had known your counsel before

the burden of so weighty a judgment was thrust upon me.

Would that have a veil to change your judgment, said Denethor. You would still

have done just so I deem. I know you well. Ever your desire is

to Pure lordly and generous as a king of old, gracious and

gentle. That may well be fit one of high race if he sits in power

and peace, but in desperate Gentleness may be repaid with

death. So be it, said

Faramir. So be it, cried Denethor. But not with your

death, only lord Faramir, with the death also of your father and all of your

people whom it is your part to protect now that Boromir is gone.

Do you wish then, said Faramir, that our places had been

exchanged? Yes. I wish that indeed, said Denethor, for Boromir was

loyal to me and no wizard's pupil. He would have remembered his father's need, and

I would have not squandered what fortune gave. He would have brought me a mighty

gift. For a moment, Faramir's restraint

gave way. I would ask you, my father, to remember why it was not why

it was that I, not he, was an Athilian. On one occasion, at least

your council has prevailed not long ago. It was the lord of the city that

gave the errand to him. Stir not the bitterness in

the cup that I mix for myself, said Dinothor. Had I not tasted it now

many nights upon my tongue for boding that worse, ye let in the dregs?

As now indeed I find, would it were not so, whether this thing

had come to me. Comfort yourself, said Gandalf.

In no case would Boromir have brought it to you. He is dead and died

well. May he sleep in peace, yet you deceive yourself.

He would have stretched out his hand to this thing and taking it, he would

have fallen. He would have kept it for his own. And when he

returned, you would not have known your son. The face of

Denethor said hard and cold. You found Boromir less apt to

your head, did you not? He said softly. But I, who was his

father, say that he would have brought it to me. You are wise, maybe, mith

Rindir. Yet with all your subtleties, you have not all wisdom.

Councils may be found that are neither the webs of wizards nor the haste

of fools. I have in this matter more lore and wisdom than you deem.

What then is your wisdom, said Gandalf. Enough to

perceive that there are 2 follies to avoid. To use this thing is perilous. At

this hour to send it to the hands of a witless halfling into the land

of the enemy himself as you have done and this son of mine.

That is madness. And the lord Denethor, what

would he have done? Neither, but most surely not for any

argument, would he have set This thing at a hazard beyond all but a fool's

hope, risking our utter ruin if the enemy should recover what he lost.

Nay. It should have been kept hidden, hidden deep and dark, not

used, I say, unless at the utmost end of need, but set beyond

his grasp saved by a victory so final that what then befell would

not trouble us being dead. You think as

is your want my lord of god or only, said Gandalf. Yet there are

other men and other lives and time still to be. And for me, I pity

even his slaves. And where will other men look for help if

Gondor falls? Answered Denethor. If I had this thing now, the

deep Also, the citadel, we should not then shake with

a dread under this gloom, fearing the worst, and our councils would be

undisturbed. If you do not trust me to endure the test, you do not know

me yet. Nonetheless, I do not trust you, said Gandalf.

Had I done so, I could have set this thing keeping it spared myself and

others much anguish. And now hearing you speak, I trust you

less, no more than Boromir. Nay, nay, say your wrath. I do not Trust myself

in this, and I refuse this thing even as a freely given

gift. You are strong and can still see in some

matters govern yourself, dead athor. Yet if you had received this thing, it

would have overthrown you. Were it buried beneath the roots of

Mendelian, Still, it would have burned your mind away as the darkness

grows and the yet worst things follow that shall soon come upon us.

For a moment, the eyes of Denethor glowed again as he faced Gandalf, and

Pippen felt once more the strain between their wills.

But now almost it seemed as if their glances were like blades from eye to

eye, flickering as they fenced. Pippen trembled, fearing some dreadful

stroke, But suddenly, Jonathan relaxed and grew cold again. He shrugged

his shoulders. If I had, if you had, he said, such words and

ifs are vain. It has gone into the shadow, and only time will show what

doom awaits it and us. This time will not be

long. It was left, let all who fight the enemy in their fashion Be

at 1 and keep hope while they may be, and after hope, still the

hardy to die free. He turned to Faramir.

What think you of the garrison at Osgiliath?

It is not strong, said Faramir. I've sent the company of Ithilien

to strengthen it. As I have said. Not

enough, I deem, Zdenathor. Is there that the first blow will fall? They

will have need of some stout captain there.

There and elsewhere in many places, said Faramir and

sighed. Alas, for my brother, whom

I too loved. He rose. May I have your

leave, father? And that he swayed and leaned upon his

father's chair. You are weary, I see, said

Denethor. You have ridden fast and far and under the shadows of evil in the

air, I am told. Let us not speak of that, said Faramir.

Then we will not, said Denethor. Go now

and rest as you may. Tomorrow's need

will be sterner.

Shortcuts don't get you anywhere when you're weak.

The steward of Gondor, lord Denethor there in

that clip knew he was in a weak position

trapped in Gondor awaiting the

fall of the hammer from Mordor.

Knowing that it was coming, he was

consumed with coulda, woulda, shoulda,

and didn't. We coulda had the ring. We

shoulda had Boromir, but we don't.

And he couldn't get past that.

One of the key things themes in the return of the king

and throughout Lord of the Rings trilogy, is

the presence of other races in,

in middle earth, wizards, dwarves, elves,

hobbits, and, of course, men. And, and men

Men are at the bottom of the well,

they're at the bottom of the, of the

ranking in the estimation of the other races of middle earth,

partially because Isildur, from which the

term Isildur's Bane comes that's used in the 2

towers extensively. Isildur failed

at the end of the, I believe, was the 2nd age,

to destroy the wing the ring when he had the opportunity and

instead was betrayed by it and was

slain leading to all of the problems in the 3rd age,

which, of course, when we read the return of the king and when we read

the lord of the rings trilogy, we are entering at the end of the

3rd age, an age when men will have

another shot at the title And elves

and dwarves and hobbits and even wizards

will fade from view.

Where is the strength in the weakness of

men? Leaders who are stewards

cannot wait for that strength to show

up. They have to demonstrate it before it comes.

Now leaders who are stewards, in

particular, stewards like Denethor, can't wait for a savior to

lead, and that's basically what Denethor Looking for now he would prefer to have

a savior he can manipulate. He would prefer to have a savior that

he can't control. He would prefer to have a savior that he

can tell what to do, which, of course, is not a savior. It's an

idol, but let's not get technical here.

Leaders who are stewards can't wait on a savior to

lead. When they do so, they do what Dennis Thor demonstrated in

that little Piece there that I read, they they do lose

faith, and they lose faith in the future. They lose faith in

the resources that are around them, And they begin

to move from problem solving to

problem managing. And that's precisely what is happening

to Denethor. That's The that's the axis about

which he is turning as he realizes that the

savior of the ring is gone, and all he's left with is

this old wizard and

his son, his youngest

son. The loss of hope and a future salvation, and this is a

larger point that I think Tolkien wants

his readers to know, and I like you to know this as listeners

today. The loss of hope in a future salvation is sign of a

weak or ineffectual leadership. Let me say

that again. The loss of hope in a future salvation,

particularly a future Christian salvation, a

future salvation based on Jesus is the sign of

a weak or ineffectual

species of leadership. Leaders don't often like to

hear this secular or otherwise because, Well,

hope implies that you must have

faith, that there might be some things that are out of your hands as a

leader, that are out of your control that are that

are past your knowing. And that when those

things that are past your knowing and that are out of your control

manifest themselves, you've gotta have faith

like the song said back in the day.

Men in Lord of the Rings and in the Hobbit are

portrayed as needing hope to act. On

the one hand, this is portrayed as a weakness. But then on the other

hand, and Tolkien does this as shows this as well with

Aragorn. He shows

that that ability to hope is what gives men strength, but it's

a hidden strength that elves and Dwarves and

hobbits and ants and wizards even

are suspect of and cannot see.

And when the strength of hope then begins to rule,

well, then it's time for all of the mythical

elements to leave Middle Earth and for Middle

Earth to become something else.

But before that can occur well, before

that can occur, we need to get rid

of the stewards or the leaders

anyway who have failed in their

mission to bring hope to

others.

Back to the book, back to Lord of the Rings, the Return of

the King. We are, continuing to move

through book 5. And, of course, we're not reading the whole

There's no possible way that we can.

You know, it's just it's It's just

too much. I would encourage you to, to pick

up the trilogy. I would encourage you to read all 3 parts.

It does clock in at, at well,

well, without the additional information in the additions that I've

got. It does clock in at around,

1300 pages or so. So, it'll take you it'll take

you all summer or couple of years maybe.

Yes. You could go watch the movies. They are 20 years old. They

are still well done. They still hold up, But, there are things that

are in the book that are definitely missing from the

films. So I would encourage you to to, till we skim

the books, go back, watch the films, then go back and pick up the things

that are in the book, but this is worthwhile reading, for leaders.

So Back to the book, back to book 5 of Lord

of the Rings, the return of the king, the pyre

of Denethor.

What is this, my lord? Said the wizard. The houses of the dead are no

places for the living, and why do men fight here in the hallows when there

War Enough Before the Gate, or has our enemy come even to

Rath Dinen? Since when has the lord of Gondor

been answerable to these, Denethor. Or may or may I not command

my own servants? You may, said Gandalf, but others may contest

your will when it has turned to madness and evil. Where's your son

Faramir? He lies within, said Denethor, burning, already

burning. They have set a fire in his flesh, but soon all shall be

burned. The west has failed. It shall all go up in a great fire, and

all shall be ended. Ash, ash, and smoke blown away on the wind.

Then Gandalf seeing the madness that was on him, feared that he had already done

some evil deed, and he thrust forward with Baragon and Pippin

behind him while Denethor gave back until he stood beside the table Then

but there they found Faramir still dreaming in his fever lying upon the

table. Wood was piled under it and high all about it and

All was dredged with oil, even the garments of Faramir and the coverlets.

But as yet no fire had been set to the fuel. Then

Gandalf revealed the strength that lay hidden him Even as the light of his

power was hidden under his gray mantle, he leaped up onto the

faggots and raising the sick man Raising the

sick man lightly, he sprang down again and bore him towards the door, but

he did so but as he did so, Faramir moaned and called on his father

in his dream. Denethur started as one waking from

a trance and the flame died in his eyes and he wept and he said,

do not take my son from me. He calls for me. He

calls, said Gandalf, but you cannot come to him yet, for he must seek healing

on a threshold of death and may maybe find it not, whereas

your part is to go out to the battle of your city where maybe

death awaits you. This you know in your heart.

He will not wake again, said Denethor. Battle is vain. Why should we wish to

live longer? Why should we not go to death side by side?

Authority is not given to you, steward of Gondor, to order the hour of your

death, answered Gandalf, and only the heathen kings under

the diminution of the dark power did thus,

slaying themselves in pride and despair, murdering their

kin to ease their own death. In passing through the door, he

took Faramir from the deadly house and laid him on the beer on which he

had been brought and which now had been set on the

porch. Denethor followed him and stood trembling, looking with longing on the face

of his son. And for a moment, While all were silent and still

watching the lord in his throes, he wavered. Come, said

Gandalf. We are needed. There is much that you can yet do.

Then suddenly, Denethorne laughed. He stood up tall

and proud again, and stepping swiftly back to the table, he lifted from it the

pillow on which his head had lain. Then coming to the doorway, he drew

aside the covering, and, lo, he had between his hands a

palantir. And as he held it up, It seemed to those that

looked on that the glow began to glow with an inner

flame, so that the lean face of the lord was lit As with red

fire, it seemed cut out of hard stone, sharp with black shadows,

noble, proud, and terrible. His eyes glittered.

Pride and despair, he cried. Dissound and I'll think that the eyes of the White

Tower were blind? Nay. I have seen more than thou knowest, gray

fool, For thy hope is but ignorance, go then in labor and healing.

Go forth and fight. Vanity, for a little space you may triumph on

the field for a day, But against the power that now rises, there is

no victory. To this city, only the first finger of its hand

has yet been stretched. All the east is moving, and And even now the wind

of thy hope cheats thee and wasps up Unduin with a fleet of black

sails. The west has failed. It is time for all to depart who would

not be slaves. Such counsels will make the

enemy's victory certain indeed, said Gandalf. Hope on then,

laughed Edithor. Do I not know thee, Mithrandir? Thy hope is to rule

in my stead, to stand behind every throne, north, south, or west.

I read thy mind and its policies. Do I

not know that this halfling was committed by thee to keep silence, that he

was brought here to be a spy within my very chamber? And yet in our

speech together, I learned the names and purpose of all thy companions.

So with the left hand, that was used before a little while as a shield

against Mordor, and with the right, bring up this ranger of the north to supplant

me. But I say to the Gandalf myth

Randir, I will not be thy tool. I am the steward of the house of

Enarion. I will not step down to be the daughter chamberlain of an

upstart. Even were his claim proved to me, still he comes with a line of

a sealed door. I will not bow to such a one last of a ragged

house long bereft of lordship and dignity.

What then would you have, said Gandalf, if your will could have its way?

I would have things as they were all the days of my life, answered Denethor,

and in the days of my long fathers before me, to be the lord of

this city in peace and leave my chair to a after me who would be

his own master and no wizard's pupil. But if doom denies this to

me, then I will have naught, neither life diminish, nor

love have, nor honor abated. To me, it would

seem that a steward who faithfully surrenders his charge is diminished in

love or in honor, said Gandalf. And at the least, you

shall not rob your son of his choice while his death is still in

doubt. At those words, Deothor's eyes flamed again, and taking the Stone

under his army drew a knife and strode towards Zabir, but Baragon sprang

forward and set himself up for Faramir. So, cried Denethor, thou hast already

Stole half my son's love. Now thou stealest the hearts of my knights

also so that they rob me wholly of my son at last. But in

this, at least, thou shalt not defy my will to rule my own

end. Come hither, he cried to his servants. Come if

you are not all recreant. Then the 2 of them ran up the steps

to him. Swiftly, he snatched a torch from the hand of 1 and sprang back

into the house. Before Gandalf could hinder him, he thrust the brand amid the fuel,

and at once it crackled and roared into flame. Then

Denethor leaped upon the table, and standing there, wreathed in fire and smoke, he

took up the staff of his stewardship that lay at his feet and broke it

on his knee. Casting the pieces into the blaze, he bowed

and laid himself on the table, clasping the palanineer with both hands upon his

breast. And it was said that ever after, if

any man looked in that stone, unless he had a great strength

of will to turn it to other purpose, he saw only 2 aged

hands withering in flame.

Gandalf, in grief and horror, turned his face away and closed the door.

For a while, he stood in thoughts silent upon the threshold,

while those outside heard the greedy roaring of the fire within.

And then Denethor gave a great cry and

afterwards spoke no more nor was ever again seen by

mortal men.

So passes Denethor, son of

Echtheleon, said Gandalf.

So passes Denethor,

son of Ecthelion.

Remember I said Denethor was a mixture of Julius Caesar,

King Lear, and Maccabeth all rolled into 1. Right? Denethor

is also the opposite of what we saw or his behavior

is the opposite of the behavior that we saw demonstrated in the 2

towers by King Theoden of Rohan.

Now Theoden dies, but Theoden dies in glory on

the battlefield in honor. Denethor

dies burning like the heathen kings of old in

despair, pride, and misspent

grief. There's a lesson for leaders here. Right?

You destroy the thing that you're afraid of, and

sometimes that thing is yourself.

This is where the gnostic heresy gets you. Right? This is

where looking too deeply or to greedily

to know everything. This is where wanting

to know more than what you can handle

gets you into trouble. Leaders would

do well to pay attention to the actions of the steward of Gondor

who winds up on a pyre

trying to burn his only son

Or maybe murder might be a better

term in a orgy of

pride and willful action. Tolkien's

saying several things here. And, again, important for leaders to pay attention

to the several things he's saying. But the biggest thing that he's

pointing out here. And we see it in the battle in

book 5 between the 2 titans of Gandalf and of

Denethor is that as Denethor is declining as the

steward, he could have declined in honor. He could

have declined in glory, but he chose instead to decline in

a different kind of way. As that declination,

as the sun is setting on Gondor.

Gandalf stands as the

bearer not of a new thing.

But the messenger of a new

king, the messenger of the future. And this is

What Dana Thor and many leaders like him don't wanna

hear. Look. When you

retire from a role, let's say it's a role at a

company. Let's say it's a leadership role of a civic organization. Let's even

say it's a leadership role, in a government.

You should have prepared other people to take your

place. The graveyards

are full of indispensable men. I believe it

was Charles de Gaulle who pointed that out And, the leader of

the French resistance and the eventual prime minister of

France, after World War 2,

And now the

graveyard is full of Denethor who believed he

was indispensable too. Someone will

lead if you don't. And if you don't prepare people to

lead as a leader, The wisest individuals will

not lead. It will instead be the least ethical,

the least moral, and the least capable.

One other thing to remember, and this is very important, I think,

for leaders. And Dana Thoreau gives a shadow of this, but, of

course, When he does, you have to consider that Tolkien

is constructing an idea.

He's world building an idea of monarchy that

comes from, well, quite frankly, the British Empire. So we

can't take too much from this in our modern era. But

here's the but. One of the things that is that

sort of winds through the story of Denethor,

Faramir, Boromir, and Gandalf, they're

quadrangle of a dynamic. The thing that winds through all of it is this,

Work is not your family. The work of

being king was not Denethor's family, but he

couldn't see it. And even if he could have seen

it, he probably wouldn't have accepted it. That

was also part of the gnostic heresy. As a

matter of fact, part of the gnostic heresy included being

unable to accept that fact, being unable

to put it down. Or as William

Shakespeare infamously put the line in the mouth of Julius Caesar in

Julius Caesar, always,

I am Caesar.

Back to the book, back to Lord of the Rings,

the return of the king. We're moving

on to book 6. We're around the corner here on the book. We're

gonna round the corner here the trilogy. We're going to go to

the cracks of mount doom.

The light sprang up again, And there on the brink of the chasm at the

very crack of doom stood Frodo, black against the

glare, tense erect, but Still as if he had been turned

to stone. Master, cried

Sam. Then Frodo stirred and spoke with a clear Your voice indeed with a

voice clearer and more powerful than Sam had ever heard him use, and it rose

above the throb and turmoil of Mount Doom ringing in the

roof and walls. I have come, he said, but

I do not choose now to do what I came to do. I

will not do this deed. The ring is mine.

And suddenly, as he said it on his finger, he vanished from Sam's sight.

Sam gasped, but he had no chance to cry out for it. That

moment, many things happened.

Something struck Sam violently in the back. His legs were knocked from under him, and

he was flung aside striking his head against the stony floor as a

dark shape sprang over him. He lay still for a moment and all went

black. And far away as Frodo put on the ring claimed it for his

own even in Samoth and Aror, the very heart of his

realm. The power in Barad dur was shaken, and the tower trembled from

its foundations to its proud and bitter crown. The

dark lord was suddenly aware of him. His eye piercing all shadows, looked across the

plane to the door that he had made, and the magnitude of his own folly

was revealed to him in a blinding flash. And all the devices of his enemies

were at last laid bare, and his wrath blazed in consuming flame,

but his fear rose like a vast black smoke to choke

him for he knew his deadly peril and the thread upon which his doom

went now hung. From all his policies and webs

of fear and treachery, from all his stratagems and wars, his mind shook free.

And throughout his realm, a tremor ran. His slaves quailed

and his armies halted, and his captain suddenly steerless bereft of will

wavered and despaired for they were forgotten.

The whole minded purpose of the power that wielded them was now bent with

overwhelming force upon the mountain at his summons, wheeling with a

rending cry. And at last In the last desperate race, there flew

faster than the wings, the Nazgul, the ring race, and with

a storm of wings, they hurled southwards to Mount

Doom. Sam got up. He was dazed and blood streaming from his head dripping

in his eyes. He groped forward, and then he saw a strange and terrible

thing. Gollum on the edge of the abyss was fighting like a

mad thing with an unseen foe to and fro, he swayed. Now so near the

brink that he almost tumbled in now drawing back, falling to the

ground, rising and falling again. And all the while, he hissed, but

spoke no words. The fires

below awoke in anger, the red light blaze, and all the cavern was filled with

such a great glare and heat. Suddenly, Sam saw Gollum's long

hands draw upwards to his mouth. His white fangs gleamed, and they snapped

as they bit. Frodo gave a cry, and there he was

Falling upon his knees at the chasm's edge, but Gollum dancing like

a mad thing held aloft the ring, a finger

still thrust within its circle. It showed now as if verily

it was wrought of living fire.

Precious, precious, precious, Golub cried. My

precious. Oh, my precious. And with that, even as his

eyes were lifted up to gloat on his prize, he stepped too far,

toppled, wavered for a moment on the brink, and then with a shriek,

he fell. Out of the depths came his last wail,

precious, and he was

gone. There was a roar and a great confusion of noise. Fires leaped up and

licked the roof. The throbbing grew to a great tumult, and the

mountain shook. Sam ran to Frodo and picked him up and carried him out

the door. And there upon the dark threshold of the Sabbath and Nahor,

high above the Lanes of Mordor, such wonder and terror came on him that

he stood still forgetting all else and gazed as one turned to stone.

A brief vision he had of a swirling cloud in the midst of its towers

and battlements, tall as hills founded upon a mighty mountain throne above

immeasurable pits, great courts and dungeons, eyeless

prison, sheer cliffs, and gaping gates of steel and adamant,

and then all passed. Towers

fell and mountains slid. Walls crumbled and melted, crashing

down. Vast spires of smoke and spouting steam went billowing up until

They toppled like an overwhelming wave, and its wild crest curled and came

foaming down upon the land. And then at last, over the miles between, there

came a rumble rising to a duffing in crash and roar. The earth

shook. The plane heaved and cracked, and Ourodroon

reeled. Fire belched from its ribbon summit. The skies burst into

thunder seared with lightning down like lashing whips, felt a torrent of black

rain and into the heart of the storm with a cry that pierced all

other sounds tearing the clouds asunder, the Nazgul came shooting

like flaming bolts as caught in fiery ruin of hill and sky. They

crackled, withered, and went out.

Well, this is the end, Sam Gamgee, said a voice by his side. And

there was Frodo, Pale and worn and yet himself again. And

in his eyes, there was peace now, neither strain of will nor madness

nor any fear. His burden was taken away. There was the

dear master of the sweet days in the Shire. Master, cried Sam, and fell

upon his knees. In all that ruin of the world, For

the moment, he felt only joy, great joy.

The burden was gone. His master had been saved. He was

himself again. He was free. And then Sam caught sight of the

maimed and bleeding hand. Your poor hand, he said. And I have nothing to bind

it with or comfort it. I would have spared him a whole hand of mine

rather, but he's Gone now. Beyond recall. Gone

forever. Yes, said Frodo. But do you remember

Gandalf's words? Even Gollum may have something yet

to do. But for him, Sam, I could not have

destroyed the ring. The quest would have been in vain even at

the bitter end. So let us forgive

him for the quest is achieved, And now all is

over. I'm glad you are here with

me here at the end of all things, Sam.

At the end of all things.

Yeah. And so we are at the end

of the return of the king and thus at the end of the Lord of

the rings trilogy. Couple of things to take from here

as we think about staying on the path,

with using the words of JRR Tolkien to help us out.

At the Cracks of Mountain Dew, evil got a vote. Right? And

I'm I'm fond of saying this, and people don't really like it because

it sounds like I'm proving something, but I'm really stating a

fact of reality. Evil does get a

vote. You know, bad people do

yet to have an opinion. They do get to take action. They do get

to engage in the world. Bad

actors are going to do the things they're going to do.

But that doesn't mean that good actors and good people don't get

a vote, and it doesn't mean that Good people are

less powerful, though they may be less effective and more

naive than bad people, But it doesn't mean

they're powerless or completely ineffectual.

See, evil may get a vote, But justice, which is

outside of the hands of either good or evil, no matter what we may think

of that term in the west or in humanity and general

justice, justice gets the final

word. That is a justice that is meted out by people or

by entities that are much that are at a

much higher transcendent level than we are

And who know well, who know all

ends.

Frodo quotes from Gandalf there about Gollum's role at

the end of all things, but he forgets

the first part of it or or maybe Tolkien didn't

wanna pull it back because it probably wasn't necessary. His readers at

time when he originally wrote this, were fairly sharp. But I

think I think in our era, we need to restate it and

make it plain. Even the wisest,

the most intellectual, the most knowledgeable, the

smartest PhDs on the planet. And by the way, I would argue that they

are merely strategically and,

tactically smart. I wouldn't argue that they are wise, but, okay, if you wanna

Throw them in there. You can. Even the wisest of folks

cannot know will not know all

ends. There are small evils

and there are large evils. And, again, we don't have a good eschatology

of evil. We don't have a good understanding of evil because Once you get

rid of god, thank you, Nietzsche, at the foundational

parts of the west, then you get rid of evil too.

It becomes psychological and sociological. The devil made

me do it, switches to mommy didn't hug me enough. And now all of

a sudden, you're off to the races. But, anyway, there are

minor evils, and there are large evils. And Gollum Gollum

was a small evil, And it took a small

evil to defeat a much, much larger

evil, kind of similar to what happened in the hobbit

with that dragon Smog, who was also a

small evil. A preview of coming attractions such as it

were with Sauron looming or maybe that's

maybe it's lurking in the hobbit in the background.

There's a line in the Bible, in the book of Amos, and,

doctor Martin Luther King Junior was want to say this,

that justice will roll down the hills like

water, and it will put out all the fires. This is Haysad

Adding on, it will put out all the fires. It will

quench all the thirsts. It will drown all the devils, and

it will purify the land. Whether that land

is middle earth or the land is, well,

the United States of America or the west.

Justice will roll down the hill like water, and

it is side of our control.

What is inside our control as leaders

is, As Gandalf told Frodo,

seemingly a long time ago, what is up

To us is to decide what we will do with

the time that is given to us.

Will we do good or will we do

evil? We stay on the path by doing

good and letting justice work itself out.

And well, That's it for

me.

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