107 oneself. If I were to ‘philosophize’ this myth, or at least the Ring of Sauron, I should say it was a mythical way of representing the truth that potency (or perhaps rather potentiality) if it is to be exercised, and produce results, has to be externalized and so as it were passes, to a greater or less degree, out of one’s direct control. A man who wishes to exert ‘power’ must have subjects, who are not himself. But he then depends on them.”21 In Tolkien’s logic, a man who wishes to exert power must have subjects, who he then depends on, meaning that leadership can make leaders crave and need followers. This exposes that most basic characteristic of humanity corrupted by sin: our desire for fame, recognition, and glory. The wisdom Tolkien offers is that leaders should consider what the position they are seeking might do to amplify their own inner desire for recognition. Only then can you see that in God’s grace and mercy he has offered us a different model of leading that is not based on recognition and glory, but on love and service. This idea of the formative nature of leadership, the dangers and costs involved with it, is most obviously seen in Tolkien’s use of the theme of power in his legendarium. Even a cursory exploration of the books or movies related to Tolkien reveals his perspective on the corrupting nature of power. In the end, the ring is not actually something that one possesses but something that merely possesses the one who has it. The unique and praiseworthy characteristic of Frodo is that as he starts his journey he does not actually want to possess the ring. It might sound strange at first, but part of the wisdom of counting the cost of leadership is in recognizing that the power it gives might change you into a caricature of a person rather than a man or woman of character. The lure of positional authority and power can turn anyone into the worst version of themselves, and it is clear that Tolkien had a particular distaste, probably from personal experience, of those who simply used their positional leadership and power to get others to do what they wanted. In the following excerpt from a letter to his son Christopher, Tolkien holds no punches: “The most improper job of any man, even saints ... is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity. ... The medieavals were “NOLO EPISCOPARI AND THE LEADERSHIP WISDOM OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN”
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