Today's Tolkien quote has a specific context which I'll explain:
Tolkien wrote this from his experiences in the First World War. You have to understand something of the nature of that cataclysm to understand this thought.
The "leaders" of Great Britain and Germany didn't seem to realize they were fighting the first modern war with modern weaponry. They threw soldiers by the thousands at the other side to try to break the stalemate of trench warfare. Generally speaking, decisions were made by leaders far from the front. And the efforts won a few yards at best, at horrific cost.
Tolkien lived through it, but only after losing several of his closest friends.
Does this mean he thought there was no such thing as a good leader? I don't think you can read The Lord of the Rings and come to that conclusion (although the corruption of men and leaders is a predominant theme...). But "Why" is a question worth asking when someone proposes to be a Leader of Men. (I shall refrain from modern political commentary...)
(If you want to know more about how the Great War became a stalemate so quickly, see Barbara Tuchman's brilliant The Guns of August.)
Recently Finished
Nothing since last week. (!)
Recently Added
Current Read Aloud
Current Kindle Deals
Reading Resources:
Time to upgrade your Kindle?
Ready to try a free month of Kindle Unlimited?
Looking to build a home library inexpensively?
