“With great power comes great responsibility. » This sentence correctly assesses that the more power a being has, the more capacity it has for both good and evil; for the creation of beautiful things or the destruction of what is beautiful. Possession of power does not necessarily mean that that power will be used honorably. In the timeless saga of The Lord of the Rings, the two wizards, Saruman and Gandalf, were both blessed with great power. Their reaction to power, however, was very different. On the one hand, Gandalf had a healthy respect for the seductive properties of power and managed to resist its use and abuse for his own purposes. Conversely, Saruman gave in and attempted to establish himself as a dominant ruler; ultimately failed and creating a colossal amount of ruin in the process. They both received power, one of them used it correctly and achieved many great feats; the other abused power and lost everything. This concept also applies to the human race. Some look at the horrors committed by humans in the past and conclude that we have degenerated far below the common animal. Others point to the great achievements of science and art, and the selfless aid given to those most in need, from American ghettos to war-torn countries, and insist that we are progressing toward a perfect utopia. What they both fail to see is that this power can be used to perform wondrous deeds or destroy everything that truly matters. The dark use of this power can be seen in all the wars, crime and corruption that have plagued humanity since before. recorded history. This is seen in all the Stalins, Capones and Attila the Huns of history, who did not let the concept of morality come between them and supremacy. Part...... middle of paper ......ar, in the face of illness and hardship or when a soldier throws himself on a grenade to save his comrades. The evil is evident in families torn apart by drug addiction and also in every store employee gunned down during a robbery. The outcome of this war really depends on the individual and the choices they make; every decision will lead them in one direction or the other, often having consequences greater than they could ever imagine. Those who claim that humans have become inferior to animals, like optimists who aspire to a utopia, both fail to see the whole picture. picture; they must recognize the dual nature of human power in order to reach an accurate conclusion. When they focus only on one extreme, they acquire a false worldview that will taint all their assumptions. Power can be used for evil or good; the choice is up to the individual who owns it.