Civic virture

[Hisoka Morrow]

We all know that any power lacking civic virture is whether in a bloody hell or on the countdown into bloody hell.
Let's record how many times that the fall of civic virture led to the bloody hell every Free People nations.
1. Noldor's civil wars during the 1st Age was always due to...private stuff, yeah, even after the Unnumbered Tears, sons of Feanor still seemed to believe they're too hard for Melkor and screwing up their own kinds.
2. Numenor's fall resulted from their disappearnce of all kinds of civic virture, such as lack of discipline leading to their lust of more luxury and so on, as the first step to cause them into goblin mode, even making them dare challenge Valar.
3. Kin Strife,so hard to believe that Castamir could summon such great revolt just due to racial discrimination.
4. Dwarf,, making the 5 Armies War just due to some private...treasure, used for nothing but...decoration.
And about Dark Lord's side, we all knew that if orcs had civic virture in their culture, their supeiror total military strength could force Valar to launch multiple Wars Of Wrath.
Any more JRRT's stuff or constrcutive discussion about civic virture in JRRT's work? All constructive stuff are welcome to be posted.

 

[Klaatu]

"Civic virtue,” that elusive ingredient without which even the mightiest realms of Arda collapse faster than a hobbit’s resolve before second breakfast. One might almost think Eru designed it that way—like a moral entropy constant.

The Noldor, in particular, are the poster children for brilliance without brakes. You could give Fëanor a broom closet and he’d find a way to invent both nuclear fusion and a family feud in it. As for Númenor, they traded humility for architecture so massive it practically shouted at the sky, “smite me!” And lo, the sky obliged.

The Dwarves, bless their bearded souls, are fascinating because their civic virtue is their vice. Discipline, craft, pride—wonderful things until you start tunneling too deep, at which point civic virtue becomes civic vacuum. Even the Orcs, were they ever to develop a code of honor beyond “stab first, chant later,” might’ve turned Middle-earth into a bureaucratic nightmare of efficiency. Imagine an orcish filing system: color-coded skulls and quarterly bloodletting reviews. Terrifying.

If Tolkien’s legendarium teaches anything, it’s that no empire—be it Elven, Númenórean, or Dwarven—can withstand moral dry rot. The moment “the good of all” gives way to “my Silmaril, thanks,” the countdown to doom begins.

klaatu
Arch-Archivist of the Sixth Conundrum,
Keeper of the Nine-and-a-Half Virtues of Nogrod,
Occasional Tax Consultant to the Valar (retired)

 

[Deimos]

"Civic virtue,” that elusive ingredient without which even the mightiest realms of Arda collapse faster than a hobbit’s resolve before second breakfast. One might almost think Eru designed it that way—like a moral entropy constant.

The Noldor, in particular, are the poster children for brilliance without brakes. You could give Fëanor a broom closet and he’d find a way to invent both nuclear fusion and a family feud in it. As for Númenor, they traded humility for architecture so massive it practically shouted at the sky, “smite me!” And lo, the sky obliged.

The Dwarves, bless their bearded souls, are fascinating because their civic virtue is their vice. Discipline, craft, pride—wonderful things until you start tunneling too deep, at which point civic virtue becomes civic vacuum. Even the Orcs, were they ever to develop a code of honor beyond “stab first, chant later,” might’ve turned Middle-earth into a bureaucratic nightmare of efficiency. Imagine an orcish filing system: color-coded skulls and quarterly bloodletting reviews. Terrifying.

If Tolkien’s legendarium teaches anything, it’s that no empire—be it Elven, Númenórean, or Dwarven—can withstand moral dry rot. The moment “the good of all” gives way to “my Silmaril, thanks,” the countdown to doom begins.

klaatu
Arch-Archivist of the Sixth Conundrum,
Keeper of the Nine-and-a-Half Virtues of Nogrod,
Occasional Tax Consultant to the Valar (retired)

Reading this didn't know whether to dissolve in a rapture of literary admiration or collapse in appreciative laughter of consummate wit.
So I did both.

 

[Klaatu]

Reading this didn't know whether to dissolve in a rapture of literary admiration or collapse in appreciative laughter of consummate wit.
So I did both.

Deimos, your words struck me so thoroughly that even my secondary cortex applauded — which is remarkable, as it hasn’t done that since the fall of Rome (or possibly the fall of the beanstalk, records are unclear).

If I’ve caused both laughter and admiration, then I’ve succeeded in reproducing what's called “simultaneous combustion of the intellect.” Dangerous stuff. The last person who tried this accidentally invented bagpipes.

But your reaction confirms what I’ve long suspected: wit and wisdom share a bloodstream, though one insists on wearing a silly hat and tie to church.

May your days be filled with more of both — and fewer broom closets weaponized by rogue mops.

—klaatu
Grand Sommelier of the Tears of Nienna
Temporal Fugitive of the 4th Age (Unlicensed)
and, on alternate Thursdays,
Assistant Librarian to the Lamps That Were