It's not just about having the power...

[Thinlómien]

I'm not going to take part in the Gandalf-Saruman debate, as it has been discussed rather thoroughly already, and I don't want to get entangled in it as well. Great points, everyone, though...

If you think of it, there are really dozens of examples when not using the power is the course of action for the good guys and proves to be a right choice in the end. Many examples have already been mentioned, but I would like to add a few.

There is the Gollum-case, already mentioned once. Bilbo had in his power to kill Gollum, but he didn't. Neither did Gandalf choose that fate for Gollum, but rather left him to the Wood-Elves' keeping. And as we know, that ultimately saved the whole quest from failure. (Also, maybe we could even mix the Faramir-Gollum thing with this too.)

Also, in Mordor, Sam got the Ring and he was filled with visions of healing Mordor and defeating Sauron. He could have taken the chance and tried, but he would have been defeated and the quest would have failed. He was humble enough to realise it. (Although, this is an interesting case, because we don't know what he would have really been able to and what was just madness caused by The Ring. Surely just a simple Hobbit couldn't have overthrown Sauron even if he had the Ring? But the key point is that he would surely have been able to do something, and he chose not to use the power of the Ring to do so.)

And Denethor, he's maybe a really good example. As long as he refused to use the power of the palantír, things were fine. But when he submitted to it, decided to use his immense power of mind to wield the power of the palantír, he was doomed.

Then there are tons of other examples, surely. But I'd actually love to "twist" the setting a little. Are there any cases where having the power and not using it is actually bad?

I can immediately think of one case. Fëanor, whose Silmarils might have had the power to heal the Trees. He refused. This created much woe, and I think it nurtured the obsessive pride and will of possessing that Fëanor and his kin had over these jewels. Also, I'm pretty sure it worsened many relationships in Aman, but I'm too lazy to walk to an other room, take the Sil from the bookshelf and check...

Are there other examples? I'm pretty sure there are, at least in the Sil, but I can't think of them right now. Furthermore, I have the feeling that we will soon have to define the word "power" or this debate will get all too messy...