I don't think Kevin was stupid or weak. He just doubted. Even the strongest among us have doubt...his probelm was that the whispering of the despiser casued his doubt to turn to despair. In his despair descration was the opnly option left to him that held (or so he thought) any chance to destroy that which he despised.
It turned out, however, that the thing he despised was not Foul...it was himself for being led to despair. Doubt need not have become something so terrible.
Mhoram overcame this when he defeated Samhadi.
Kevin was stupid for doing the ritual of desecration
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A Gunslinger
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Fist and Faith
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SRD explained Kevin's problem to us in Alb:
Lord Mhoram talks about this in TPTP. That to make success or failure the measure by which you judge yourself is to completely miss the point of what it is you're trying to do. Which is to save something beautiful. You love it, so you give it your all. You know. End of story. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. (Although in these books, generally they win.)
But, to... What Kevin did was judge himself before events judged him. You know, he looked at all the forces arrayed against him: all the mistakes he's made; and all of this; how I let Lord Foul in disguise on the Council of Lords; and blah blah; and there's still, you know, (I can't make out) and God knows what running around and oh my God and... And, somehow, I am responsible for all that. It was like having a God Complex.
Mhoram's attitude is much more humane. You know? We are not required to save the world. We are required to stand up as truly as we can for what we love. And then after that, we've done all we can, so there's nothing to grieve about.
Of course, we still don't learn specifics about Foul's power levels, armies, and all that. But whatever they were, combined with the fact that he knew everything Kevin's powers and strategies, they were obviously enough.
And now I have a new sig.
Lord Mhoram talks about this in TPTP. That to make success or failure the measure by which you judge yourself is to completely miss the point of what it is you're trying to do. Which is to save something beautiful. You love it, so you give it your all. You know. End of story. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. (Although in these books, generally they win.)
But, to... What Kevin did was judge himself before events judged him. You know, he looked at all the forces arrayed against him: all the mistakes he's made; and all of this; how I let Lord Foul in disguise on the Council of Lords; and blah blah; and there's still, you know, (I can't make out) and God knows what running around and oh my God and... And, somehow, I am responsible for all that. It was like having a God Complex.
Mhoram's attitude is much more humane. You know? We are not required to save the world. We are required to stand up as truly as we can for what we love. And then after that, we've done all we can, so there's nothing to grieve about.
Of course, we still don't learn specifics about Foul's power levels, armies, and all that. But whatever they were, combined with the fact that he knew everything Kevin's powers and strategies, they were obviously enough.
And now I have a new sig.
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon
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Landwaster
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Borillar26
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Kevin did not fail period. If you say that Kevin failed then you also have to admit that Berek failed, and then that covenant failed repeatedly. Did not the ritual of desecration prolong the life of the land for a few thousand years? Berek defeated Foul and there was a few years of peace, then Kevin, then Covenant came along and beat him up. A few more thousand years of happiness. Then Covenant again returned to smack foul around. Few more thousand years of peace. And now we're back again.