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Also, I begin to wonder how very different Sauron (mis)using the Secret Fire at the Heart of the Earth would be from Feanor (mis)using the Holy Light (if there's a difference between the two) of the Trees in his creation of the (highly 'addictive') Silmarils.... (davem)
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There does not seem like much of a difference to me -- in the end, everything goes back from whence it came, or "back to the earth" in a bigger scheme of things. The Ring melts back into Orodruin's fires, and the Silmarils find their places in the air, the water, and
"the fires of the heart of the world" (the Sil). Makes me wonder if that fire-destined jewel was destroyed as well, since it seems that the "heart of the world" is the only thing that can unmake otherwise indestructible things.
The "addiction" of the Palantir is that while it reveals the truth, the user's interpretation of what he sees could very well be his downfall. Denethor and Saruman fall victim to the powers of the Stones, and even Gandalf is not immune. The first two become disillusioned -- would Gandalf have been as well? If he looked into the Stone for the sake of viewing the glory of Valinor, it's likely that he would have become distracted from the task at hand and wanted only to see more of that which he could not have at present. I'm reminded of the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter (apologies to those who dislike or disdain HP
).