Ilúvatar and Melkor

[inglorion]

I observe you steering cautiously around the Estë/Vána question: What would have happened if for example Estë or Vána would have been mightiest of the Valar? Would they walk the same path into ruin? Or would they be able to choose right and do good (read: Eru-style) things with their power?
That´s quite interesting; if power is locked together with corruption and 'evil', which I believe is the matter, then it´s not 'Melkor falls', but rather 'The most powerful of the Valar falls', (which happens to be Melkor).
Just look at the other examples of most powerful beings in Middle-Earth: Most powerful of the Maiar in Middle-Earth is Sauron, most powerful of the Istari is Saruman, most powerful of the Elves is Feanor, who didn´t really become 'evil' in the Melkor/Sauron way but his ability to create inanimate things of such high beauty and quality led him to do things that were not exactly according to the will of the Valar. So there is more than just one example of power leading to corruption.
Did they all have a choice? Or were they merely acting according to their nature, which was superior to all others of their race/kind.

Since only Eru can create, Melkor was refusing to acknowledge that he was also a created being and that there was somebody who was superior to him.

If you are superior to all (as Melkor was) only not to Eru who in fact has no business in Arda itself and lives somewhere else, then I can imagine it as frustrating not to be able to do as you wish.
Imagine yourself 6 years old again and your father gives you the best toy ever, but he tells you you can only look at it not play with it...
Greetings, gildor