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Sunday, March 26th, 2006
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4:23a - The boy who lived
Often times throughout the course of our time here, I have made very clear my complete disdain for all things that are popular because of their style instead of their substance. The age-old battle of what is decorative versus what is truly functional. I have shown disgust to many of culture's excesses and fads... and, of course, reality television shows.
To that end, if it is indeed true that I wish to applaud and celebrate those things that are popular for their function, it should be doubly true that I celebrate those that are popular for both function and decor.
Yeah, I'm talking about Harry Potter.
Harry Potter, the widely lauded children's stories, is probably the most popular literary work in the last hundred years. Very easily, Harry Potter's popularity could extend well beyond that. Normally, this kind of popularity would surely qualify any pop culture phenomenon to be phony and pretensious. Harry Potter is completely the opposite.
Let me first contend that the Potter stories are not children's stories at all, though I think it's wonderful that children read them. The themes are extremely adult, aside from the absence of sexual themes, which probably makes them even more mature when you think about it. The epic battle of good versus evil presents a childhood prodigy against the darkest of all evil powers for the fate of the world.
Murder is commonplace; all of life's virtues and lessons are prevalent, and mischief is expected. The world of Hogwarts is truly a world of magic, but not merely because the inhabitants carry wands and cast spells. But because this world, however fantastic it seems, portrays our world in a light we never imagined before.
We all sort of have a power to cast spells. Ours aren't as glaring as Harry turning an animal into a glass, but we do have the ability to change other people and impact their lives with the stroke of a hand. Like the students at Hogwarts Castle, our lives are filled with lessons to combat evils. We face obstacles and challenges the same way that Hermione faces her schoolwork and Harry confronts his past.
We all have people like Dumbeldore in our lives; someone to turn to for words of advice.
The Harry Potter literary works are, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest accomplishments of all-time. Who doesn't love a story about magic? Who doesn't wish that they could have created a world so magical, filled with so many different and interesting characters?
My personal experience has been that the older we get, the more we lose control over our own creative energies. It's a welcomed blessing to enjoy the creativity that others share with us. Most of us are facing mundance challenges; affording college, dealing with asshole bosses, paying bills, etc. Or perhaps we're pursuing more worthwhile challenges; love interests, big promotions, fame and fortune.
Nonetheless, we seem to have collectively forgotten to pursue our fantasies. To create fantasies that make reality seem so much sweeter. We have really forgotten to stop and smell the roses.
Maybe it wasn't our fault. Maybe our modern lives are designed to this odd conformity. Maybe we are made to spend most of our days working thoughtlessly and then spending our down time recovering. But, maybe we can say fuck all that and enjoy our lives, too.
It would be cliche' to say that Harry Potter has had a magical effect on us... but true, nonetheless. Even though you can't hold a magical wand in the palm of your hands, you can still make magic with your mind. If we were never intended to use our imagination, we probably wouldn't realize we even had one to begin with. We can imagine the greatest of our lives' accomplishments. We can confront our darkest fears, and have countless finest hours.
The truly great artists are the ones that manipulate others' imaginations. It's one thing to create your own fantasy, but another thing entirely to communicate it so well to others that it becomes theirs, too. We can't say for sure whether J. K. Rowling's idea of Hogwarts is the same as mine, but we do know that both of us have our own picture that we consider ideal.
The author, I understand, was poverty-stricken when she conceived the idea of Harry Potter and his world of enchantment. Faced with the challenge of survival, she crafted a magnificent world for all to enjoy. Easily, she could have dropped the pen and paper. She could have found a job working at the local grocery store. Instead, she pursued the magic of her own mind and devoted her energy to doing something no one else could.
Instead of earning just enough to get by on, J. K. Rowling is one of the wealthiest athours in the world. Her books have sold more copies than almost every other author, and foor good reason. The moral lesson here is to pursue your dreams, because they are all you'll ever truly have.
Every once in a while, the public gets it right. They're not merely falling in love with Nick and Jessica, or tuning in every week to watch Who Wants to Fart on My Uncle? Every once in a while, it all comes full circle.
Let us never forget the magic, both real and imagined, that make our lives worth every penny.
Goodnight, and good luck.
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