one of those… almost…

Yes, I really enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series and now I am enjoying the movies. I also read and enjoyed the Twilight series. I don’t see them as being any more damaging to human kind than Cinderella with her bibbity bobbity boo and pumpkins changing into carriages and mice into carriage drivers, or Sleeping Beauty and the poisonous apple, or Snow White and the magical mirror that identified her as being the ‘fairest in the land’. The Harry Potter series is filled with so much wisdom, more than a princess finding her prince and living happily ever after – talk about false expectations! At the Hogwarts School, there are strong female characters who sometimes have to fight their own battles. There are strong male characters who, when faced with choices between right and wrong, show the struggle they go through before choosing the right path. Many of the ‘evil’ characters are protrayed with beautiful almost perfect exteriors, covering and hiding a rotten and hideous spirit. A lot of the wisdom within the walls of the castle known as Hogwarts is attributed to Albus Dumbledore. This quote is one of my favorites:

“It is not our abilities that show who what we truly are. It is our choices”

Ain’t that the truth! Think of all those people we consider to have natural ability – like sports heroes, actors, or talented musicians – then think of the choices that many of them have made. Those people have SO much going for them – why do they choose the wrong path? The world they live in is filled with so much temptation, so much adoration. People adore these celebrities before they even meet them. And no matter what that person does, they still get that adoration. Someone can be a complete jerk and people are still clamoring to get to know them; to be close to them; to be a part of their world. Bad behavior is reinforced – because there are no bad consequences for it. I think after a while, these people we ‘adore’ now feel like normal rules don’t apply to them – and not just laws, but even normal etiquette – how to treat people.

A person may have many natural abilities or talents, but a person’s CHARACTER is not predetermined – it is built, challenged, and tested on a daily basis.