Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Everyone who knows me knows that when it comes to the Harry Potter books and films, I have nothing but the highest praise for J. K. Rowling and the incredible story she has crafted.
Everyone who knows me ALSO knows that I tend to re-watch and re-read things that I love over and over. And when life gets you down, nothing comforts like the stories we love so much. It was with that desire that I re-watched Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (probably for the 50th or 60th time) last night. And each time I re-watch or re-read something, I ALWAYS discover something new.

So, picture this scene: Harry, with the help of his friends, has outwitted, out-flown, and outsmarted each of the enchantments protecting the coveted Philosopher's Stone. While Professor Quirrell is unable to retrieve the stone from the enchanted mirror of Erised, Harry sees himself through the mirror place the stone into his pocket and, thus, the stone is transferred to him. While Harry tries to conceal the stone from Quirrel, Lord Voldemort is not fooled and knows Harry has the stone - the stone he needs to reanimate himself.

Then, Lord Voldemort does what he does best - talks. With a serpent's tongue he tries to bargain with Harry. He tells Harry that together they could bring back Harry's deceased parents, and all that Lord Voldemort requires in return is the stone. This is a tempting offer for a child who has never known his parents. Voldemort pushes Harry even further, "There is no good and evil, only power... and those too weak to seek it."

But, as the books and films have pointed out again and again, Harry has an outstanding moral character, and Harry knows that there is good and evil. There is a right and a wrong. And Harry knows that no matter how badly he wants his parents back, that death is natural and there is no way of bringing them back without committing acts of great evil. Later in the film, Dumbledore talks to Harry about Nicholas Flamel and his decision to destroy the stone. Harry remarks that without the stone and the elixir's immortal qualities that Flamel will die. Dumbledore does not seem upset about Flamel's imminent death, "Yes. He will die." In the book, Dumbledore asserts that death is a journey we all must take, "To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."

As evil personified, Voldemort seeks to unravel and undermine our understanding of right and wrong, good and evil, light and dark. He blurs the lines between the two and creates doubt in the minds of those who would oppose him. But the world's need for right over wrong, good over evil and light over dark is illuminated by the character of Harry Potter. And as Harry grows up, and even as he is challenged again and again in his beliefs about good and evil, Harry continually chooses to stand for good and fight against evil.

So what do we take from this? There is good and evil, and evil will always try to disguise itself as something else. Evil will challenge us daily and tempt us with the things we want most; but from this we can learn to strengthen our understanding of what it means to be good and to fight evil in all its forms. 

- D.     

Safetysuit - These Times

Every once in a while, you stumble on a song. It may not be shockingly avant-garde; it may not rival the greatest of the greats; but it hits you exactly where you need it.
I love watching movie trailers - this is often where I discover little musical gems here and there. I was checking out the trailer for People Like Us, and it featured a song by Safetysuit called These Times. The video for the song is as moving as the song itself. But don't take my word for it; take a look and a listen for yourself.

Sometimes life just sucks. Many of these people in the video have good reason to despair... most of us don't. Either way, it's great when a song 'get's that.' Rather than glossing over life's problems with money, sex, cars, fashion, drugs, and partying, this song and its video acknowledges that there are problems - HUGE, life-altering problems. And rather than leaving us in the dark about it, there's a little light in there, a little hope that says, "But they will pass." Sometimes, that's all we needs to hear. No condescension, no coddling... just honest hope. We could use a lot more of that!

There and Back Again...

Let's start this blog off with a little anticipation and adoration. My utmost beloved book series The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien has already been masterfully conceived for film by Peter Jackson. This December, the world waits with great expectation at the coming of Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Hobbit - the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The new film features many of the old cast from the film trilogy as well as many exciting new cast members playing dwarves, hobbits and wizards. The official trailer has been released far in advance of the film's actual release, but it hasn't stopped many, including myself, from watching it again, and again, and again! I've posted the video here; please watch and enjoy it as much as I have.