Jo's story is legend. A struggling single mother, depressive, poor, and life was just horrible. Estranged from her father, mother died of MS whom she loved dearly without her ever knowing she was writing the Harry Potter books, Jo Rowling would wrote the first Harry Potter book in a cafe while soothing her daughter to sleep for her nap. She is now one of the richest and most successful authors of her time. I believe she is the first literary billionaire. The Harry Potter series have changed people's lives.
If there is one great success of Harry Potter, it is that is has given people the freedom to use their imaginations once again, as it should be. Ellen DeGeneres once said that people don't know how to play anymore. We grow up and we stop playing. And we should always have time and find ways to play! Harry Potter has given people of all ages the ability to play once again, and using our imagination is such a treasure that is overlooked.
I relate to the themes of her books and to Jo the person as well. She has gone through a large portion of her life through depression, which I am no stranger to. Depression is not sadness, they are two different things completely. Sadness is grief, sorrow, and mournfulness, but comes and goes. Depression is the cold absence of any feeling whatsoever that lingers for long periods of time, prolonged on a much deeper level as a reaction to unfortunate life circumstances more intense than normal. There are many reasons for depression. Some are neurological or biological, some are behavioral, regardless where it has come from, it is a horrible experience and a horrible dis-ease.
J.K Rowling describes how her earlier adult years were full of turmoil and despair and depression has taken hold of her life for many years. It was in the creation of this magical world of Harry Potter that lead to this great success that has really helped her out of her depression. But depression and loss was a major theme in her books. She captured true depression with the creation of her horrible creatures, the dementors, which would suck the happiness out of you just by being in their presence. You felt all the happiness in the world was gone and would never return, and the worst punishment of a dementor would be the kiss which would suck out one's soul, considered worse than death.
Rowling's goal for the series to bring HOPE to people, which it did for millions. She said "True heroism is rebuilding after trauma." Trauma is the experience that disables someone psychologically injured and many of the characters, including Harry, suffered tremendous traumas. I don't think Jo Rowling missed any one kind of trauma someone could experience that could cause depression, which reflected her own. Her stories many people could relate to. Whether it be murdered parents, abused orphans, betrayal of friends and family members, broken families, parents who you couldn't communicate with, close individuals dying perhaps because of you, abandonment, distrust. The books do get very dark as the story develops. But it was REAL.
"I made a mess of myself but it was freeing," Rowling has said about her younger adult years. I can understand that. Sometimes we have to put ourselves in the most obscure situations regardless of what people think we should do or should have done etc. But sometimes you have to follow what you think is right for YOU in order to feel like your are fulfilling yourself. You want to make life your springboard vs your stray jacket!
Of course another theme is death. Harry equaled drama. Anyone who entered Harry's life was getting into major drama. But was it drama? Well everyone who came in contact with him did risk the good chance of probably ending up dying. But friendship, as I pointed out in a recent blog, also was prevalent in the books. Harry and Ron were the best of friends. They were always together in a eye rolling kind of way. In book four, they sat next to each other during a dance, neglecting their dates. When the person who meant the most to the Triwzard tournament was taken, Ron was kidnapped on Harry's behalf, being his most valued friend.
But even this grand friendship was tested in many ways. Book four, a jealousy caused the two to fight and not speak. Even in the last book when hunting horcrux's to destroy the evil Dark Lord wizard, even after Ron said he would be there to the end no matter what to help Harry in his quest, there was a point where he blew up in anger and frustration at how this quest was not planned out or any solutions being made. Harry's retort was "I thought you said you knew what you were in for." But Ron reneged, and the hurt feelings of betrayal and lack of understanding caused great angst within Harry, in what was probably the most desperate hour of need. But even still, the two loved each other more than anything and couldn't, wouldn't allow anything to stand in the way of their friendship.
But the greatest of all the themes of the books would be the theme and message and important of LOVE. In all the self-help and positive thinking study I have done, all the psychology training I've been through, all the standard teaching in every major religion, and all the most powerful teachers I have ever worked with will tell you these very words J.K Rowling stated: "Love is the most powerful thing of all...In the end, Love wins."
Harry Potter was protected from Lord Voldemort by the most powerful of all magic from his deceased mother. Dumbledore (who is a future blog in itself) stated to Harry that this kind of magic leaves a mark that is unseen and so powerful. And it is simply LOVE. As dark and dangerous and fearful the books became, LOVE always wins in the end. LOVE is what made all things possible. LOVE is what made good triumph over evil. The series ended with this phrase: ALL IS WELL.
If we hold onto LOVE in every which way, no matter what happens in our lives, we cannot forget and hold onto the undeniable fact that in the end, ALL IS WELL. So thank you J.K Rowling, through Harry Potter, reminding us and those who've gone through the depression you yourself experienced to hold onto HOPE (Hold On Possibilities Exist) and to remember at the end of the day: ALL. IS. WELL. (BOWS)
Yours in service,
MASTER TRENTO
No comments:
Post a Comment