What would have been different in your life if you never read Harry Potter?

[Steve]

---  "dumbledore11214" <dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
>
> ...
> 
> What would have been different in your life had Harry Potter
> books never existed? It does not have to be anything 
> monumental, I mean these ARE just books, but any change will
> do.
> 
> ...
> 
> As I said, anything will do :)
> 
> Alla
>
 
bboyminn:

An excellent question, most excellent, but one that is not that
easy to answer as it deals somewhat with emotional issues as 
well as practical. But I've never let not knowing what to say 
stop me from rambling on endlessly, so here it goes.

First to a rapidly fading brain, fading with disuse and old age,
it has been a godsend, the books, and more importantly the 
discussion groups, have demanded that my brain think and 
analyze, contemplate, ponder, imagine, create. In short, it 
has given my tired brain a reason to exist, further, it has 
given it a reason to grow both intellectually as well as 
ethically and morally. 

I'm amazed at the depth and range of discussion in the various
HPfGU groups which for the record are the most thorough and 
deep discussions anywhere on the net. Many people, including 
myself, complain about the tight control and moderation of the
groups, but that is precisely what allows the depth of 
discussion here.

I've spoke with the MODS about sending an email to JKR to 
inform her that if she want to see the deepest, broadest, and
most thorough discussion of her books, she should check out 
the various HPfGU groups on Yahoo. I suspect if she had, we 
would have had the privilege of being a group honored by JKR on
her website. Unfortunately that notoriety would have expanded 
the work load on the all-volunteer moderators to the breaking 
point. So, in the end, it was decided against, and probably 
wisely so. 

So, if nothing else, I thank the group for many fun years of 
well needed intellectual stimulation in a real world that 
offers very little. That may sound strange, but it is very hard
to find someone to talk to about serious things. In my much too
long life (meaning I am old, or at least feel old), I have only
found a few rare individuals who had the intellect to look at 
the world on a deeper level, who also had a willingness to voice
their opinions in an intelligent way.

I found an abundance of that intelligence at HPfGU. We discussed
politics, ethics, morality, philosophy, religion, the nature of
courage and loyalty, the nature of good and evil, and much much
much more. You've always been here over many many years, you've
always been wise and occasionally infuriating, you've made me 
laugh, you've made me cry, you've made me care, and for that, 
I can never say thank you enough. 

That said, I've never wanted to meet any of you face-to-face. 
On certainly, I'm intrigued by the idea on occasion, but that
is part of the beauty of conversation over the Internet. There 
is no judgement on anything other than what I say. It doesn't
matter if I am ugly or beautiful (for the record, somewhere in
between), if I wear fancy cloths or rags, if I'm educated or 
not, black, white, or other, Catholic, Protestant, Jew, or 
other, it doesn't matter where I live, nothing matters other 
than what I say and the opinions I express. 

I think if you met me, you would be disappointed, as in real 
life, I am not the long-winded know-it-all that I seem in the 
group. And that brings up another problem, I don't do well in
groups, face-to-face groups. I'm not inclined to force my way
into a conversation until my opinion is heard and understood. 
I'm far more inclined to sit back and let others hash it out.

But on-line, no one can interrupt me, no one can jump in as I 
pause to think. I have all the time in the world to make my 
thoughts deep and complete and to express myself fully. It's 
very nice to have that luxury.

Next, and I realize as usual, I am being long-winded again, but
Harry and the gang and this group have taught me about the 
nature of heroism, courage, loyalty, morals, and ethics. 
Something that I very much hope and believe carries over into
my real life. 

I think part of the beauty of JKR's books is that she doesn't 
preach moral lessons. If fact, the moral lesson, whatever it 
may be, is never very clear, and I think that IS a far stronger
moral lesson than the perfect black-and-white Sunday school 
preachy morality tale you get in some books. 

In the Potterverse morality is a struggle just like in real 
life. Being good is an endless struggle for Harry and the gang
just as it is for real kids. They are not perfect polite 
universally moral people in the books, just people who struggle
to do the best they can with what they have. Ultimately though,
Harry and the gang do do the right thing, they do side with 
honor and true morality, with courage and faith, and that 
example and the thoughts it stimulates is a far better 
morality tale than all the droning sermonizing in the world. 

Any moral lessons you may find, doesn't come from the books, 
the books merely stimulate that lesson to come from deep within
you. I've always said, the lessons you learn best are the ones
you teach yourself. True knowledge comes from revelation, not 
from explanation.

Finally, along with the intelligent discussion and the 
creativity they entail, I have been stimulated to both read 
and write more. I've read many many books since starting the 
Harry Potter series, and I have grown with each one of them.
I'm a better person for it. 

Plus there was a period where JKR has lit my brain on fire, 
creative Harry stories pour out of me and into the world. I've
written well over 1,000 pages of Fan Fiction which is many 
hundreds of thousands of words. It was well over 250,000 words
as I last remember. That is the equivalent of two or three 
full novels. Some of it is even fit for general audiences, 
though the bulk of it is SLASHy in the extreme.

And that, I think is a metaphor for how this Series has 
affected me. It has lit me on fire; my mind thinks, my body 
feels, my spirit soars, and I've expanded my horizons far 
beyond this series. 

Or at least that's how this long-winded know-it-all sees
it.

Steve/bboyminn