Conspiracies & re-assessments - Dumbledore

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 111699

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "snow15145" <snow15145 at y...> wrote:

> 
> Kneasy (again snipped)
> 
> And DD - he first appears as the saviour/mentor/guardian figure to 
> the putative hero. A nice, comfortable, traditional role. Slowly 
> over the books this has been modified. He has much more important 
> things on his plate than Harry. He has a society to save, a war to 
> fight - and Harry has a pre-destined part to play in the outcome. 
> And that's something DD has known for as long as Harry has been 
> alive. So, is his interest in Harry altruistic, or is Harry a means 
> to an end? DD's motivations are nicely complex - and to a certain 
> extent conflicting. Given the choice which will turn out to be more 
> important, Harry or the entire WW? That is, assuming DD is around to
>  make the choice; my bet is thathe won't be, that someone else will 
> have to choose.


> Snow:
> I don't know about the Dumbledore appearing as the holier than thou 
> scenario from the get-go concerning Harry. Dumbledore from the first 
> encounter in the first book appears to be aloof to what had just 
> transpired to close friends less than 24 hours before, let alone his 
> self appointed guardianship to their child who was placed in the 
> hands of in-laws who had to be bribed in some manner to even take 
> him. Also the bit too celebrating attitude for what had just 
> happened to the very people he asked to be secret keeper for. ... 
> This was the very first instance that alerted me to the possibility 
> that Dumbledore has a "for the greater good" idealism that is not 
> Harry but involves Harry. 
> 


Asian_lovr2:

I really don't think people are giving enough weight to the fact that
Dumbledore is over 150 years old. In his lifetime, he has seen the
folly of man again and again. New Dark Wizad on the scene; ho-hum,
been there, done that, more than once. New war breaks out; ho-hum,
seen it all before. This is perhaps man's greatest folly as it is an
irrational act perpetrated by irrational men. Hence, they are not to
be reasoned with. So, you get on with what must be done. 

People like Fudge and Umbridge are not new characters to Dumbledore,
he has seen their type come and go. Malfoy ...nothing new. Crouch
(both) ...same old same old. Schoolboy tricks, pranks, mischief and
ample amounts of self-declared cleverness; seen it all before, nothing
to get excited about, just sit back and enjoy the show. 

Dumbledore knows that effort wasted in fretting over many of these
things and people is just wasted effort. Given time, these people and
events will self-destruct, leaving the bulk of the world behind to
carry on; to carry on and engage in the same folly again.

To Kneasy, while I find myself occassionaly at odds with your ideas, I
must say, that was one very fine essay. 

Steve/asian_lovr2