What's in the locked room?

[Berit Jakobsen]

No: HPFGUIDX 89074

Geoff wrote:
> I would be inclined to go for both Truth and Love being the "force 
> that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death". 
> 
> A few years ago, I used to have long debates with a younger friend 
on 
> the question of whether there were Basic Absolutes in life. He 
> maintained that there were not; morals  and attitudes were flexible 
> and that he could decide whether something was right without 
> reference to a benchmark. I disagreed with him and still hold that 
> these Absolutes exist. To the end, I have capitalised Truth and 
Love 
> in my opening sentence and will do when I am referring to them in 
> this Absolute form but will use lower case letters when I am 
speaking 
> in general terms.
> 
> It is true that truth is often the apparent prerogative of the 
winner 
> in a dispute but there is still a basic Truth which applies to our 
> existence and which is not the whim of the society around us and 
with 
> which people often prefer not to get too involved. As an aside, 
> Pilate's question "What is truth?" was not a question to which he 
> wanted an answer. When discussions on belief and Truth get too 
close 
> to home, a standard response is frequently to change the subject, 
> which was Pilate's ploy. Jesus made two profound observations about 
> the Truth; In John 8:31-32 "If you hold to my teaching you are 
really 
> my disciples. Then you will know the Truth and the Truth will set 
you 
> free." And, in John 14:6, he said "I am the way and the truth and 
the 
> life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Perhaps not 
> everyone might want to subscribe to that but surely we must all 
share 
> basic absolutes by which we accept that the world can operate.
> 
> Turning to Love. The problem with "love" is that, certainly in the 
> English language, it is a word which has a wide range of meanings 
and 
> is often used very loosely. It can range from "I love chocolate ice-
> cream" (which is really expressing a liking) to "I love you, my 
> darling" to the altruistic love which can show itself in self-
> sacrifice – Lily protecting Harry as an example.
> 
> I have on two occasions at least referred to C.S.Lewis' "The Four 
> Loves" in which he writes on the four Greek words for love – eros, 
> philos, agape and the one which always slips my memory(!); each one 
> looking at a different facet of love. The deepest love – at least 
in 
> my opinion as a Christian – is agape which is, I suppose, best 
> described as the altruistic, serving, love which is not seeking 
> anything in return but seeks only the best interest of its 
recipient. 
> Harry frequently wants the best for his friends; he wants to see 
them 
> kept from Voldemort's clutches; he wants things to go right for 
them. 
> Does he want anything in return? Maybe sometimes – friendship, 
> support, honesty. But there are times when he acts for their best 
as 
> he sees it. Sometimes rashly, sometimes unthinkingly but he has 
been 
> known to put his life on the line for the benefit of others and so 
> would recognise the idea of agape. Voldemort, paralleled in a way 
by 
> Sauron, cannot even begin to see this. He uses people, discards 
them 
> when their usefulness is over, destroys them if they get in his way 
> and could not, even in his wildest dreams, envisage the idea of 
> giving without expectation of return or that anyone would think 
> differently to him. This is the failure which both JKR and JRRT 
point 
> up in their various personifications of evil.
> 
> So I subscribe to the view that "the room" is involved with Love 
and 
> Truth and, hence, Voldemort cannot visualise the effect of what is 
> contained therein.

Berit replies:

One of the best posts I've read! I wholeheartedly agree with you 
Geoff :-) Truth and Love can be (and are) basic absolutes; objective 
as opposed to subjective entities. I'm not claiming any of us knows 
the whole Truth or really knows Love, but that doesn't mean it's not 
out there... Also, Love is not so much a question of subjective 
feelings and emotions as a governing PRINCIPLE. Real Love cannot be 
governed by feelings or the whims of emotions. True Love delivers 
where nothing else would. As Geoff's saying: Unconditional 
willingness to sacrifice oneself for the benefit of others who might 
not even appreciate the sacrifice! Wouldn't put it past Rowling to 
have Harry risk his life for Snape in the end (or Snape saving Harry) 
just for the sake of it, even though the recipient is an ungrateful 
little/big brat who doesn't want to be saved :-)

I get the subjective feeling when reading the HP books that this is 
also Rowling's view on Love and Truth :-) The way she in-between (and 
on) lines describes the difference of ethics and morals between 
Dumbledore and Voldemort. Dumbledore is clearly depicted as a man who 
won't use any means possible just because he can; he lives by clearly 
defined principles; two of which I am sure is Love and Truth.

Berit
http://home.no.net/berjakob/snape.html