Logical Limitations

[Barry Arrowsmith]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Talisman" <talisman22457 at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Barry Arrowsmith" 
> <arrowsmithbt@> wrote:
> 
> >Talisman in 3862:
> > It seems to me that the PoA visions come in two distinct flavors:
> > Dementor and Boggart.
> >
> 
> >Kneasy in 3867:
> >Er... no.
> >I didn't count any Boggart induced bits, just the PS/SS memories and
> >the Dementor triggered flashbacks in PoA.
> 
> Talisman: 
> Au contraire mon frere. 
> 

Oops!
Quite right - I did.
Fortunately  it doesn't really matter unless Boggarts can induce fake, i.e.
totally new, previously non-existent 'greatest' fears, visions or memories.

Another possible point of agreement.  (Wow! Two in one post!)
It occurs to me that there's something a bit odd going on, and not just
with the Dementor/Boggarty bits, it includes that mirror too.
Everything that Harry truly fears - or wishes for - is in the past, or so we
are supposed to believe. Is it just me, or does anyone else think it strange
that Harry's 'greatest' fear is something that has already happened, that
he can't really remember anyway and cannot possibly happen again - the
death of his parents?

Other peoples Boggart manifestations are fears that might or could happen:
eyeballs, Banshees, mummies, Snape on a rampage, failing exams, a pile of
dead Weasleys.
Dementors are a paradigm for depression, Boggarts a paradigm for fear.
And unless one is mortally afraid of being depressed it's difficult to see any 
cross-over.
Demmies suck out the happiness, leaving the worst of memories behind.
Boggies generate fear and the fears are what the 'victim' really doesn't want 
to face *in the future*. 

One man's fears is another man's fatalistic acceptance. Death, divorce, disease,
bankruptcy, the loss of a loved one - fairly common fears. But does anyone
'fear' a divorce, death or bankruptcy that happened sometime in the past? 
Regret is for what's past, fears are for what is yet to come.
So why is Harry's apprehension concentrated on the past? 
I can understand the past as a place of sadness, misery and loss, but why 
would Harry *fear* the past more than what may happen to him (or others) 
in the future?

Kneasy