In Defense of Passion (Harry Potter 7.2 Midnight Showing)

We are told as children to sit still, hold our tongues, listen to our elders. And we do. By the time we've entered school, the rule of 'behave yourself' has gotten written into our social dialogues. If you're loud, if you say things in a different way, if you are different you get called out on it -- an ostracized if you push it too far, or become popular if you fall within a strict concept of "cool".

Oh, am I revealing I was a nerd in middle school/high school -- totally. I was a COMPLETE NERD (what do you mean was? I am still a nerd, I get excited over having scientists contact information at my command, not that I would use it, but do you see?). Let me be honest, though, my school was not the typical high school you see in Hollywood, it was too big. I was not downtrodden and reviled, I do not have high school flashbacks of awful times. Indeed my time in middle and high school was remarkably smooth, for all you hear about how terrible it is from other nerds.

Anyways, the point is, the rules tells us to stay cool, calm and collected -- homogenous with the rest of your peers lest you break away and become that ostracized person who eats dirt with worms down the bottom of the garden.

This makes having a passion about something hard. Passion is loud, noisy and it makes you give away so much of yourself you're afraid you're never going to give it back (this does not always happen). Passion is squashed down in us as children -- for a reason -- and from then on, you can be labeled as 'weird' for liking something passionately. That's why Trekkies are labeled as weird -- they are willing to break the bounds of propriety that are imposed by society to dress up in costumes and deeply care about something (and my impulse to say 'sometimes a little too much' is a symptom of this point).

I was thinking about this the other day because I had this exchange with my brother:

Me: So you'll be home Wednesday?

Jasper: Yeah.

Me: Just in time for Harry Potter!

Jasper: Uh sure.

Me: So you're not planning on going to a midnight showing?

Jasper: What's the point, you already know what's going to happen.

Why would you want to go to something you already know the end of? Why wouldn't you? I grew up with Harry (as in, I was about his age when it started and was around his age each time the next book came out. He was my peer). I was Harry crazy -- I reread the books, have a compendium of random trivia around Harry. I am a loud fan, a crazy fan, someone who went to midnight book releases and was SO EXCITED about being in London for the seventh book. I have forced people to come with me to see movies, and book releases but I would have happily gone by myself.

The point is, I am passionate about Harry Potter -- and that's why I want to go to a movie I know the end of (though, ugh, there were moments of annoyance). Its about expressing that passion -- and having other people with you who do the same!

Harry Potter is the reason I am still friends with Sammie (I went to middle school with Sammie, we bonded over it. She is my Harry Potter Best Friend). Harry Potter has brought me closer to Matt and as a result, Maddie (friends from school). We share this connection because of a deep love for these books, these characters -- this story.

And that's something worth being passionate about.

I own all the paper backs, all but 1 of the British versions 

(I have two of some of them) and all but 7 of the 

American hardbacks (7 went missing after I 

bought it -- UPSET). 

Anyways, I'm not as upset about the end of the Harry Potter movies as I thought I would be. I think its mostly because, in re-reading I've found I love them just as much as I did when I started them. There is so much in them that you can learn from. True, re-reading creates a different feeling, and there are parts that didn't bother me as a child, but are annoying now, but there is also so much good in them. 

As Dumbledore says: "Of course it is happening in your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" Harry will always be real to me. 

Thank you J. K. Rowling. Just... thank you.