19 Years Later

Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real? -Albus Dumbledore

I've posted soooo much about Harry Potter this summer on account of all the important things that keep happening. You probably thought I was out of things to say on the subject, but naw son, I'm not!

I'll keep it brief, though. All I want to say is this: For those of you who don't know, today is a significant day. It's the last day shown in the Harry Potter series, the day in the epilogue when Harry's son Albus heads off to Hogwarts for the first time. Today is the day of saying goodbye to the official end of the original series. (A few years ago, I saw someone comment online about how Harry Potter fans are lucky because we have so many opportunities to say goodbye. First the last book came out, then a few years later the last movie. Now we have this one last opportunity to revel in this thing we love.)

So, because of a children's book series, today an entire generation is going out of its mind...in a good way. Maybe the eclipse brought this country together to an extent, but we all know that the thing that really brings this country (and the world) together is Harry Potter. Somehow, this boy, this story, transcends political parties, races, languages, religions, countries, and ages in a way that the most ardent pacifists can only dream of.

It's my growing belief that good stories can change the world. They change us on a personal level by giving us something to laugh with, cry over, and relate to. But they also change us on a broader scale, I think, because when you add up billions of people laughing and crying and relating over the same thing, it's a strong bond. Love may be the power that heals our rifts, but the healing is done through stories—big and small, true and imagined, scripture and novel.