Why I Love Harry Potter (And My Mum).
Harry Potter is not your typical hero. He’s just a kid.
Vulnerable, unsure, scared shitless at times.
He’s as human as you and I, and as a human, he makes his fair share of mistakes.
But there’s one thing that makes Harry different. One single part of his character that I think holds the essence of all of his strength and power.
Harry Potter is selfless.
Let me explain.
While Lord Voldemort is cursed with an unquenchable lust for power and control, rooted in pure selfishness — there is something different within Harry Potter, something that just can’t be defeated.
He operates on a transcendent level.
In that Great Hall, Selfishness and Selflessness engage in a duel to the death, and ultimately Selflessness comes out on top.
It has no rival, because it has no equal.
How is it that a young, awkward teenage boy with glasses can stand in the face of evil and not back down?
I think the answer comes from his compulsion to put others before himself.
Selfishness kills, but Selflessness gives life.
That’s something that evil will never understand.
There’s a hero inside all of us, and that hero is awoken by our decision to be selfless in the ordinary moments of our every day lives.
Each time we hold the door open for the person behind us, the hero gets stronger.
Each time we give the gift of a smile to a stranger, the hero gets stronger.
Each time we really listen instead of just waiting to speak, the hero gets stronger.
Each time we leave the public toilet cleaner than we found it, the hero gets stronger.
And each time we choose to forgive someone, instead of harbouring the anger and hatred, the hero doubles in strength.
Selflessness isn’t easy.
If it was, our world would be completely peaceful and fair.
The problem is that most of us aren’t even aware of the battle that is going on right now.
We’re not ready to defeat Lord Voldermort and his evil followers, because we have been deceived into thinking that the enemy is far away in some foreign, fictional land.
But Harry Potter knew better.
He knew that the enemy was a part of him.
The true enemy is the selfishness that creeps inside of us and convinces us that it has the right to be there.
It’s the voice that says “Me first!”
It’s the thing that always takes, but never gives back.
It’s the evil that wants more money, more power, even if it costs your soul.
It is extremely hard to defeat this enemy because Selfishness disguises itself as our protector. It makes you think that it is you.
But it can be defeated.
When I was a young boy, my mother taught me to always put others before myself.
That simple concept has been the single reason for authentic success in my marriage friendships, family life and work.
Every time I’ve put others before myself, a little bit of evil dies in me.
Selflessness doesn’t make sense to evil, I guess that’s why it’s so powerful.
It was the greatest advice a mother could ever give.
Harry’s Mum actually gave up her life for her son. And I know that if she was forced with the same decision, my Mum would do the same for me.
That is why I love Harry Potter and my Mum.
And I love you too, because there’s a little bit of Harry in all of us.
You’re a wizard, Harry…
