Fear’s The Thing…

So here I am, wracking my brain trying to figure out what I’d like to write about for my first ever blog post on Leaky. But here’s the thing….all this wracking of my brain is contributing to the wrecking of my nerves. I don’t get nervous when I post in the Lounge, I can’t seem to understand why I’ve got butterflys (more like bats) going bonkers inside me at the prospect of posting a blog.

But there you have it I suppose. And I’m doing it anyway which — bats or not — and regardless of the outcome, is quite an accomplishment for me! I think that part of my trepidation comes from the fact that this fandom means much to me. More than I even thought…and I respect so many of the individuals who make up this wonderful world we play in, most notably of course the creator herself, Jo.

Among the many, many, many brilliant lines this woman has given us, there are several she uttered at the Harvard Commencement this year that truly hit home the realization that this world we live in — and everything that encompasses this world we live in — is irrefutably communal in nature. And as human beings living on this planet, we really should think about how our actions will affect those around us. ‘Sharing is caring’, and all that. (I never quite understood why those old, everyday sayings we’ve heard all our lives lack any relevance in society….but I’m entirely off point….which often happens in spite of myself.)

That commencement address was something else though. Amongst all the great advice given to the world by Jo that day, here’s what stood out in particular:

Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s minds, imagine themselves into other people’s places. Of course, this is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral. One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise.

A lesson she imparted over and over again throughout the books. Just like the Ministry of Magic, the Death Eaters, and Lord Voldemort wreaked havoc and frustration in Harry’s world, so too does ignorance, hate, and fear wreak havoc in ours.

It probably won’t come as a shock that the political themes of Jo’s story are of particular interest to me. I’m not sure about anyone else of course, but it’s kind of cool to be able to compare pretty much everything that’s happening politically in that imaginary world, to pretty much everything that’s happening politically in this one.

Lots of stuff to delve into there. Just on that one theme alone — which actually branches out into all the other themes found in the story. Kind of like how politics does in life.

Jo went on to say to the Harvard Graduates — and to all Americans, I imagine — that:
The great majority of you belong to the world’s only remaining superpower. The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders. That is your privilege, and your burden.

She couldn’t have said it any plainer than that. And I mean that in the best possible way. I chose the images used in my banner for very obvious, and not-so-obvious reasons. I guess an illustration of Jo sitting up there would fall under ‘obvious’.

Fawkes (another obvious one perhaps), is up there as a symbol of hope. Hope is the counterbalance to fear. And fear is probably the biggest culprit out there. It’s the bats in the stomach. But my hope trumps my fear. Time and time again.

And it’s been proven, like Jo said, “…a thousand times every day of our lives.” I’m not sure what, if anything, I’ve got to give. I’m learning that as I go. But, my hope is that I will be able, in even the tiniest way, to influence both myself and others to continue to fight for what is right in this world.