My son & I have watched the Harry Potter movies, all the ones, at least 100 times.
Though I have never liked the dark cinematography, the cold, snowy and completely colorless backgrounds, a complete opposite of what you would typically expect children movies to be, the plot and the characters keep you hooked. But this post is about something else!
The one thing that my son and I almost always discuss about the movie is how (and why) Harry was able to defeat Lord Voldemort despite being just a boy, hardly an accomplished wizard being pitted against the Dark Lord.
There is an interesting lesson there, 2 very vital lessons for living with peace in this world.
Courage
At the outset, Harry Potter is a story about courage. Even before he joins the school, he learns about Voldemort, the dark lord who killed his parents and gave him the indelible mark.
People, wherever he went, reminded him of Voldemort in hushing whispers. As a boy, all of 11 years, he couldn’t make much of it but he realized his impending encounter with his enemy in the future.
As we move from one movie to another, we see that he fights & wins against the Basilisk, Malfoys, Pettigrew, Aragog, Dolores, Barty Crouch Jr, death eaters, quirrell and several others but never, not once, does he flinch. He never attempts to run away despite having people in whom he could have sought protection (Hagrid, Dumbledore, Sirius to name a few).
It seems as if he already knew that it was his destiny to fight. Deep inside his life, he was ready. This readiness, this being prepared had nothing to do with his ability as a wizard or his fighting prowess as a magician.
Courage is not about being fearless. In fact, real courage means to understand fear like never before. It means to be fully aware of your fears and not allowing those fears to paralyze you.
Kindness
‘Just like your mother, you are unfailingly kind…a trait people never fail to undervalue I am afraid’.
Dumbledore says this to Harry in ‘The Order of the phoenix’ where Harry has just finished telling Dumbledore about the pain he has been experiencing.
If there is one thing that is the biggest takeaway from the entire series is the aspect of kindness. Harry’s kindness won him friends who offer emotional support (Hermione), buddy & friend (Ron, Neville and others) protection (Hagrid, Hippogriff, Dobby, Cedric and others) and guidance (Dumbledore) when Harry needed them the most.
It was this innate, unassuming quality of Harry which enabled him to win friends wherever he went.
Why are we writing this?
When many of us today are struggling with poor mental health, these qualities offer us the ladder to climb out of the suffering we may find ourselves in.
Courage is an essential attribute to survive in our lives today. Let us face it. Life is tough. For everyone. Each one of us, like Harry, are ordinary men and women with innate strengths and vulnerabilities. We have our individual struggles, battle against an enemy (within or without) to win over and mostly we tend to run away or escape from them.
Our mental strength helps us build courage and courage gives us the ability to move forward despite not knowing what the future holds. It is taking action in spite of the fear you feel. It is the willingness to respond fearlessly despite the anxiety and worry that is lurking behind us.
Courage tells us that we can handle discomfort and distress and despite it all, advance ahead and in doing that it helps us defeat anxiety, helplessness and depression.
It is this mental strength, the ability to face our fears which is the most important ingredient to build a happy life today.
Kindness, on the other hand, is so highly under rated today that its almost shocking. People are steeped in self-centeredness which not only aggravates their fears but also weakens their abilities.
Kindness, on the other hand, touches people’s lives like nothing can. If there is any one virtue we need the world to have more of, it is kindness. Even the most adamant heart, under the most stressful conditions, can succumb and be alleviated by a small act of kindness. This small act of kindness lights up our life despite the many struggles and battles we may be fighting.
Kindness starts with looking at people and realizing that everyone struggles. Interestingly, kindness is a choice and doesn’t require any special ability on our part. When we are kind to others, we release hormones that contribute to our mood and overall wellbeing. The practice of kindness is so effective that it's now being considered to build it into some types of psychotherapy.
It is the highest level of diplomacy, friendship and leadership.
We all seek a path to happiness," says Dr. Waguih William IsHak, a professor of psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai. "Practicing kindness toward others is one we know works."
Dr. Ishak says studies have also linked random acts of kindness to releasing dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain that can give us a feeling of euphoria. This feel-good brain chemical is credited with causing what's known as a "helper's high." In addition to boosting oxytocin and dopamine, being kind can also increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood.
Being kind is also good for our physical and mental health. Psychologists have found that performing acts of generosity boosts happiness and well-being and is even linked to physical health benefits, including lower blood pressure1 . Prosocial behavior toward friends, strangers, and oneself—and even observing or recalling kind acts—have all been shown to increase well-being. 2
Courage & mental strength is intrinsic to us whereas kindness is our behavior and act of being towards others.
These 2 virtues of courage & kindness can act as a very strong antidote to the excessive worrying, anxiety, panic attacks and depressive tendencies that plague today’s society.
And like Dumbledore says in the end:
(Curry, O. S., et al., Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 76, 2018; Hui, B. P. H., et al., Psychological Bulletin , Vol. 146, No. 12, 2020).
(Rowland, L. & Curry, O. S., The Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 159, No. 3, 2019; The Journal of Positive Psychology, Vol. 16, No. 1, 2021; Emotion, Vol. 16, No. 6, 2016).
An interesting read! An encouraging one as well! Thank you so much!
Very well written! Enjoyed reading it.