In the now world famous series, Harry Potter meets and deals with a host of different characters and experiences while learning valuable lessons about who he truly is, who his real friends are, and the power of true love to overcome all obstacles.
One of the minor characters which appear in the series are the thestrals, the winged horses that draw the carriages used to transport Hogwarts students from the Hogwarts Express to the castle. The horses are invible to all but those who have experienced death, so in the early volumes of the series, it seems as though the carriages move magically; only in the latter years of his stay do we discover the truth about this transportation method.
Thestrals are not the only things that are invible to some and visible to others. In fact, many truths about life only become apparent once we have had to struggle, and in some cases, only those who have experienced the death of a loved one can truly appreciate the most important truths about life.
Children in our society, and even young adults often define success in terms of acquisitions. For some children, dreams would be fulfilled if there were an endless supply of gifts on Christmas morning. For some adults, the thought of a shiny new car, or a particular house might be the object of desire. Strangely enough though, it sometimes takes tragedy to teach us the most important lessons - that things really don't matter that much, and that we are actually much richer if we know the value of love, if we learn that possessions are acquired not as trophies of prestige but rather so that we may bring joy to others.
When all is said and done, and we must leave this earth, we can take nothing of all that we see and touch with us, so should we not learn early the lessons of the thestrals? Live justly, love tenderly and use the gifts of this earth wisely. Then the gift of true joy will be ours.
1 comment:
Some lessons in life are very difficult during the learning process, but oh so worth it. Your conclusion says it best.
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