three-week hiatus, or sabbatical as the comic strip authors call it, and then two posts in two days. i am definitely beginning to see a pattern here.
i'm not supposed to be doing this. not now. i have many other things which need doing, all of which are being studiously ignored in favour of re-reading a Harry Potter book lounging on my mom's bed. supposed to be keeping her company these days - everyone else in the house is overseas.
Harry Potter books are adventure books. i like adventure books. i occasionally wonder how cool it would be if real life were like that; full of drama, intrigue, action. methinks it would be too tiring for me though.
i've grown to realise how JKRowling is actually pushing her own values through her writing. preaching, if i may use that word, against discrimination, with all that pure-blood / mudblood issues. against bullying the weak, how Harry's best friends are the round-faced forgetful one, the one called Loony (not Wayne Rooney, no), the buck-toothed know-it-all, the tall, gangly freckled one. not that i see anything wrong about being tall and gangly, but i've been brought up differently, i suppose. she's teaching kids not to judge people based on appearances, and i believe that she will be wildly effective in doing so, because the books are just so popular.
from the books, i see that she values courage and loyalty, and probably a sense of humour as well.
i've seen a couple of books being sold by Christian bookstores, whose titles generally lean towards things like "The Truth Behind Harry Potter", or something towards that meaning. i've heard someone tell me that some of the names used in the book are actually the names of demons, although how we learned the names of these demons was not told to me.(not to discredit the statement - its true that demons have names, i think. Legion, and Lucifer, amongst others)
but i have also learnt that the way to judge things is by their fruit. and if these books inspire young children to act in the same way as her protagonists do, then i see nothing wrong with the books.
although i do think there is a possibility that reading such things would inspire some kids to find out more about magic. that's a troubling thought that i haven't settled yet within myself. but i believe that kids of today understand the difference between fact and fiction.... we have to educate kids about such ugly truths in the world anyway.
i mentioned how i was drawn by the almost-chivalric ideals of courage, and loyalty as expressed in the book. i've always tried to be the gentleman, thinking it the right thing to do. but i realise that there are far better ideals to work towards; faith, love, humility, discipline... some of which i have in sorely insufficient quantities. these things are not highly prized or glorified in this world of ours, yet they hold more steadfast than anything this world can offer.
it seems to me that when i read blogs.... that guys and girls blog very differently. in general, i mean. there are exceptions to the rule. but ladies tend to be more... i dunno... in touch with their emotions, i guess. guys talk more about the world around them, things they've seen and experienced. as in, i just left a comment on a guy's blog with regards to (wrt) the etymology of H2G2. which would be distinctly out of place on a girl's blog. i think that a proper understanding of the differences between the two sexes will lead to healthier relations amongst the afore-mentioned.
and a big thank you to all of you who remembered my birthday. especially a certain someone who made it really special. =). its very nice to be remembered.
