The Happiest Person In The World
When Dumbledore explains to Harry that the Mirror or Erised “…shows us nothing more or less than the deepest desire of our hearts” (Sorcerer’s Stone 213) he illustrates the point by noting that“‘The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is” (Sorcerer’s Stone 213).
To accept our reality exactly as it is and want nothing more than that reality is to stand in a place of self-acceptance. To accept oneself as we are right now can happen at this moment, but to accept oneself for a sustained period of time often times takes a lifetime of practice. But make no mistake: there is no higher joy.
This I think is one of the most important lessons anyone can learn. It is so important to have self-acceptance because without it, others won’t accept us either. This part of SS taught me so much about who i was, who I wanted to be, and who I could be.
Hello,
Super post, Need to mark it on Digg
Thanks
This makes no sense. Dumbledore’s line did not imply that someone should not strive for more, it just said that they accepted themselves and were happy with who they are AT THIS TIME. The complete complacency of not striving to better ourselves, not not attempting self improvement, of not learning more, of not becoming more than we currently are is a dangerous concept. If someone doesn’t not strive to improve, then why go to college? Why cure cancer? Why have a baby? Acceptance of who you are DOES NOT preclude the need for ongoing self improvement, which is what the post seems to imply. This is dangerous thinking. This will lead to stagnation.
Be the best you can be at any given point in time, but ALWAYS strive for something more. Not necessarily Money, or power, or anything tangible. Wisdom. Education. Spirituality.
These are things that should show continuous improvement all the time.
Peyoteboy, it’s nice to hear your doubt. Doubt is a way to find the truth behind stuff. And, when that stuff has to do with ourselves, dissatisfaction can be a invaluable way to figure ourselves out.
See, to become a happy person is not to feel happy all the time. The mirror of Esired shows us who we want to be and thus allows us to examine what it is we want. Examination is the key. In that, if we slow down the judgment for a few moments, we can see things for what they are.
Achievements are awesome. Through college, work and relationships we have the opportunity to be who we truly are. But … who are we? If we don’t look at our desires, if we don’t see them for what they truly are, we are simply following a script.
So, it may seem paradoxical, but by using the mirror of Esired, or meditation for muggles, we can try and stop the striving for a moment. And see that many of our desires hold greater meanings. Maybe you don’t need to go to college. Maybe you don’t need to have a child. Maybe you’re meant to be a shoe salesman or a stilt walker or a cancer scientist. But you won’t find it by constantly striving. You’ll only find it by looking into the mirror.
I doubt that anyone could be completely happy with the what we live our lives at the moment. To want things, to better ourselves basically how we survive. You can be content with all you have and know that you don’t need anything else to live a fufilled life. I think that is how Buddhist monks see things, I’m not sure. They live without barely anything, but they are content with knowing that they don’t need anything except food, shelter and love to go by and can be completely fine with it. Bill Gates is the richest person in the world yet it seems that he’s happier giving away his money to help people. I see the Mirror of Erised showing that to be completely happy and not desire anything, you just need to have everyhing you need to live contently. That is some form of love, food and water, shelter and clothing.
But, you know, going to uni and do your best in everything is also a wonderful option too…
I know I sound like some crazed hippy, but that’s really what I believe. I not telling anyone to do this, because that would be incredibly hypocritical, and beccause I also want a giant chocolate cake and a super power jetpack when I grow up. Just be great to everyone you know and everyone you don’t know, and pretty sure you’ll have a cracking life. I’m only 14, so I don’t know much about the world at the moment, but I’m doing my best!
This is a very Buddhist position. But I think that, in many ways, Dumbledore was Buddhist. He spent his early years striving for power, with terrible consequences. Afterward, he was content with self-knowledge,self-restraint, and a willingness to surrender his need for control. That didn’t mean he was passive, when he had to act he did so. But, if we read carefully, there were many times he chose not to act but to wait and see. Achievement is important, for the self and for the world. But so are warm socks. And Dubledore appears to have understood which brings happiness.
Imagine that, to be the happiest person in the world. I will be the happiest when there is no person on Earth who thinks him/herself higher than anyone else. When gay marriges are approved. When whether you’re black, white yellow or orage it doesn’t matter. And when All poverty is diminished, I will be truely happy.
My humble interpretation of this message is that you should always try to better yourself and make a better contribution of humanity, but at the same time, when you look at yourself in the mirror, you should be happy with that image. Perhaps that’s not quite what’s conveyed in this book–we may never know that. But that’s how I see it, at any rate.
In my effort to single out one thing that I learned from Dumbledore, I have been reading through these. Right now, I am caught between this one and “Remember to live.”
I know that both lessons are equally important, (as are all the lessons in this doctrine) but I want to find what Dumbledore taught me, not what I learned from other places.
Its hard to figure it out.
But yes, I agree with this idea very much. One of the hardest things to do in life is to accept yourself for who you are and not ever long for more. Hard to learn. Hard to teach. Dumbledore did well.