What Would Dumbledore Do?
Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real? - Dumbledore, Deathly Hallows
Out of all the amazing quotes from Dumbledore we’ve read throughout the series, I think this one blew me away the most. It really opened my mind to how we imagine and dream.
When we envision ideas and dream of our future, we create very detailed pictures in our mind. Harry’s experience with meeting Dumbledore in the train station was nothing short of an extremely visual and realistic dream. The symbolism from being within the train station – where you can either come or go – was nothing short of perfect.
Random but true fact: this quote is also in line with a common phrase Disney resorts love to promote: “with your imagination, anything is possible.”
The idea is very motivating to anyone who thinks about it. Nothing is impossible when you have dedication. Harry was dedicated to completing his mission and wanting to believe that Dumbledore was really speaking to him. In all reality, Dumbledore WAS speaking to him. Harry’s 7 years of knowing Albus allowed him to create a perfect vision… a perfect dream.
I often think about this quote when I’m trying to get inspired and motivated. In today’s day and age, with the right people and the right motivation, you really CAN conquer anything. When we lose close friends and family, I believe we sometimes find ourselves recreating them in our head and wondering what they’d be saying to us right now in a specific situation. Dumbledore and Harry probably both knew this, which is why that meeting after the epic battle happened.
So What Would Dumbledore Do? He’d encourage you to believe that dreams CAN come true!
Wow Andrew, I never thought to tie that quote to the ones you mentioned in relation to Disney, but they do relate to each other quite a lot.
Dumbledore would definitely encourage people to dream big and work hard towards accomplishing their dreams. He would believe that anything is possible, if you just put your mind to it.
I love the wonders of the imagination. Especially with having an active imagination as I do, I feel in love with this quote in Death Hallows! And I agree with Jenni, I’d never woulda thought that something HP related would relate to Disney, but that’s an amazing point you bring up Andrew!
I remember a discussion where someone said “Just because it’s not a fact doesn’t mean it’s not true.” I think that’s the distinction. Truth is much greater than simple facts, it transcends what is “real”. Alternatively, to quote Leonard Cohen “it ’s real but it ain’t exactly there.” Some things that are facts, aren’t truth. And most of us are so literal that we get truth and fact all mixed up with each other. I never thought that Harry and Dumbledore were physically in a train station but neither did I think this was simply a dream or vision of Harry’s. Rather it was a real meeting, a real connection beyond the grave (after all, I doubt Harry would have dreamed the damaged and mewling Voldermort, especially then) but one that took a form guided by Harry’s imagination and memory. Was Dumbledore “real”? Yes. But he wasn’t exactly there.
Who doesn’t love to dream. Dreaming and imagining are some of the best yet simplest things to do.
People often say that loved ones we ‘lose’ are still in our hearts– but I’ve never yet been told that they remain in our imaginations. However, why shouldn’t they? I have had dreams in which dead loved ones, fictional characters, even old pets made appearances. I’ve had wonderful adventures with Harry, Ron, and Hermione through my dreams, as well as other book and movie characters.
They were real then– or rather, they were true.
After all, faith, hope, and love cannot be called real for they are not tangible, and there is no scientific proof– nor way to scientifically prove– that they exist. But only the extremely foolish would deny their existence, or, indeed, hold any disbelief in their existence.
We may not be able to see, hear, touch, smell, or find love, but there simply is no denying that it is there. But WHAT there?
What Would Dumbledore Do– through this, if we ask ourselves this thing during taxing situations, we maintain a connection with someone who is not only dead, but fictional.
Science cannot be relied on to say what things are real. Our hearts and souls, however, will always know or have opportunity to learn what is true.
In short (although this response is anything but) the old saying is entirely true. The “there” about which I queried above is us. Our lost loved ones, our best friends, our old pets, our favorite fictional characters, our historic role models– they can all, every single one of them, be found inside of us. In our imaginations, hearts, souls, or consciences. Physically they may not be there– but, like love, can you really deny their existence?
Furthermore, I personally condemn each and every person who says that imaginary friends are not real friends.
It seems to raise a deeper issue. Surely we can only understand reality (out there) through the filter of our beliefs, understanding, concepts and world view. The two realms are not distinct – as we so often think – but are so interconnected that we sometimes don’t know where one ends and the other begins. Although this is not a HP reference, the expression ’sour grapes’ I think comes from a fable about a fox (possibly) that couldn’t reach a bunch of grapes no matter how hard he tried. After giving up on the grapes he said to himself “I didn’t want them anyway. I don’t like sour grapes”
Those grapes may not have been sour but to the fox they were because of something ‘inside his head’ that changed his reality.