Choices vs. Abilities

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the best Harry Potter book.

In truth, the entire Harry Potter series is amazing, of course. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone to disagree. Sure there are people out there that refuse to engage in the world of Harry Potter, purely out of (misguided) principle (I know a few). But for those who have actually read the entire series and given it an honest chance, what’s not to like?

The characters and stories are original, creative, and inspiring. It appeals to audiences of all ages. It deals with serious subjects and themes. J.K. Rowling herself has said the main theme of Harry Potter is death. And I love that. Any book that can not only entertain and inspire, but help you feel emotional connections and internalize life lessons, is well worth your time.

Each book in the series deals with different topics and themes, especially as we watch Harry grow up and see the world through his eyes. But the most important lesson for me is stated very plainly in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I realized this as I was recently reading this book with my boys (8 and 6 years old). They may not have understood what was being said; they were more enthralled with Harry fighting the Basilisk and Tom Riddle being defeated. But I stopped reading at a certain point when Dumbledore and Harry are talking after Harry rescues Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets, and realized what a powerful statement Dumbledore says. For you Harry Potter fans, you might already know where I’m going with this.

Harry expresses to Dumbledore something that was bothering him in regards to the memory of young Tom Riddle. He couldn’t help but notice similarities between him and Tom, both in background and personal history, and in demeanor, interests, and even physical appearance (“And a certain disregard for the rules” as Dumbledore says). Harry even references that in his first year, the sorting hat had wanted to put him in Slytherin. Since Tom Riddle, a Slytherin, ended up becoming the most evil wizard of all time (Voldemort), Harry was worried if perhaps the sorting hat had made a mistake, and he WAS supposed to be in Slytherin, which in turn made him worry about his own future and destiny.

Dumbledore, ever a wise teacher, asks Harry why the sorting hat did not put him in Slytherin. Harry responds that he asked it not to.

“Exactly,” says Dumbledore, “Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

This statement is why Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the best book. What a powerful lesson. And it proves true for Harry throughout the entire series, as his sub-par, mediocre abilities (except Quidditch, of course) are not the reason he defeats Voldemort in the end, but his tendency to be a good person and make the right choices.

After reading this, I realized something about myself. I’m a mediocre person when it comes to my own abilities. I got average grades, I’m decently skilled at an array of things, I even have sort of an average temperament, personality, and physical appearance. There might be a FEW things I excel at (composing music, MarioKart) but overall, I’m pretty mediocre.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t say this for sympathy or pity or pandering for a compliment. It’s a reality. And I’m perfectly happy with who I am and my mediocre-ness. That’s what I think I realized.

As I lay there on the bed reading to my boys, I realized that the CHOICES I have made in my life are what brought me this point. Not my abilities. Wonderful wife. Three beautiful children. The chance to be able to spend time with them, read books with them, and help raise them. I knew that’s what I really wanted in life, and I made the choices I needed to to get there.

I’ve often looked back and felt slight regret at not pursuing a career in music. That was my thing. That’s what I excelled at, my ability. Instead I chose a different career path, one that I felt could support a family and provide for their needs. That was my choice. And that choice, along with a lot of other choices along the way, is what’s really made the difference in my life thus far.

Voldemort failed because he had tremendous ability and he valued that ability over everything else in his life. Because he could do something amazing, or had a tendency to behave a certain way, he accepted it, and just followed where that path led. He never understood the power of choice, or choosing NOT to do something just because he could. “That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend,” Dumbledore tells Harry in the Deathly Hallows. He then lists different powerful characteristics and attributes as examples (love, loyalty, innocence).

The similarities between Voldermort and Satan, as well as Harry and us muggles, are not lost on me. Since the before we came to this earth, Satan's plan was always to deprive us of choice. The Plan of Salvation centers around our ability to choose. We don't have to accept our fate, especially if we've made mistakes. Satan would have us believe that once we've sinned, it's too late and we might as well head down the path he attempted to pre-determine for us. A path of misery and sorrow, making us feel like it's too late and we have no choice to repent and change. This path strays far from the truth.

Choices are power. They’re like a superpower that we all have. Everyone can make their own choices for what they want in life. You don’t have to accept the life that’s been handed to you. You don’t like it? Choose something else. You’re unhappy? Make a different choice. Not sure if it’s the right choice? Give it a try and find out. Then learn from it if it’s not.

Oh I’ve made PLENTY of wrong choices too, that might be another thing I excel at… and it’s been tough (huge understatement there). Marriage. Kids. Money. Job. Moving. Family. It goes on and on. And it’s not like Harry made right choices every time either, he definitely made some mistakes (have you read Order of the Phoenix? He’s frustratingly annoying). It’s also the wrong choices, the mistakes, the avalanche of problems from those mistakes that keep me up at night, the regrets, that help shape me into who I am.

And I’m just fine with that. At the end of the day, I can read to my boys before bed. What more do I need in life?

Besides a wand.