9 Life Lessons We Can Learn From Harry Potter

he tale of Harry Potter is no doubt one of the most beloved stories of all time. The world, the characters and the stories are loved by people of almost every age. You might see a young school goer reading it one day and an elderly woman another day. One of the most frequent (grossly incorrect) misconceptions about the books is that it is a "children's book" or you have to be a child to truly enjoy it. Not at all! The themes, stories and lessons in the book transcend age and that is why it is so loved.

9 Life Lessons We Can Learn From Harry Potter:

I. THE POWER OF LOVE

Even though Harry lives in a world of wizards and witches and incredibly amazing magic, love is the single most important factor, is what saved his life. When Lord Voldermort attacks his family, Harry's mother Lily sacrifices herself to save her only son and that sacrifice of love is so powerful that it saves Harry's life against the killing curse (making him the only one ever) and destroys Voldermort, one of the most powerful wizards of all time.

Lesson: Love is the most powerful force when it comes to defeating evil, not hate or anger.

II. THE IMPORTANCE OF FRIENDSHIP

Each of the 7 years Harry manages to achieve great things but none of it would have ever been possible if Harry didn't have his friends. Harry would have never gotten to the Sorcerer's stone if Ron didn't help him with chess, discover the basilisk without Hermione's infinite knowledge and brains, be able to breathe under water during the triwizard tournament without Neville's gillyweed and get Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem without Luna's assistance etc . Harry's friends are there for him every step of the way, including the final battle and none of his achievements would have been possible without them.

Lesson: We might be strong on our own but we are infinitely stronger when we have our friends by our side.

III. PREJUDICE IS UNACCEPTABLE

Even the magical world isn't free of discrimination. In Harry Potter's world some discriminate again mudbloods (those born of muggles - aka non magical folk), werewolves, house elves and more. Like it is in our world, some wizards believed others to be inferior and unworthy just because they had non magical parents or were a certain kind of had an infliction. In The Chamber of Secrets "mudbloods" were targeted and killed in order to purify Hogwarts. This misguided notion even ended up taking the life of Myrtle. Being of non-magical origin etc was no indication of what caliber witch or wizard a person was. Hermione Granger and Lily Evans (Harry's mother) were both born from non-magical parents but despite that they were two of the most intelligent and powerful witches of their times. Remus Lupin was a werewolf and a powerful wizard and teacher and Dobby the house elf managed to do great magic to keep Harry Potter away from Hogwarts.

Lesson: Never judge a person based on their race, color, origin or any conditions they suffer from.

IV. RIGHT VS. EASY

Harry Potter had many gifts, he was a powerful wizard with the ability to talk to snakes among other things. Many of his capabilities were quite similar to the dark Lord Voldermort. If Harry would have wanted he could have easily succumbed to those innate skills and gone over to the dark side. But like Dumbledore says, it is not ones abilities that define them, it is their choices. Time and time again, Harry Potter chooses good over evil. He supports what is right over what is easy and that is what leads to his triumph.

Lesson: We succeed not because of what talents we possess but the choices we make in life.

V. COURAGE IS ALL YOU NEED

Harry is just a young boy of 11 when he discovers he is "the boy who survived." He is immediately put on a pedestal and everybody expects great things without realizing that he is just a child. Harry is constantly faced with remarkable tasks: defeating a troll, rescuing Ginny Weasley from a giant snake, defending himself against dementors, being the youngest student to compete in the Triwizard tournament where he has to defeat a dragon amongst other things, teaching his fellow students how to defend themselves against the dark arts, battling death eaters and fighting Lord Voldermort. All these are upon a young boy, who successfully achieves them because he has one thing -- courage. Harry might not be as powerful and knowledgeable but he faces up to everything that he thrown at him and that is how he triumphs.

Lesson: Whatever life throws at you, welcome it with open arms.

VI. FAMILY MATTERS

Family and blood ties also hold a lot of importance in Harry Potter's world. The Weasleys might not have a lot of material possessions but their strength and power comes from each other. In Harry's case, the only blood family he is left with is his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, who treat him like vermin all his life. Even though they raise Harry, they never give him any love and Harry has no liking for them. It is later on in his life that he realizes that his aunt had a huge part in his survival. Lord Voldermort could not touch Harry or attack him because of his mother's sacrifice and because of Petunia's blood connection to Lily, as long as Harry is 17 and living with her he is protected. Sometimes family that we don't even get along with can help us.

Lesson: Even though you might not get along, when in need family is always there for you.

VII. LOYALTY IS POWERFUL

Loyalty is a powerful trait that appears over and over again in Harry Potter. There is Snape's loyalty to Dumbledore that never falters. Loyalty that asks of many things from him but Snape never betrays Dumbledore. There is also Harry Potter's loyalty to Albus Dumbledore. Harry holds tremendous respect for his teacher and mentor and when others question him, Harry stands by and defends him. Harry's allegiance is so strong that when he is stuck in the Chamber of Secrets fighting the basilisk, Dumbledore's faithful Phoenix, Fawkes, comes to his rescue -- all because he showed loyalty to Dumbledore.

Lesson: Loyalty is a powerful and rewarding trait that goes a long way

VIII. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE OTHERS

Lord Voldermort's one fateful flaw was that he constantly underestimated his enemies. He believed himself to be so powerful and so above all that he could never imagine that a young boy could cause his defeat and ultimate death. His hubris clouds his judgment and he falls, just like everybody else. Harry Potter on the other hand succeeds because he accepts his mortality and know that he is defeat-able.

Lesson: Believe in yourself but don't let your pride get the better of you.

IX. TRUST YOURSELF

There are plenty of spells, hexes, charms and curses in Harry Potter's magical world but they can all be pretty useless if not said with conviction. The most important factor when it came to magic was self-confidence. If you did not believe in yourself, your spell had no power. Hermione succeeded at so much because she was confident, where as poor Neville always got into trouble because he was always doubtful of his ability and fearful of failing.

Lesson: You can achieve anything as long as you believe in yourself.


Reference URL: http://www.intent.com/prachi/blog/9-life-lessons-we-can-learn-harry-potter

These are so true.Thanks for posting S.
(Though,I think you copied it from somewhere...)

Sorry, forgot to put reference link.
edited.

...from the book.. right.