It’s strange, reading was never a pastime that was particularly encouraged during my upbringing. So when I had my first taste of Harry Potter, it was as a book that I loaned from the local library. To this day, Harry Potter and the Philopsher’s Stone remains my all time favourite read; the feeling I got from immersing myself in J. K. Rowling’s world was like no other I had experienced. The wizarding world made complete and perfect sense – and it was so very wonderful to be a part of.

But I realise that enjoying Harry Potter as a child is a completely different experience to enjoying it as an adult. As an adult, I now realise how truly profound the message of the story is. My appreciation for J. K. Rowling’s ability is tenfold. As an adult, I can appreciate how an individual can find solace in a fictional world, and I often find myself wondering what experiences J. K. Rowling must have had in order for them to reflect in her writing the way they do.

The underlying theme of ‘good versus evil’ is ever present in her books and not too dissimilar from the battle faced by our very own planet. In a world that is dominated by the human race, we only have to switch our TVs on to bear witnesses to inhumane acts that are driven by a thirst for power and control of others. A Voldemort probably sits amongst us all – an individual with so much darkness in his or her heart that the only way they know to feel something is at the dear cost to somebody else. And yet running parallel to this is all that is right in the world. The millions of people whose hearts are so full of peace and gratitude, and a desire to increasingly make themselves a better person. We see proof of this everyday in the most simple acts of kindness; somebody holding the door, or giving way, or somebody taking five minutes out of their day to really listen to what somebody else has to say. With all the negative news stories that we have become accustomed to it is often easy to forget the true beauty that our world continues to offer.

In my view Harry Potter teaches us some of the most valuable lessons in life; that all humans are flawed (and that’s okay), that the animals in our kingdom are an integral part of it, and that fighting to preserve our planet is a fight worth having! In a society that encourages independence, Harry Potter is able to provide us with the benefits of putting our pride and ego aside to ask for help in our times of need; it values the importance of friendship. It reminds us that love is enduring, across any space, time or distance. And it shows that a little humility can go a very long way indeed. Through it all, Harry Potter reminds us that life is complicated; we have difficult choices to make and these are likely to induce a feeling of fear or anxiety, but in the very end with a little bit of courage and a lot of determination we are likely to prevail. And the hardest lesson of all? That the people who need us to be most kind are those whom we often believe don’t deserve it at all – we have to learn to forgive the things we deem most unforgivable..

So who needs religion when you’ve got Harry Potter to guide you; all one needs to ask themselves is, what would Harry Potter do?