At Harvard, Rowling stresses role of imagination

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Widescreen Edition)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – J.K. Rowling stressed the crucial importance of imagination during a speech Thursday at Harvard University’s spring commencement, saying, “We do not need magic to transform our world.”

The “Harry Potter” author also spoke about the benefit of failure, recalling the humiliations of her time in poverty before her career took off with her string of novels about a bespectacled boy wizard.

Before the speech, some members of Harvard’s class of 1936 paid tribute to Rowling by carrying brooms during an alumni procession.

President Drew Gilpin Faust also welcomed witches, wizards and Muggles — non-magical people in Rowling’s books — to the commencement. Faust noted that there was a larger number of young children than normally expected for a Harvard graduation and that she knew she was the just “the warm-up act.”

Rowling, who was given an honorary doctor of letters degree, urged the Harvard grads to use their influence and status to speak out on behalf of the powerless.

“We do not need magic to transform our world,” she said. “We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already; we have the power to imagine better.”

Imagination gives one the ability to empathize with others, she said.

“Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation,” Rowling said. “In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity; it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.”

Rowling described a low point seven years after graduating from college, when she was a poor single mother.

“The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are ever after secure in your ability to survive,” Rowling said. “You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity.”

She called such knowledge “a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualification I ever earned.”

Six Characteristics Of a Movie-Crazy

I have a few friends who are movie-crazy, I mean, a film maniac. No doubt, movie is their breath. I enjoy observe this kind of creature’s behavior; how they are thinking, how they act. And since I am a movie-crazy too, I also observe myself.

What so interesting, there are behavior similarities among us. Let me reveal my secret note now. Yeah, although it is not so scientific and has a potential to make you smile, this note actually is not a humor. It is the result of my long observation (by hangout with and interviewed them).

First characteristic of a movie-crazy, there are always Home Video’s member cards in his/her wallet, sometimes with some bonus vouchers. A movie-crazy never satisfied by registered only in one video rental. Movies he/she has been hunting usually are something distinctive. Films which according to common taste are bizarre and do not quite rock, if he/she thinks yummy enough for his/her hungry soul, will be devoured in no time.

Second characteristic, still around his/her wallet, we will found pieces of cinema free pass. Or if not so, there is brochure or small note about schedule of movie screening tucked in. French films at French Cultural Centre, Japanese films at Japanese Consul, Germanic films at Goethe, and so on.

From his/her wallet, we move a bit to find third characteristic. Did you notice, a movie-crazy’s cellular phone is always full of Home Video telephone numbers, including DVD rentals where he/she did not register in yet. People like this usually do chummy with rental’s employees. Because sometimes he/she telephoned then stirred them up with many of film titles he/she was looking for, “Please check your catalog whether Sahara is available. Iranian films! None? Not here yet? Ok, how about a… very new thriller from Finland, I am not sure about the English title, but I bet you know it, it is happening. And Faust or Nosferatu, old stuffs from German expressionism, do you have the DVDs? Also, give me Tim Burton’s masterpieces, please.” Ah, poor employees.

Fourth characteristic, when looking something remarkable, he/she spontaneously thought to replay it. Or if he/she really missed an interesting part of it, he/she convinced his/her self, “No problem, I can watch it again when its DVD version has released.” Off course in seconds he/she came to realize that he/she just thought stupidly.

A movie-crazy has also his/her own way to calm his/her lover down, that is fifth characteristic. For example, when the girl/boy friend said, “It’s not funny anymore, honey! Blood is gushing profusely from your wound, how could you keep laughing?” he/she would respond, “Relax, this is merely a special effect.” Even if it was not special effect at all, it was real blood.

Sixth characteristic or the last one on my note, his/her dreams was completed by voice-over narration. When he/she saw Greatest Wall in the dream, a bass voice suddenly came up, “China again. Damn. It seems like I was a minutes ago in Korea….” Then his/her eye lens was panning slowly and a soundtrack was barely heard. Nobody pushed play button while he/she was sleeping, it is his/her subconscious that turned those voices on.”

Just like a crazy, isn’t he/she? Yeah, that is why I am using “movie-crazy” words, instead of “moviegoers”. But if you experience one, some, or all of the six symptoms above, do not bother to go to a psychiatrist. Just come and join with people whose same fate. Welcome to the club!

Brahmanto Anindito is a copywriter, also fiction researcher in Warung Fiksi. He speaks in Indonesian, English and French.

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