A book of Narrative that exemplifies values makes for a religion. What I’ve come to realize/believe, is that you don’t have to believe The Narrative is literally true for The Narrative to serve the positive purposes of a religion.
While all the rationality homilies are fine and dandy, I thought HPMOR could have been more. HPMOR was so close to a transvaluation of values.
Mum and Dad, Hermione’s friendship and Draco’s journey, Neville and Seamus and Lavender and Dean, the blue sky and brilliant Sun and all bright things, the Earth, the stars, the promise, everything humanity was and everything it would become...
And someday when the descendants of humanity have spread from star to star, they won’t tell the children about the history of Ancient Earth until they’re old enough to bear it; and when they learn they’ll weep to hear that such a thing as Death had ever once existed!
You are not invincible, and someday the human species will end you. I will end you if I can, by the power of mind and magic and science. I won’t cower in fear of Death, not while I have a chance of winning. I won’t let Death touch me, I won’t let Death touch the ones I love. And even if you do end me before I end you, Another will take my place, and another, Until the wound in the world is healed at last…
A Rejection of Death as part of the Natural Order. Time Binding. Humanity as the Glass Half Full. Now that’s a transvaluation of values.
That’s what I wish the Narrative had turned on. The moral issue. Values. Transvaluation of values in Voldemort. Isn’t that Harry’s dream? That we can all be saved? That we are all worth saving? And that people can come to understand that?
If Harry could understand that, why not Voldemort, the guy with the same brain?
That’s the argument to win. That’s the case to be made. That’s the story to be told.
Instead, the climax was an Encyclopedia Brown Beats the Bad Guy by solving a cognitive puzzle. Harry won because Voldemort didn’t know all that Harry was capable of. Sure. You get a win that way. But what was learned? That it’s good to have powers the enemy doesn’t know about? Well, yeah, but that’s neither news nor uplifting.
And “having people to save gives you cognitive superpowers” just isn’t true. Maybe it motivates you to work diligently. But it doesn’t turn your brain up to 11 when faced with dozens of enemies about to kill you.
I had great hopes. GREAT hopes.
A book of Narrative that exemplifies values makes for a religion. What I’ve come to realize/believe, is that you don’t have to believe The Narrative is literally true for The Narrative to serve the positive purposes of a religion.
While all the rationality homilies are fine and dandy, I thought HPMOR could have been more. HPMOR was so close to a transvaluation of values.
Mum and Dad, Hermione’s friendship and Draco’s journey, Neville and Seamus and Lavender and Dean, the blue sky and brilliant Sun and all bright things, the Earth, the stars, the promise, everything humanity was and everything it would become...
And someday when the descendants of humanity have spread from star to star, they won’t tell the children about the history of Ancient Earth until they’re old enough to bear it; and when they learn they’ll weep to hear that such a thing as Death had ever once existed!
You are not invincible, and someday the human species will end you. I will end you if I can, by the power of mind and magic and science. I won’t cower in fear of Death, not while I have a chance of winning. I won’t let Death touch me, I won’t let Death touch the ones I love. And even if you do end me before I end you, Another will take my place, and another, Until the wound in the world is healed at last…
A Rejection of Death as part of the Natural Order. Time Binding. Humanity as the Glass Half Full. Now that’s a transvaluation of values.
That’s what I wish the Narrative had turned on. The moral issue. Values. Transvaluation of values in Voldemort. Isn’t that Harry’s dream? That we can all be saved? That we are all worth saving? And that people can come to understand that?
If Harry could understand that, why not Voldemort, the guy with the same brain?
That’s the argument to win. That’s the case to be made. That’s the story to be told.
Instead, the climax was an Encyclopedia Brown Beats the Bad Guy by solving a cognitive puzzle. Harry won because Voldemort didn’t know all that Harry was capable of. Sure. You get a win that way. But what was learned? That it’s good to have powers the enemy doesn’t know about? Well, yeah, but that’s neither news nor uplifting.
And “having people to save gives you cognitive superpowers” just isn’t true. Maybe it motivates you to work diligently. But it doesn’t turn your brain up to 11 when faced with dozens of enemies about to kill you.