“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
This quote is from JK Rowling’s book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry has found the Mirror of Erised, which shows the observer what they most desire, in Harry’s case, his family. He spends many nights staring into the mirror before Professor Dumbledore steps in. He warns Harry that many people have died sitting in front of that mirror, longing for their dreams.
This is a very powerful statement. We are taught from a young age that we can and should pursue our dreams, and if we work hard enough and long enough, eventually they will come true.
But at what cost? What do we sacrifice for our dreams?
In the movie Click, Michael Newman wants the perfect life. He thinks the first step is his dream job. With the help of a magical universal remote he starts to skip parts of his life to reach his goals. He is convinced that after he gets over this cold, or as soon as he gets that next promotion, he will be happy. He then realizes he has skipped through his entire life, neglecting his family and friends, and he still doesn’t have the ‘perfect life’.
Rowling’s quotation reminds us that, though goals and dreams are important, we should find happiness in our lives here in the present instead of constantly looking to the future for happiness.
The Writing Experiment 