We Need Dumbledore's Army

I try really, really hard not to get political here. But I need to share this. Regardless of what you think of the recent US election and inauguration, you can't deny that the country is extremely divided right now. Hate is on the rise. Therefore, many people are turning to their favorite sources of comfort-- notably, Harry Potter.

This post was inspired by Ezra Miller's comments a while ago regarding the current political climate. He said, "The world of J.K. Rowling is this beautiful mythology that comforts us, and if we knew it as children, it brings us to a very basic place of feeling like we're not alone in the world. [She] reminds us of the tools that we have in times of darkness, like the one we are barreling into right now: our love, our support of each other, friendship, community." He noted that he watched the Harry Potter films with his friends after the election, because they needed that comfort. And he also made a statement that I think is beautiful. "I think we're going to need the Order of the Phoenix."

Reading this made me think. Being a teenager, I often feel painfully limited in the good I can do (which is often where these kinds of posts come from- sharing my voice via the internet to try to inspire change on some small level). I have strong political opinions, I'm a feminist, I care about equality, but it's so friggin' hard to do anything about it in a small town and smaller high school. Teenagers often aren't given credit for their opinions, being told they're "too young" to worry about these things.

Harry Potter often feels the same way. In book 5, he's told he's too young to join the Order of the Phoenix. Then he gets back to school and sees the same problems happening there. So what does he do? He creates Dumbledore's Army.

So I'm asking all the teenagers who might come across this-- will you be Dumbledore's Army with me? Let's educate ourselves on important issues, challenge injustice when we see it, and prepare to be the ones in the Order. Maybe the DA didn't cause broad, sweeping change. But it taught the people who participated. They learned how to defend themselves and others. And it prepared them to enact that broad, sweeping change.

As much as it feels like giving up to write this, maybe teens can't change the world by themselves. The world is a very big place, after all, and a very stubborn one. But I've discussed small-level change before. When you can't do everything to help (and you can't), do something to help. Create your own little pockets of joy and hope and peace and beauty and all the things the world desperately needs right now. If you can't make change for everyone, make change for someone. It's okay if that's just one person. It's okay if that one person is you. Because one day, you're going to be where the adults are now, and you're going to need all of your dueling skills and defensive charms.

I'd like to make one more note on this. Learn your Patronus charm. Find something that can make you happy, that can drive away the darkness around you, even if it's just for a while. Because all the hate in the world is ready to devour everything. It's crushing. You're going to need something to protect yourself. Whether it's music, or a sport, or books, or a list of a thousand little things that make you smile or all of these or none of these, please find a way to protect yourself from the hate. You can't help anyone if you don't help yourself first.

And don't feel guilty about using it. Use your Patronus as often as you need. Let yourself feel happy if you can, and if you can't, work to get to the point where you can. The world has enough sadness. Let yourself be happy. It might even be a little glow, a candle in a vast dark space, but it will illuminate your way and help you find other candles to light.

Maybe we can't change the world yet. But we can get ready for the time that we can.