Evendays

Here’s a quote from page 723 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, after Harry’s long, plot-explaining conversation with his old mentor, Dumbledore:

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry’s ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” (emphasis mine).

What’s real? Is real what goes on inside your head (especially after having been smacked with a killing curse)? Is it as real as your family, as real as your love for them, as real as the past you’ve shared? Is it as real as your God, as his sacrifice, as your hope?

I remember speaking with a young lady about hope. I mentioned the resurrection of Jesus and that hope was based on this past event. I asked her: Do you believe that event happened? And she replied: I believe that, for you, it happened. But for me, it didn’t happen.

Wow. There were two ways of seeing history: For me the tomb was empty. For her, it wasn’t. The same event. Two realities, and reality inside the head trumps the truth of the actual event.