Harry Potter: From Muggle Cousin to Conceptual Wizard

Chapter 300: Worship the abstract spirit, love the concrete person!

Hermione frowned slightly when she heard Dudley say that.

She understood that Dudley's point was still a veiled criticism of her blind worship of Lockhart.

But in her heart, she considered herself a rational person, and her affection for Lockhart was well-founded and reasonable; she did not believe that she was being blind.

She was now very curious about just how unsavory Lockhart was hiding that Dudley kept bringing up the topic and giving her warnings.

"Dali, I admit that what you said makes some sense, but I still need to explain further. I have the ability to discern!"

I have read several of Professor Lockhart's published books, and the adventures he describes are incredibly realistic. His techniques and experience in fighting dark creatures are also very practical and outstanding.

I have compared the geographical distribution of dark creatures with the atlas and consulted with Professor Kettleburn and Professor Moody. The experiences in Professor Lockhart's book are almost impossible to be faked, and those combat skills and experiences are also very valuable for learning.

Based on this, I subscribed to and read through Professor Lockhart's other interview materials and information, and concluded that he was an extremely excellent and powerful wizard, which is why I developed feelings of liking and admiration for him.

Even if Professor Lockhart is hiding something I don't know, does that mean my affection for him is wrong and blind?

Hermione argued her case and defended herself.

Harry and Ron, who were standing nearby, didn't say anything after hearing this, but judging from their expressions, they were clearly somewhat persuaded by Hermione.

Keda Li, however, remained serious and did not let himself be swayed.

He pointed out directly: "Hermione, there are two problems with what you just said. One is that your analysis is not rigorous, and the other is the degree of your liking."

You have only used some means to roughly confirm that the experiences and insights written in Lockhart's book are real and valid, but this does not prove that these experiences and insights belong to Lockhart.

Have you considered the possibility that the book wasn't written by Lockhart? Have you considered the possibility that the book was written by Lockhart, but the experiences described weren't his own?

"You mean, Lockhart, he..."

Hermione gasped, and upon hearing Dudley's almost explicit suggestion, she stopped calling him "Professor."

“Lockhart is not important; what is important is that your logical thinking is not comprehensive enough.”

Dudley interrupted Hermione and continued, "And then there's the issue of how much you like someone."

Even if Lockhart's writing is excellent and you really enjoy it, it's enough to extend your appreciation of the book to your appreciation of the author.

Without fully understanding Lockhart, don't you think your liking for her is a bit excessive?

You're such a studious person, usually either reading or attending classes, or on your way to reading or attending classes. Yet today, you dragged two of your best friends to wait in the auditorium for Lockhart.

Can you honestly say there's no element of blind faith involved?

Hermione now fully realized that she had really gone a bit too far.

Perhaps it wasn't just because Lockhart wrote well; his radiant, smiling face also played a role.

Hermione silently analyzed herself in her heart, her little face slightly flushed.

I don't know if it's out of shame or remorse.

"Hermione, I was just answering your question, but actually, it deviated a bit from what I was saying before."

Dudley pressed his advantage, continuing while Hermione was reflecting, "I told you, to not overindulge your affections, to stick to the facts."

If you think a book is well-written, just absorb the lessons it teaches and retain your love for the book; there's no need to have too many fantasies about the author.

If you think a dish is good, just eat it all and keep your enjoyment of it; you don't necessarily need to know the chef who made it.

Love, regardless of its type, should be precious and sparing.

When emotions run rampant, rationality diminishes.

Hermione, and Harry and Ron, you all need to remember this.

We can't see a good book today and assume the author is a good person, and fall in love with it completely; we can't eat a delicious meal tomorrow and assume the chef who cooked it is a good person, and fall in love with it completely; we can't see a nice painting the day after and assume the painter is a good person...

Many people in this world have a special skill; if this kind of thinking is allowed to continue, then everyone will be a good person.

Is that even possible?

I don't want to see you invest too much affection and emotion in someone just because of their talent, only to find out one day that this person is actually a morally corrupt scoundrel, and then feel unable to accept it, experience an emotional collapse, and get hurt.

This is the reason I am telling you this.

Hermione now had a clearer understanding of her own reflections.

Harry and Ron seemed to understand something, but judging from Ron's expression, he still seemed a bit confused but impressed.

This doesn't affect anything; Harry and Ron themselves don't have this kind of contrarian "love me, love my dog" mentality.

"But Dudley, does that mean everyone can only like and admire those around them who they know the truth about?"

The quick-witted Hermione accepted Dudley's reasoning, but then immediately raised a new question.

"Isn't it better to only love the people around you who are worthy of your love?"

Dali smiled and asked in a relaxed tone.

Hermione was only slightly taken aback and didn't really buy it.

Because Dali didn't answer her question directly, but instead evaded it and asked a new question.

Dudley had no choice but to straighten up slightly and begin his real argument:

"Hermione, you can like and admire celebrities and stars you don't know, but don't just look at their talents and abilities, and don't just listen to what they say in public."

Instead, we should look at what they have actually done over the long term and what impact they have had on people and the world.

However, this still carries risks. These risks stem from the channels through which you obtain information. You need to gather information from multiple sources and comprehensively understand the situation before making a decision or judgment.

Personally, I don't tend to idolize any specific celebrity. I prefer to admire more essential qualities and spirits that are abstracted from specific people, events, and things, such as courage and sacrifice, self-discipline and perseverance, loyalty and kindness, and so on.

As for personal preferences, I tend to reserve them for specific people around me.

In short, it's about venerating abstract, precious values ​​and loving the concrete people around you.

After hearing these words, Hermione seemed to understand something. After thinking for a while, she excitedly shared her understanding:

"Just like the four founders of Hogwarts, each of them established a house with its own unique spirit?"

Gryffindor represents courage, and we admire the spirit of courage, not just Mr. Godric Gryffindor, right?