Voldemort replies

Dear Mr. Tamano:

 I was very disappointed with your letter to Harry Potter, which was published in your column last week. You do know that Harry Potter is nothing but fiction, a modern fantasy for children and childish adults like you. Unfortunately, you wrote to the wrong character from the Harry Potter books because it is I, Lord Voldemort, who is very much real.

There are no teenage boys with lightning bolt scars on their foreheads and who have magic wands that spew light and magic. On the other hand, I am the very personification of evil. And in the 21st century, evil is very real. You may not see me or find me in the exact form that I am depicted in the Harry Potter books but, nonetheless, I do exist. I live in the heart of every crooked politician, every swindler and criminal, every terrorist, and I am nearly fully formed in every tyrant and despot that clings to power despite the suffering of their people.

And actually you’ve heard me — or felt my presence — haven’t you, Mr. Tamano? Every time you want to cut corners, or lie, or cheat, that’s me whispering in your ear. Has Harry Potter ever come that close to you? Of course not! He is happily flying on broomsticks, playing quidditch, or having a butterbeer with his pals. He doesn’t have any time for you. But I do.

Moreover, you are incredibly naive to think that your admiration for Harry Potter’s character, meaning not only his persona in the series but also, more specifically, his values and beliefs, have helped you become a better person. It hasn’t. Particularly in this hyper-competitive world, believing in Potter’s values undermines your chances for success. Harry Potter is kind, loyal, and honest and you appear to aspire to be the same. But look all around you: how many kind, loyal, and honest people have made it to the very top of their professions, particularly in politics or the law? Isn’t it true that it is usually those who appear to be kind, loyal, and honest but who are, in reality, cold-blooded, selfish, and dishonest, who are able to amass power and wealth, particularly in your country, the Philippines? Despite all your apparent education, you’ve failed to remember the most elementary of truths — good guys finish last. Except in fairy tales like the Harry Potter books.

If you really want to be a success Mr. Tamano, you should have written to me and asked for my advice because, as I’ve just explained, my disciples are the ones at the very top. In fact, if you want to join them, then all you have to do is to be like me. As you’ve read from the books and seen in the Potter movies, my strength comes from my willingness to bend the rules, whether they are magical rules or simple guidelines of ethics and morality. I became the greatest wizard of all time because I did all the things the “good” wizards were unwilling to do. In any case, ethics and morality are for the small and weak; in the real world, the strong get to do whatever they want and get away with it. And your aspirations to ethics and morality make you very, very weak.

In fact, nowadays, my job has become much, much easier and my cohorts are able to succeed far more quickly because of the modern advent of spin doctors and PR practitioners. I can be — and am — a truly horrible monster and as long the public perception of me is positive, then I — and all my interests, plans, and schemes — are fine.

However, to be fair, you did get one thing right in your letter to Potter. The highest and strongest form of magic is, truly, love. But don’t think that I’m suddenly filled with fear because of that silly kind of magic. What you failed to realize is that most people have forgotten the magic of love. Love of God and country were once powerful enchantments against me and my kind but nowadays fewer and fewer people maintain their devotion to their nation or their Creator.

There is still a lot of love in this current age but it is in the form of the narcissistic self-love, which is a wonderful perversion of genuine love. Our post-modern world doesn’t allow many to maintain the real, powerful kinds of love of family, God, and country anymore. As much of the current media demonstrates, the focus is on love of “me”. And that love doesn’t have any real power against me.

Finally, I’ve written to you, Mr. Tamano out of a sense of pity because I see in you the makings of a powerful dark wizard like myself. If you would only let go of your stupid attachments and aspirations to the old-fashioned virtues of speaking the truth, prioritizing your family, and following the law, then I could make you very successful. I could give you a stellar career in politics or maybe you’d prefer to have an influential law firm? The world is yours for the taking. Just follow my lead.

I await,

Lord Voldemort