Becoming Lord Voldemort: Master of Quirrell #MNBHP

…Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it… Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me… He does not forgive mistakes easily…”

Quirrell

…I have form only when I can share another’s body…but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…”

Voldemort

…He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies…”

Dumbledore

Lord Voldemort was nothing, mere vapors, without the willingness of those like Quirrell to give themselves fully over to him. Voldemort would do anything to survive. To him, saving himself was the ultimate goal—no matter what or whom it cost. “Me above the rest,” was his life philosophy.

It wasn’t too hard for him to find followers. Anyone he could convince to put themselves, their needs, their goals, their power, their success, their life above others was easy prey. In other words, those whose character was weak. However, when he tries the same on Harry saying,

Don’t be a fool…. Better save your own life and join me…”

it doesn’t work. Why? Because Harry cares more about others than he does himself. He would never sacrifice someone else’s life to save his own. He wouldn’t even take the Triwizard Cup for his own glory. Instead, after trying to give the win away, he agrees to share with Cedric. And before that, he puts saving others before winning the second challenge.

To become Lord Voldemort is easy. All we have to do is believe that we are more important than others—our happiness, our wants, our desires, our comfort, our lives. Sadly, this thinking seems to be more and more easy to slip into in our selfie-obsessed world. Not that taking selfies is bad, but we need to guard our hearts and minds from Voldemort-like thinking. Thinking that places ourselves above others.

CHALLENGE:

This post is titled Becoming Lord Voldemort, but it’s really not hard to become him. Most of us battle with self-centeredness. The real challenge is admitting to that Voldemort tendency within ourselves and turning away from it. When we feel the me-first urge, we need to remember Harry—the boy who has a “saving people” thing—and ask ourselves: Is placing myself above everyone else worth becoming more like Lord Voldemort? Or would I rather have a “saving people” thing?

Share your answer with us using #MNBHP.

Next Week: Becoming Albus Dumbledore: A Well Organized Mind