Imperio!

I was recently listening to the 4th Harry Potter book on CD, and when the "Imperius Curse" was mentioned, a lightbulb clicked on in my brain because of the direction of some of my thoughts lately. Now, for those of you who are not as versed in Harry Potter vocabulary and culture as I am, I have included a couple of definitions from the online "Harry Potter Wiki" - yes, there really is such a thing:


"The Imperius Curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses. When cast successfully, it places the victim completely under the caster's control, though a person with exceptional strength of will is capable of resisting it. This makes it unique among the unforgivable curses, as it is the only one of them with a known, reliable method of resistance. The curse's incantation is Imperio."


You see, I have this (mostly) hidden disease. It has to do with control - wanting to fix everything in the lives of those I love, and wanting to control everything in my own life. If I were a witch with a magic wand, I have to say the imperius curse would be a great temptation and probably land me a lengthy stay in Azkaban.

I fight this feeling and try to stuff it down most of the time. I know that everyone having freedom of choice is very important and that I don't have any control over what people do or do not do in their lives. Truly, I have a good head on my shoulders - I promise. So I try to stay out of people's business and remain non-judgemental,  despite the fact that I really DO know what is best for them, and if they would just follow my advice, or allow me to take their hand and lead them to the promised land, they would be SO much happier....
Now, this is where having my own magic wand the the word "imperio" at my beck and call would come in handy. A flick of the wrist and one single word, and I could make sure everyone around me lived happily ever after. This would be even better if their choices are effecting MY life in some way - I could make sure we ALL lived happily ever after.... doesn't that sound like KINDNESS and GENEROSITY itself?

The other side of this is that there are times that I secretly want someone to place me under the imperius curse. I get tired of making decisions and making mistakes. And the truth of it is, being under the imperius curse is not unpleasant. Here, again, from "Harry Potter Wiki":

"Unlike the other Unforgivables, being subjected to the Imperius Curse - when adequately cast - is not an unpleasant experience, in fact, quite the opposite; the victim of an Imperius Curse is placed in a calm, trance-like state in which all feeling of responsibility and anxiety is banished."

Wow. Of course, you might be able to get the same effect with large doses of Prozac. So why is such a wonderful tool an "unforgivable curse"? Couldn't this be a tool for good?

As I ruminated more on this conundrum, I realized that the application to real life is rich and meaningful, as in many things Harry Potter, if you just think about them enough. You'll notice that the side effect for the imperiused person over a long period of time is an "addled" brain - in other words, they are no longer able to think for themselves and in fact become quite simple and confused (or start quacking like a duck all the time). And one can fight the imperius curse if one has the strength of mind and will to do so. Hmmm.... so thinking for ourselves is important.....

Would I really want to have the responsibility for controlling another person's actions? What if - heaven forbid - I didn't have the understanding of all the variables involved to "make them" do the right thing? And do I REALLY want someone else to control my every move? Or maybe to never know which actions and responsibilities were mine? Would it be worth it?

It's a good thing I don't have the power to "make everything all better" for myself and everyone around me, no matter how benevolent my intentions.

But still.... just once in awhile.... wouldn't it be nice?