The Wisdom of Harry Potter

I'm a perpetual listener of the Harry Potter books. I store the audio version of all seven titles near my bed. I listen to them as I fall asleep, clean house, fold laundry.

Today, I heard the end of my favorite book in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Near the end of the book, Dumbledore is talking with Harry in the headmaster's office, explaining that it was finally time to come clean about the truth of Harry's scar and share with Harry the prophecy.

Dumbledore explained that, though he knew Harry needed the information earlier, it had been kept from him simply because Dumbledore wanted to protect Harry from the truth as long as possible:

I was trying, in distancing myself from you, to protect you. An old man's mistake.

Dumbledore made this admission after realizing that he put unrealistic boundaries on the relationship not so much to protect Harry, as to protect himself.

Recently, I had a l-o-n-g time friend write these words to me:

For now this friendship has to completely go on the back burner and freeze. This is the best for you at this moment.

I do believe that, like Dumbledore did for Harry, my friend believes he has my best interests at heart. Funny, though, that he made this decision for me instead of with me. He doesn't even have the excuse of being an "old man."

As the person on the receiving end of the decision, it seems to me that, like Dumbledore, my friend is protecting himself more than he is protecting me — but not admitting it. Having decisions made for me this way puts me in the position of a child, rather than that of peer.

I recognize and accept the new nature of the friendship. But still ... doesn't it rankle just a little when you are not treated as a reasonable, thinking person?