¨…Actually, I have wracked my mind and heart for what I ought to say to you today. I have asked myself what I wish I had known at my own graduation, and what important lessons I have learned in the 21 years that has expired between that day and this.
I have come up with two answers. On this wonderful day when we are gathered together to celebrate your academic success, I have decided to talk to you about the benefits of failure. And as you stand on the threshold of what is sometimes called 'real life,' I want to extol the crucial importance of imagination…¨
The above is an excerpt from the Harvard University Commencement Address given in 2008 by J.K.Rowling, the author of the worldwide bestselling novels ? the Harry Potter series.
People forget how important the imagination is as they grow up. Look at the children around you. They are very curious about things they face and keep asking what and why questions. Sometimes, we ourselves take it as natural that they are curious, and we often don´t know how to answer the questions. In my case, when I read fairytales in childhood, I was so surprised by those improbable stories in which people get bigger or smaller, a boy climbs up the trunk of beans, and similar tales. However, when I read them these days, I wonder at the author who has such a wonderful imagination, but at the same time, I always keep thinking to myself that those magical events are unrealistic.
But is it true? Thinking back, the imagination has always had the greatest power to develop the world in which we live. Thanks to J.K.Rowling´s imagination, we meet Harry Potter´s magical world. Thanks to the Wright Brother´s imagination, we´re given the wings to fly. And do you know the common things they share? They were never afraid of failure and kept imagining the other side; they never let it be just failure. When we stick to failure, we can´t realize the imagination to be real. Remember the power which enrichens our life, and never miss your dream. Make it yours.
