We Are Human
By Ryan Chambers

It was going to be one of those seminars I gave about Psychotherapy for Witches and Wizards during the time when I was working as a Psychology Consultant. Ready as usual, I was waiting outside of the conference room drinking my coffee among the people who were in a deep conversation about what this conference was going to be like. Their comments were of their own observations and knowledge about the topic, some of them made me smile, and hearing them I was glad to know there were people who participated in this because they wanted to be illuminated about the topic, not because their boss had sent them to take the seminar. That kind of person, those who were sent by others, were the ones who liked to criticize the topic harshly. Giving them the vital information they needed to change their ideas was a pleasure to me and something fun to do, but when I heard, as I made my way back to the conference room, what one large group was talking about, I could not help halting and listening in a bit. The topic of that conversation had nothing to do with psychotherapy for Wizarding people. What they focused on was giving out numerous reasons for how wizards were superior to Muggles.

'Most importantly, we have the gift of magic! They are unaware of what really goes on in this world. They are blind to reality'

This was a strong point of argument, no doubt, after glancing at the woman who had said it, I finally walked into the conference room. After a few moments, the crowd gathered, and I carefully observed them as they did so. The woman and her group was in the room as I expected them to be. Hopefully they seemed to have dropped their topic and they were ready for the seminar. As usual, I welcomed them kindly before jumping right into the topic.

''Does anyone here have a fatal illness?''

I waited as people looked at each other questioningly. No answer came, so I went on.

''That’s great. Then, who can tell me something that will certainly happen to every person living on this planet? To all of them, without exception. Something inevitable, something we fear the most.''

''Death,'' one of them voiced and I gave him a kind nod. The question was an easy one, but it had vital importance for the rest of the seminar.

''That’s right. Death is the only inevitable thing that all people in this world will face sometime. So, if it is inevitable that I will die, does not it mean that I already have a fatal illness?'' I waited for a moment or so after that, giving them some time to think and take it in. When it seemed no one had a counter-argument for it, I went on. ''Do we know when are we going to die?''

''There is a such thing as a death omen,'' the man who had previously answered my question said. He was right, so it made me smile. ''Yes, but I asked 'when'. Can even a prophecy tell us when exactly we are going to die? Is there a way, any way, to know when we are going to die?'' Silence fell on everyone in the room for a few moments, I waited patiently. Then finally someone said ''No''.

''Is there a possibility that it can happen now or the next moment?''

The answer came quickly this time. ''Yes.''

''Tomorrow?''

''Yes.''

''Twenty-five years later?''

''Yes.''

My smile widened as they were doing a good job so far even though some of them seemed to be annoyed, probably at the way I was repeating this. ''Okay, then, do you know which one of these will happen to you? Do you know if you will safely be back to home tonight, alive? Is it guaranteed?'' A few murmured 'No', some seemed to be curious to see what this was going to lead to and the annoyed part of them, well, was still annoyed. ''Let’s think about it this way now: do we know, for sure, that our loved ones, whom we have left behind to come to this room, won’t face death by the time we come back to them? Can we say that we would not get a message any time telling us one of our loved ones is dead?''

''Why are you talking about this? We did not come here to hear some questions that we already know the answers to or to hear things about death.''

This man was one of the annoyed group, I was glad to hear that someone had finally risen up to ask. ''But we are talking about a pure, inevitable truth which concerns everyone in this world.'' I was talking to everyone in the room, not particularly for the man. ''Just assume you know that tomorrow is the death day of one of your loved ones. Would your priorities in life would be the same? Would you prefer to come here to listen to me or spend your time with that loved one? And what if tonight is the time you will die? Would anything in the world have any importance? Your money, your job, your school, things that make you proud of yourselves, …your magic.''

This time, the silence was deep but meaningful. I knew all of them were intensely thinking about it. ''Muggles.'' I went on. ''They have loved ones too. They will die, as well. And when thinking about the possible death of a loved one or facing death themselves, they do as we do: leave everything behind. And everything left behind, we, wizards and Muggles, are the same. We all have this same fatal illness. In this case, we are not wizards or Muggles, we are all human.''