Would you see happiness if you looked in the Mirror of Erised?

Would you see happiness if you looked in the Mirror of Erised?

While recently watching the first Harry Potter movie I was prompted to consider whether or not I would see happiness if I looked into the Mirror of Erised.

What is the Mirror of Erised? Well, according to the official Harry Potte wiki…

The Mirror of Erised is a magic mirror, which, according to Albus Dumbledore, shows the “deepest and most desperate desire of our hearts.” The happiest person in the whole world would look in the mirror and see a reflection of exactly the way he or she is. Inscribed across the top of the frame is the following text:

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi

Reversing the inscription and rearranging the spaces produces:

I show not your face but your heart’s desire

You can read more HERE but what I was most taken with was Dumbledore’s comment that “the happiest person in the whole world would look in the mirror and see a reflection of exactly the way he or she is”.

What does this mean? Well it means that happiness is the absence of desire; it means that happiness involves being totally satisfied with what you have and not wanting or needing any more; it means that happiness is…living the life you want to live?

What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised? Would you see yourself as you are…?