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Enlighten: 1. give information to somebody: to give clarifying information to somebody
Let me enlighten you about our problems.

2. free somebody from ignorance: to free somebody from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition

3. teach somebody religion: to teach religious beliefs to an unbeliever

Encarta (R) World English Dictionary (C) & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Enlightenment:
1. enlightening of somebody: the enlightening of somebody, or something that enlightens somebody

2. enlightened state: the condition of somebody who has been enlightened

3. achievement of spiritual state: the realization of spiritual or religious understanding, or, especially in Buddhism, the state attained when the cycle of reincarnation ends and human desire and suffering are transcended

Encarta World English Dictionary & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

My personal enlightenment beliefs go best along with the second definition of the word enlighten which means, "free somebody from ignorance: to free somebody from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition" and to me that is the greatest part of life. I love this the most. I have had many personal enlightenments, all of them freeing my of ignorance or prejudice or even superstition. And I must say, it's very cathartic. It is a great feeling to release my ignorance and prejudices. One of my best enlightenments was accepting and finding the Harry Potter series.

Before I had been handed the first book of the series, I had blindly hated it simply because it was popular (a lot how some people blindly hate the movie Titanic because it was so popular). I hadn't even read the series. Or even given it a chance. Then one day one of my friends handed the first book in the series, and made me read it. And so I read it. And now I've been a Harry Potter fan for almost seven years, and I have to admit that sometimes I feel ashamed for having been so closed-minded about the series. But, I believe that Harry Potter changed my life, was the beginning of my personal enlightenment, and that even though I was a skeptic, it just made the conversion that much sweeter.

And for me, that is what personal enlightenment is all about. Releasing your prejudices and being open-minded.

Learn more about this author, Ashley Benlove.
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