Life Lessons from Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones, the best know sitcom for its near omnipresent nudity and surprise beheading has much more than this. Next to stinging betrayals and white walkers, it got deeper morals often fall to the wayside- hiding behind every bastard and white walkers. Here are important life lessons that Game of Thrones taught us: 

Life isn’t perfect

Every fantasy we ever heard about focus heavily on “happily ever after” but that’s not with Game of Thrones. George Raymond Richard Martin’s story is exciting, epic but most importantly it’s realistic. No, I’m not talking about the giants, mammoths or three-eyed raven. I meant the storyline- unfolding of the things. In real life, things often don’t turn out as expected. We never know what’s going to happen next, and this is what perfectly portrayed in GOT. Life is always full of twist and turns, as in GOT good guys often die whereas bad boys often triumph. GOT is clearly unidealized, renouncing the monotony and predictable journey of the stereotypical hero and telling a tale based so on realism.

It doesn’t matter what people think

Game of Thrones is filled with characters who for some reason or the other seen as inferior- Jon the bastard, Tyrion the dwarf, Brienne the beauty, Bran the broken and so on. Despite these labels, none of them are held back. They wear their weaknesses as a badge of pride. Brienne devotes herself to the art of combat, Bran embraces his strength as a warg and Tyrion… well, as he says, “Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like an Armor and it can never be used to hurt you.”

It’s all about where you’re standing

Game of Thrones tells a single story through the eyes of many characters, which reveals the impact of one’s upbringing and culture on a person’s worldview. For most of Westeros, Wildings maybe savages but for Jon Snow and Mance Rayder, they’re simply spirited people who love freedom. As ice and fire are different from each other so as the perspective of different people for different things- but all are valid. Expanding your own point of view will help you to see the world more objectively and become more understanding of others.

Understand others and have compassion towards them

Snap judgment about others is easy to make. When someone says something offensive or acts in an irritating way, rather than trying to understand the reason behind, we tend to attribute this behavior to bad character. In Game of Thrones, on regular basis, multiple characters make poor decisions, yet we can empathize with them because we know why they acted as they do. This WHY is what that’s often missing in our daily life. Why did your friend say that to you? Why did that car cut you off? When WHY is missing from the scenario, we tend to create that person’s image as bad. But through George R.R. Martin, we see the world from multiple perspectives, understanding why certain characters act the way they do. 

As far as cruelty or carelessness is concerned, they can certainly help to create a more constructive mindset with more understanding and less concerned with judgment and to build empathy. From afar, Theon may seem cruel and selfish, but Martin shows us the events that brought him to that place- became hostage at ten, went unloved by the Starks, and return to a family which is indifferent to his existence. With this scenario, his actions are understandable although nor excusable. In a similar way, Cersei’s behavior can be explained through her love for her children, Jamie’s through his love for Cersei and Stannis’s through his unhappy childhood. This unexpurgated view into the lives of characters allows more compassion towards those who might otherwise be labeled as “bad guys.”

Make every moment count

Valar Morghulis. All men must die. Game of Thrones demonstrates that nobody can remain untouched by death, it comes for everyone from innocent children to noble lords. Being an upstanding citizen doesn’t make you immortal. Death will come for us all, whether as an overly aged body or an accidental misstep on a roof. It could be tomorrow or could be ninety years, so while alive make every moment count. Be grateful, spend time with loved ones and do what you love, because as George relentlessly shows, any moment could be your last.