Each one of us is acquainted with the masterpiece, GAME OF THRONES, all thanks to George R.R Martin for crafting such a marvelous piece of writing in the form of a book and David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for transforming the book into a TV series of utmost perfection. However, apart from representing the seven worlds and the incessant quest of the Lords for the Iron Throne, the show gives us some wonderful life lessons which we need to ponder upon.
1. “Valar Morghulis – All Men must die.”
And the show never fails to live up to the quote. However, apart from the show, each word of this quote rings so true in our real lives. Life is a mirage wherein death is the ultimate truth. No man is immortal. All the things that have a beginning must be terminated, and the termination is achieved by their ultimate demise.
2. “Valar Dohaeris – All men must serve.”
This phrase has been used in the show as a response to the phrase “Valar Morghulis” and implies that although death is inevitable and will eventually come for all, the life we are born into has a deeper purpose. And we must live to serve that very purpose of life. The well-known lines by William Shakespeare sum it up-“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.”
3. “A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone to keep its edge.”
This quote highlights the importance of reading in our lives and emphasizes the significance of books in the development of our minds. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body, and to prevent the corrosion of our brain, we must constantly feedย it with good books. Books serve as a gateway to knowledge and open up new paths that lead to new worlds of exposure and imagination. As George Martin has quoted -“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.
4. “No matter what you want, once you get it, you want something else.”
The irony of life! All our lives, we keep chasing our needs in the hope of contentment, and the moment we fulfill them, reality strikes us, and other things add to our never-ending list of whims and wishes. Our curiosities, ambitions, and the need to change act as a double-edged sword for us, leading to discontentment and unhappiness.
5. “A lion does not concern himself with the opinions of a sheep.”
This stands so true in our lives as well. Wherever we might go, and whatever we might do, there is no escape from judgments. We need to place our trust in ourselves, and instead of wasting our lives in pleasing others, we could always care less about what other people think about us! But life is too short to placate everyone around us, and concerning ourselves with the opinions of others only adds to our woes.
6. “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.”
Tyrion Lannister never fails to capture the essence of life through his words of wisdom. Life has never been perfect, and neither can we. All of us are born with our own set of perfections and imperfections. However, many of us fail to recognize what we have got and waste our time whining about our weaknesses. The show emphasizes the power of one’s strengths, which, if nurtured properly, have the ability to mask one’s weaknesses to the point that they seem completely irrelevant.
7. “Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but they refuse. They cling to the realm of the gods or love. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is.”
Last but not least, this one is the most important lesson that I have learned from this one helluva show. Life has never been a bed of roses, and it will never be. But it has never been unfair as well. Life has been kind enough to always open doors for us when one or the other door closes. But most of us are thwarted by the obstacles that come our way, and instead of overcoming those hurdles, we cling to our comfort zones, and consequently, life becomes a pretense. Only the roads with difficulties lead us to our destinations, and moving forward is the only way out to reach those destinations.