Ned Stark of House Stark the warden in the North, one of the Great Leader
Hello there people this is me your very own friendly neighborhood Mohen, and like many of you, I'm addicted to “Game of Thrones”. This is quite odd for me, because I'm notoriously unable to follow a TV series, no matter how good it is. Especially when I could just read manga and comics and also watch anime and cartoons as well. Yet, here I am searching websites where i can download the series Game of Thrones just to download and watch this, and quite often to watch my favorite characters die. to celebrate the launch of season 7 with my friends I went to Sunway Pyramid to participate in Game of Thrones exhibition ,
I thought I'd start things off with something GoT-themed. The show features several strong leaders and lots of conflict, and I'm hoping there are some lessons to be learned from those leaders.
And yes, I know season 7 launched few months ago. What as I doing? Watching season 1-6 again, ofcourse!
Ned Stark – The best boss you will never have
Lord Eddard Stark @ Ned Stark
Head of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Lord Paramount, Warden Of the North and Hand of The King Robert Baratheon
Seasons present 1,4,6 & 7
Words is "Winter is Here"
Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, Hand of the King, is probably as close to a genuine hero yo will get in Game of Thrones. He's wise. Brave. Loyal to his friends and loving towards his family. He takes his duties seriously, and cleans up his own messes even when it would be easy for him to “pass the buck” to someone else. Even his enemies have to acknowledge his virtues. He's even a good warrior, able to keep up with Jaime Lannister. His life would have made an epic saga in and of itself, and he dies in the first season.
In the end, Ned's honor ends up being his undoing. He stubbornly insists on trusting people he shouldn't, and trying to play fair in a dirty game. In the end this doesn't just cost him his position (and his head), but also most of the things he holds dear. His lands burn, his family is scattered, and the order he fought to maintain crumbles as the seven kingdoms is torn apart in a civil war that he may have prevented.
Lesson – the hardest sacrifice to make can be your pride
It seems likely that Ned Stark would have sacrificed his wealth, his power and his life to keep his family, and the kingdom, safe. Yet he would not sacrifice his pride. When King Robert Baratheon lay dying, Ned could have secured a stable, bloodless succession that would have likely kept peace in Westeros. But doing so would have required actions that would stain his honor. Refusing to accept that, he set out on his doomed path that led to a devastating civil war and death to several members of his family. He even loses the honor he initially refused to compromise, as he lies and pleads guilty to high treason instead of speaking the truth about Joffrey Lannister.
On the bright side, this all made for a much better series than any options I can think of!
Lesson – everyone fails, not everyone tries again
While sticking to your convictions can be admirable, blind zeal isn't. If we look at Ned Starks character, he is not without flaws, nor is his history without mistakes; newly wed, he breaks his vows and sires a bastard. What makes him honorable is that he tries to make things right, confessing to his wife, and acknowledging his bastard son. What I take from this is that in life, we will all have our convictions tested. Sometimes we will fail. Failing is part of being human. But if you really believe in your cause, you'll get right back to it because what you believe in is not diminished by the fact that you once failed to uphold it.
What do you think? Did Ned Stark do the right thing to try and deal honorably with people he knew to have no respect for honor? Despite the cost, for himself and others? Or was there a way for him to act with honor AND prevent the destruction wrought by the war of the five kings? I have some ideas, but I'd like to hear what you think first.
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