'You know nothing, Jon Snow.'
My favourite character in Game of Thrones is Jon Snow (trust me, this is going somewhere.)
Why? Because he knows nothing.
And he knows that he knows nothing. (Cos let's face it, it's come up in conversation.)
And he knows that he knows nothing. (Cos let's face it, it's come up in conversation.)
Before I go further - I'm just going to point out that no-one should try to emulate ANYONE from Game of Thrones, including Jon.
As problematic behaviour goes... well. It's Game of Thrones; pretty much sums it up. Everyone does sh**ty things. Constantly.
Now a lot of people might think that I shouldn't need to point this out, but...
*gestures vaguely at the current state of the planet and the President of the USA*
...clearly the time for subtlety is long gone.
Anyway...
What's so admirable about knowing nothing?
Well, people who understand that they don't know everything - who, in other words, have a nice healthy dose of both realism and humility - don't usually try to pretend that they do know everything.
They ask for advice, they try to understand the situation, they don't let their own over-inflated ego perpetuate ignorance.
And yes, I'm generalising, and I totally get that in some cases this may not be true - life is a complex and surprising thing - but I'm going with the balance of probability here.
*gestures vaguely at the current state of the planet and the President of the USA*
...clearly the time for subtlety is long gone.
Anyway...
What's so admirable about knowing nothing?
Well, people who understand that they don't know everything - who, in other words, have a nice healthy dose of both realism and humility - don't usually try to pretend that they do know everything.
They ask for advice, they try to understand the situation, they don't let their own over-inflated ego perpetuate ignorance.
And yes, I'm generalising, and I totally get that in some cases this may not be true - life is a complex and surprising thing - but I'm going with the balance of probability here.
But, by and large, if you know that you're fallible, you're less likely to try to protect your 'perfect' reputation by throwing others to the metaphorical wolves.*
*Or, y'know, real wolves - Game of Thrones & all that!
*Or, y'know, real wolves - Game of Thrones & all that!
Of course, the other thing I like about Jon Snow is that he tries to do the right thing.
He doesn't always get it right - and no, good intentions are no consolation if something goes wrong or someone gets hurt - but he tries.
He tries to do the unselfish thing, the thing that will help people.
Lord knows that's rare in Westeros - and all-too-true here on Earth too.
What we have in Jon is a generally nice guy, shoved into situations where he has to somehow adapt.
And his ability to be so ordinary in such extraordinary circumstances is testament to his strength.
I feel like we all need some of that strength...
*glares in the direction of Trump's illegal, immoral, transgender ban*
...because our summer seems to be over. Winter is here.
But f**k it - we can do this.
We can keep going and make it through.
We're strong, my dearest nerdlets. As strong as Jon Snow could ever be.
Never give up on hope. It gives us power. As does one of the most important lessons we will ever learn. We know nothing.
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I really loved this post, Cee! You took something that everyone and their cousins is quite passionate about, Game of Thrones, and made it educational and thought-provoking! I quite love Jon as well, but my favourite character would have to be Arya. As badass young women go, she's pretty much the top!
ReplyDeleteHa, she's pretty damned cool too, obv! ;)
Delete(And thanks for your lovely comment!)
Jon Snow is one of my favorites, too. Everyone in that show is awful, and he tries so hard not to be awful. It’s great to see a character who isn’t selfish.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
It's certainly a break from all the back-stabbing and throwing children out of towers... *insert half laugh, half grimace here!*
DeleteI really like him, it's like 'oh my god some actual hope!!!!' Lol.
See, I've kind of gone off Jon Snow thanks to the show! He comes across as this goody-goody and it feels as if liking him is being pushed onto us (or, rather, just me). Don't get me wrong: he's still a good person and realistic as he has flaws, but he's not this amazing leader the show is making him up to be. In my eyes, at least :| Interesting post, though!
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
DeleteNo worries - your opinion's your opinion :) I just feel like he's a half-way decent person and therefore must be protected at all costs!!! (Lol.)
I feel exactly the same about Sansa :P
DeleteI'm not the greatest fan of her, but I'm also (hopefully) not as harsh on her as some people seem to be!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"You know nothing, Jon Snow" love that sentence. I use it all the time. Because.. Jon! I love Jon SO MUCH OMG ALMOST as much as I love Dany. SOOOOOO that's why this little feminist, yours truly, is getting ROYALTY PISSED big time with them making Dany all bitchy so they can glorify Jon more when he becomes THE KING. Because ain't no one fooling this feminist! I can smell this kinda things miles away! I can see it coming! This is where we are going. And we have enough kings thank you very much. And Dany was THE PERFECT ending of this story. I know I know Jon is so freaking adorable I also have a BIG crush like everyone else in this universe on his bedroom voice, and dreamy eyes and nice boy, underdog attitude. BUT BUT BUT I WANT DANY TO WIN! that's it period. She is an underdog too! sold, abused, etc etc.
ReplyDeleteok.. thank you for letting me vent. and don't get me started with glares in the direction of Trump's illegal, immoral, transgender ban!!! But this was about being humble right? :) sorry I got sidetracked :) Great post as usual. 100% with you on that one.
*laughs for five minutes at your glorious comment*
DeleteI've never been pro-Dany (neither am I anti-Dany though!) so I'm not really as bothered by her being b***hy as you are! (I always thought she had kind of a b***hy streak. Not that that's not understandable, ofc.)
Yeah - it was about being humble, but more than that, simply understanding that you're own opinions aren't necessarily the right ones. That your take can be flawed, and you have to be open to adapting to the situation and being decent to people instead of going along with defending your ego. Which is one of the reasons I like Jon Snow :)
(Like I said though - absolutely no-one on Game of Thrones is a role model!!!)
Almsot didn't click on this because I didn't want spoilers, so thanks for not making this full of spoilers!
ReplyDeleteI love your motivational posts and this one is so beautiful and true.
You're welcome! Lol.
DeleteThanks soooo much! (I'm always surprised when people say my posts are motivational, like: 'what... me?!' Lol.) :)
I have only just started watching GoTn(I know, I know!) but Jon does seem like a stand up guy! I also like Arya because she's such a little fighter! I agree, I like it when people acknowledge they don't know everything, I think the world needs more of those people or one day we might end up in a land filled with Trumps. Bleaurgh
ReplyDelete#RVHT
(Jenny from Accidental Hipster Mum)
(Jon is awesome. Keep watching. He gets awesomer.)
DeleteYou're in for a few twists and turns along the way!!!!
*shudders* Let's not even contemplate a world full of Trumps!