Some Westerosi Political Wisdom
Recently, I finished A Dance With Dragons, the excellent fifth book in George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire (ASOIAF) saga. While it is a fantasy work, it has a tremendous amount of political wisdom. I have referenced the series multiple times, and I cannot recommend it enough. Read ASOIAF! No, no, watching Game of Thrones is not sufficient…
At the end of the novel, someone describes why Prince Aegon is an ideal ruler, in comparison to King Tommen. Although the book takes place in a quasi-medieval setting, Aegon would make a great politician for our times:
Aegon has been shaped for rule since before he could walk. He has been trained in arms, as befits a knight to be, but that was not the end of his education. He reads and writes, he speaks several tongues, he has studied history and law and poetry. A septa has instructed him in the mysteries of the Faith since he was old enough to understand them. He has lived with fisherfolk, worked with his hands, swum in rivers and mended nets and learned how to wash his own clothes at need. He can fish and cook and bind up a wound, he knows what it is like to be hungry, to be hunted, to be afraid. Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that a king must put his people first, and live and rule for them.
A politician’s education is very important. Like Aegon, we want our leaders to know their history and law. Knowing what policies have and have not worked makes it easier to govern. Being literate, a good communicator and knowing several languages greatly helps advance American interests in our globalized world. Knowing the country’s different religious traditions helps define values and polish character. A politician who has experience with firearms and defending him\herself will understand the difficult job of law enforcement better than one who has not had such experience.
Like Aegon, we all want politicians who are “like us.” We want them to have made money working with their hands, with ordinary people, the ‘fisherfolk’ or other blue collar workers. We want politicians who are not afraid to get their hands dirty. A politician who has earned his or her money, often in a difficult job, is more likely to be humble and is more relatable. We all know of candidates who have been accused of elitism, who are ‘out of touch’ due to their elite financial or social backgrounds. It is often quite difficult to recover from these accusations, as people want to vote for someone who is like them, not an elite.
The fact that Aegon knows ‘what it is like to be hungry, to be hunted, to be afraid’ separates him from King Tommen. The same distinction can be applied today. When a politician has struggled, he/she is able to comprehend why citizens do. You cannot explain being hungry or afraid. You must experience it. The empathy gained from personal hardship makes a politician more well-rounded and considerate of his or her constituents.
The last part is the most crucial. What separates Tommen from Aegon is their conception of their office. While the former believes the kingship to be his right, the latter believes it to be his duty. Although we live in a democracy, we all can think of politicians who believe that elected office is their right, rather than their duty. Our leaders must earn their positions, not have their positions given to them due to their wealth or connections. They must govern for us, not to enrich themselves and their friends and families. The people come first.
Prince Aegon will put all, not some, of his people first. Our leaders should do the same. Whether you are Republican, Democrat, conservative, liberal, old, young, rich, poor, male, female, white, black, Hispanic or Asian, our politicians are supposed to make all of our lives better. Our current polarization is making us forget this.
We do not live in a monarchy, so it is our job to remind our leaders that we are all Americans. We may disagree on the best policy, but we must remember that our leaders should rule for all of us. If we want our politicians govern in this way, we must act with respect and courtesy to all Americans, regardless of their political positions, backgrounds, history or any other factor.
Aegon is an ideal ruler because of his well-rounded education. He knows not only history and law but also different languages and how to defend himself. He knows what it is like to suffer and be afraid, an experienced shared by many average folk in the novel. Finally, he believes kingship to be his duty, not his right. He rules to make all of his peoples’ lives better.
This description, with some modifications, also describes an ideal politician for our times. In our politicized age, we must remember that politicians govern for all of us. We may disagree, and disagree passionately, but never forget that we are all Americans. Our politicians will reflect our behavior, and it is our duty to them to demonstrate what we want in our politics.
Otherwise, we will have more politicians like King Tommen, who believe elected office is their right, rather than their duty.
Originally published at theprimacyofpolitics.blogspot.com on October 21, 2018.