May 30, 2022
SP Cinecorp
Brave. Truthful. Loyal. Fair . Leader... are some of the words that come to mind about this charismatic character from Games of Thrones.
Through the seasons, his, was a character that truly was a marvel to see evolve. From being a bastard son of Ned Stark to being the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch to being the rightful heir to the Iron Throne!!!! And finally giving that all up, just to stay true to his word.
One thing that never changed through Jon Snow's journey was his steadfastness. Say what you will about Jon, he does what he says he will do. And he commanded the respect of many for, this quality of his.
He was a charismatic leader. And his charisma came not from eloquent words, nor well planned strategies. His charisma came from him being brave, loyal, dependable and being 100% true to his word.
He made, many a impossible’s, possible, owing to this character of his.
From the wildlings joining forces with the north, to queen Daenerys and her dragons coming to join the fight against the dead. Jon single handily made it possible, again not cause of his sweet talks, not cause of brute force, but cause of honesty, steadfastness and by staying true to his word. All while keeping his dignity ….
He refused to bend the knee to the queen even when they were in dire need of her help, owing to his principles, he stayed his ground and stood true to what he believed in. That’s Jon for you. Staying true to what he believed in. What his duty was.
He always chose duty over love, whether it was with Ygritte or his love and queen, Queen Daenerys . While in the former case he didn’t have to make a decision to end her life but he chosehis duty over her. With the latter, we all felt a pinch in the heart when Jon stabbed his Dany. While it felt like a betrayal, it’s important to know he did so cause he believed it was better for the well being of the realm, to avoid yet another tyrant, all at the cost of his love. Yet again Jon chose duty over all.
He truly epitomises the saying Praan Jaaye par Vachan na jaye. There’s another character from Indian mythology that I’m reminded of when I think of Jon Snow, Eklavaya the master archer, who was said to be even mightier than Arjuna, himself. But when time came, and his guru, Droacharya asked him for guru dakshina, in form of his right-hand thumb, Eklavya readily cut his thumb and offered it to the guru. Duty and Guru over all, just like Jon Snow's character !
In terms of leadership, while I believe all the qualities Jon showed, bravery, loyalty, truthfulness, steadfastness are all inspirational and a must for a good leader, it is however also essential to add a dash of practicality, to be in sync with the real world to be a great leader.