I'm currently on the fourth book of A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, and I can't help but relate how the events in the land of Westeros in the books unintentionally reflect our current situation in Bolehland. For the uninitiated, the books are basically about war and the struggle for power at the south of a continent called Westeros, while a threat of ancient evil looms from the north with only a 700-feet wall ala the Great Wall of China and the people who man it called the Night's Watch stand to defend the realm. Replace the warring and scheming factions in the books with political parties in Bolehland, the global economic crisis as the ancient evil, and simple hardworking Malaysians regardless of race and religion as the men of the Night's Watch who struggle everyday to fight for the realm while those in power are too busy squabbling over who shall be king... there...
Bolehland, truly ridiculous.
The books also have many interesting and intriguing characters, but three particularly captures my attention. The first is Jon Snow, who was a bastard son of a lord at the north of Westeros. Being a bastard in a royal family, he regularly was marginalized and looked-down upon. From that humble beginning, he fought prejudice and humiliation to finally rise as the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch by the third book. He proved to be a formidable leader and people willingly follow him for his leadership and capabilities, bastard or not.
The second one is Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf born to another proud royal family. Because of his looks, he was often prejudiced, humiliated and jeered despite having a cunning mind that hatched a plan which saved an entire city from utter destruction in a battle. By the third book, he was framed in the murder of his own nephew who was a King, escaped, and killed his own father in retribution for a lifetime of abuse. In his own words, his only guilt was for being an ugly dwarf and people judge him there and then.
The third one is Jaime Lannister, the brother to Tyrion and his complete opposite. While Tyrion was ugly and cunning, Jaime was handsome and knightly. In the first 3 books he was potrayed as a villain. He had an incestuous relationship with his twin, the Queen Cersei and was known across the realm as the Kingslayer for his betrayal against previous King. However it was revealed that he did that to save the kingdom from the King who was mad, yet this deed was kept as his secret. By the third book, he lost his sword hand and experienced extreme humiliation as a cripple which turned him to re-evaluate his life and became a better person.
Why are they significant to me? These three characters represent some of the strongest values that I believe in and try to live by.
First, people change and nothing stays the same. Some people may say the more things change the more they stay the same, but change is inevitable, for better or for worse.
Second, prejudice is a social cancer. A man's worth should not be determined by his birth, his race, or anything that he has no control of.
The third is redemption. There are no wrongs in this world that is beyond redemption, and even if man's law condemns a person to obscurity, only Allah can offer divine forgiveness to those who care to seek Him.
Now let's see if I can finish off the fourth book before New Year...
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