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Authors: Francis Briers
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in a position to say “OK, I'm done now, I can relax.” As Dan Millman's classic character 'Socrates' says of the path of self-knowledge:
“Better never begin, but once begun, better finish.” [xxv]
The moment that brings all this to mind for me in Game of Thrones is when Lady Catelyn has realised that her Son Bran's fall from the tower was no accident, after a man is sent to murder him in his bed. She gathers her son Robb, Theon Greyjoy, the master at arms Ser Rodrick, and Maester Luwin in the Godswood to share her suspicions and fears. She says that she believes the Lannisters are involved and Robb says:
“They come into our home, and try to murder my brother! If it's war they want...”
Theon cuts in with:
“If it comes to that you know I'll stand behind you.”
And Maester Luwin rebukes them:
“What? Is there going to be a battle in the Godswood?! Huh? Too easily words of war become acts of war. We don't know the truth yet.” [xxvi]
This scene wonderfully contrasts the impetuous, and often blind actions of youth with the measured wisdom of Maester Luwin. Unlike some of the Maesters we meet Luwin seems to be a very practical man as well as an educated one, and a thoughtful one. In this scene for me he shows his real value as an advisor in taking a strong stance and challenging people's assumptions. The other characters are ready to jump on any piece of information, any excuse to surge into action and it is Maester Luwin who takes the more measured response. His words echo the previous quote from the Hagakure, particularly the phrase:
“Too easily words of war become acts of war”
As I was describing earlier with the example of the shop and the gunshot which becomes a firework display, our beliefs and values act as filters on our perceptions and all too often we see what we want to see. In this phrase, Maester Luwin voices the danger of such filters. From jumping to conclusions, we can jump to actions and they may be actions we regret. Just because they are right that the Lannisters are involved, doesn't mean they have the whole picture as we find out later when Lady Catelyn accuses and arrests Tyrion Lannister who, while he may be many things, is quite probably innocent in the matter of Bran's injury and attempted murder. Just as I was describing with what is said in the Hagakure, Maester Luwin recognises that even in our smallest acts, even in the words we use, our subconscious habits of thought and deed can be seen. While Robb acquits himself well in many ways on the battlefield when the time comes, there is no doubting that at this moment in the story he is a young man who has grown up fighting, dreams of glory, and explodes at any perceived insult or threat to the honour of his house. He is no politician and is not thinking clearly. He is to a great degree blinded by his anger – and understandably so. We all have moments where our upset or outrage blocks our capacity for clear and reasoned thinking. When we perceive a threat, it can trigger a response which is often referred to as “Fight or Flight.” This is an instinctual response which is biologically hard-wired and is very useful if you are faced with combating wild-animals (as we were regularly in ancient pre-history when our brains were evolving). There are a bunch of physiological responses which are triggered in the body when we go into “Fight or Flight” whereby 'non-essential systems' are closed down and other systems ramped up. However, the assessment of what is 'non-essential' is based on the kind of threats we faced a very long time ago – such as fighting and escaping lions! The digestive system and immune systems are suppressed, blood thickens, hormones are released – many amazing and quite dramatic changes in the body's functioning. If you want to understand more about all these responses I will be looking at that in detail in my
“Better never begin, but once begun, better finish.” [xxv]
The moment that brings all this to mind for me in Game of Thrones is when Lady Catelyn has realised that her Son Bran's fall from the tower was no accident, after a man is sent to murder him in his bed. She gathers her son Robb, Theon Greyjoy, the master at arms Ser Rodrick, and Maester Luwin in the Godswood to share her suspicions and fears. She says that she believes the Lannisters are involved and Robb says:
“They come into our home, and try to murder my brother! If it's war they want...”
Theon cuts in with:
“If it comes to that you know I'll stand behind you.”
And Maester Luwin rebukes them:
“What? Is there going to be a battle in the Godswood?! Huh? Too easily words of war become acts of war. We don't know the truth yet.” [xxvi]
This scene wonderfully contrasts the impetuous, and often blind actions of youth with the measured wisdom of Maester Luwin. Unlike some of the Maesters we meet Luwin seems to be a very practical man as well as an educated one, and a thoughtful one. In this scene for me he shows his real value as an advisor in taking a strong stance and challenging people's assumptions. The other characters are ready to jump on any piece of information, any excuse to surge into action and it is Maester Luwin who takes the more measured response. His words echo the previous quote from the Hagakure, particularly the phrase:
“Too easily words of war become acts of war”
As I was describing earlier with the example of the shop and the gunshot which becomes a firework display, our beliefs and values act as filters on our perceptions and all too often we see what we want to see. In this phrase, Maester Luwin voices the danger of such filters. From jumping to conclusions, we can jump to actions and they may be actions we regret. Just because they are right that the Lannisters are involved, doesn't mean they have the whole picture as we find out later when Lady Catelyn accuses and arrests Tyrion Lannister who, while he may be many things, is quite probably innocent in the matter of Bran's injury and attempted murder. Just as I was describing with what is said in the Hagakure, Maester Luwin recognises that even in our smallest acts, even in the words we use, our subconscious habits of thought and deed can be seen. While Robb acquits himself well in many ways on the battlefield when the time comes, there is no doubting that at this moment in the story he is a young man who has grown up fighting, dreams of glory, and explodes at any perceived insult or threat to the honour of his house. He is no politician and is not thinking clearly. He is to a great degree blinded by his anger – and understandably so. We all have moments where our upset or outrage blocks our capacity for clear and reasoned thinking. When we perceive a threat, it can trigger a response which is often referred to as “Fight or Flight.” This is an instinctual response which is biologically hard-wired and is very useful if you are faced with combating wild-animals (as we were regularly in ancient pre-history when our brains were evolving). There are a bunch of physiological responses which are triggered in the body when we go into “Fight or Flight” whereby 'non-essential systems' are closed down and other systems ramped up. However, the assessment of what is 'non-essential' is based on the kind of threats we faced a very long time ago – such as fighting and escaping lions! The digestive system and immune systems are suppressed, blood thickens, hormones are released – many amazing and quite dramatic changes in the body's functioning. If you want to understand more about all these responses I will be looking at that in detail in my
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