The End of Game of Thrones - Sebuah Renungan Ramadhan

A few hours before the final episode of Game of Thrones airs, I find myself reflecting. Despite fans' mixed feelings about how the final season was written, we have surely witnessed one of the greatest productions in the history of television. That alone makes me grateful. What a time to be alive.

Even though the show constantly promotes things I am normally against (drinking problems, slavery, incest, forced arranged marriages, killing people for power, etc.), I have a tremendous admiration towards the show because it reminds me of the very core of everything : that all thing must come to an end and that nothing is going to stay here forever.

Thrones fandom by now are fully aware of the phrase "Valar Morghulis", which in High Valyrian translates to all men must die. This customary saying is traditionally answered with "Valar Dohaeris" which means all men must serve. Even though this exchange has a more barbaric-violent tone when used in the show, I really deem it to be an honorable way to live one's life.

We humans will definitely come to an end someday (to die), and while we're still here, shouldn't we keep asking ourselves how we can serve? How am I going to become beneficial for other people today? How do we serve the world (to the best of our ability) and make sure that our life doesn't just mean nothing?

.

.

.

Beric Dondarrion and Melisandre The Red Priestess, though were not major characters like Daenerys and Jon Snow, really captured my heart when they both came to an end. 

Lord Beric had died a few times by impaling, an arrow, hanging, and more. He was resurrected time and time again by Thoros which made him kind of question what it was so special about him that his God of Light kept bringing him back. Of course at the Battle of Winterfell we learnt that his one true purpose was to protect Arya Stark, who went on and slayed the Night King once and for all. After serving his purpose, he came to face his seventh and final death honorably.

Melisandre, on the other hand, seemed to have this magic quality of not aging and live such a looooong life. In one of the Season 6 episodes we saw her take off her ruby necklace, when her illusion of beauty disappeared and her true form of many centuries old woman was revealed.

When one is faced with this kind of destiny, don't you think they will ask themselves everyday: what is it that I am meant to do? Why have I been given the chance to live this long? I have to admit I never really liked her character because I think she's a little too fanatic to her religion. But when I saw her riding a horse at Winterfell, just minutes before the battle began to literally set swords on fire, I was screaming out of happiness. Yes girl!!!

Her appearance in Winterfell was definitely why she stuck around for centuries. Just as she told Ser Davos that she would die before dawn, there she was striding out of the gates of Winterfell and discarding her ruby necklace. This time to face her own ending, knowing that her purpose was served.

These two really teach me that our time in this world may be limited, but it is not up for ours to decide when it will come to an end. Sick people may think there is no cure for them and they will kiss the world goodbye in a few months, when surprisingly they go on to live for another five years. Healthy people may think they still have forever, when all of sudden they have to go just because it's their time to go.

Beric Dondarrion and Melisandre teach me to live bravely. To wake up every morning to find my one true purpose and go after it.

.

.

.

But if there is one thing I will always carry from the Thrones wholeheartedly, it must be Ygritte saying "If we die, we die, but first we live". I want to always have her spirit. Yes, death is inevitable. We all will see one, it's just a matter of when-where-and how. But while we are given another day to live, why do we choose to worry how it's going to end? Why don't we choose to really live?