Winter Is Here

How "Game of Thrones" Offers An Important Lesson for Today's Society

Winter is here! I am so excited about the last season of Games of Thrones ("GOT"). I remember starting the series during my first trip to London and nearly missing some attractions because I was too engrossed in watching the first episodes. I huddled in my friend's apartment and watched that first season on my laptop until my shame "forced" me to leave the guest room and explore Burroughs Market, St. James's Park, and the National Gallery. I was surprised how raw and unflinching the tv show was. None of the characters were sacred cows, and I appreciated the unpredictability of the plot and overall narrative.

There are many themes we can take from GOT. The Lannisters certainly remind me on the family in the White House and the nationalist trend taking place across the globe. And unfortunately, we still need to address diversity and inclusion in tv and media. That a show of this magnitude could be so devoid of racial and ethnic diversity is astounding.

However, the biggest takeaway from the show for me is the storyline involving the Nightwalkwers. For those who are unaware, the Nightwalkers are a zombie-like cult which has the supernatural ability to turn any creature or inhabitant it encounters into a ghoulish slave. From what we know, there is no cure for this affliction, and with each successive season, the threat posed by the Nightwalkers looms larger and larger. Yet, the citizens of Westeros (the setting for Game of Thrones) are so focused on their internecine squabbles and their never-ending quest for wealth and power that they are missing the bigger threat.

And guess what? So are we. While there are legitimate socio-political issues that need to be discussed and resolved in 2019, there is no bigger threat than climate change. In October of 2018, the United Nations stated that climate change may very well be irreversible if governments do not take unprecedented measures to curb rising temperatures (IPCC, 2018). Stated plainly, if the temperature of the earth rises just 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, humanity will experience rising sea levels, increased pollution, massive immigration and displacement, food shortages, dying ecosystems, animal extinction, extreme weather events, and human casualties. Several weeks ago, the U.S. Midwest suffered catastrophic floods that devastated livestock, crops, and agriculture and ruined the livelihood for hundreds of people. The economic impact of such devastation on U.S. families cannot be under-estimated and some have described the floods as a foreshadowing of the future effects of climate change. (EcoWatch, 2019). Each year, we are experiencing more severe weather all across the globe due to climate change (Carbon Brief, 2019).

When the U.S. governmental response to climate change has not been reactive, it has been hostile or indifferent, if not downright oblivious. Statesmen are claiming that wind turbines cause cancer (New York Magazine, 2019) while progressive pieces of legislation like the Green New Deal are being traded like political caricatures. In fact, as of December 2018, nearly 82% of Americans had heard nothing of the Green New Deal (Vox, 2019). Further, environmentalists and progressives continue to craft a narrative that only speaks to white suburbanites instead of the multi-cultural communities that dot the American landscape.

Fortunately, there are things that we can do individually to address this issue. In his blog, scientist David Suzuki offers ten best practices that people can adopt in order to protect the earth, including supporting renewal energy, divesting from fossil fuels, and voting for officials and leaders who support a more "green" platform. To be blunt, if you are not personally changing your food choices or consumer habits or developing household sustainability practices, you are not making the situation better. You are undoubtedly making the situation worse. You are, in essence, enabling the Nightwalkers to do their bidding.

As we revel in the last season of Game of Thrones, we should recognize that for all of its wizardry and mythological pretense, Game of Thrones is metaphorically art imitating life. We are at a crossroads that will determine the future of the planet for generations to come. I will be very curious to see how the final season of GOT ends, but I am more excited to see how we will respond to the greatest existential threat of our time. Climate change requires that we not be passive observers or treat these events like passing entertainment. The perils facing our planet are not games. We must start acting now. Indeed...Winter is here.

Dr. Joel A. Brown is the Chief Visionary Officer for Pneumos LLP, a management consultant and coaching firm based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in cultural intelligence, leadership development, change management, and strategic storytelling. His latest offerings focus on interpersonal dialogue, LGBTQ inclusion, gender equity, and scaling-up for start-ups.