(*GAME OF THRONES SPOILERS in first section - scroll down to “SPOILERS FINISHED” to avoid.)

My favourite fictional character of all time is Jon Snow.

If you’ve seen Game of Thrones, you’ll know that Jon Snow isn’t exactly a funny character, or a genius, or the most charismatic.

My admiration for Jon Snow is rooted in a different character trait - the most unique and noteworthy trait of his: his morality.

As far as fictional role models of honour and integrity go, Jon Snow is the ultimate (that I have found).

In a world defined by power, cruelty, immorality and corruption, constantly weighing down on its characters pushing them to succumb to evil, Jon Snow never waivers in his pursuit of what is good, right and true.

Even when the right thing to do is the absolute most difficult, and when the truth is so ugly and unbearable that anyone else would have to look away and seek comfort in lies and illusion, Jon Snow never remits.

Like the man who raised him, Ned Stark - another paragon of honour - Jon is driven solely by what is right and true.

His unyielding moral compass is exactly what makes him such a worthy leader.

Others see clearly and beyond doubt how he embodies his principles of honour, righteousness and justice in every action and every decision, so people flock to walk behind him.

As a result, he succeeds in unifying groups of people to which - before witnessing Jon Snow’s honourable leadership - violent division was the only apparent possible mode of relation to one another.

And that is exactly the power hidden within what is good, right and true: the power to unify.

It can unify even the apparently un-unifiable.

Not only that, in the end of Game of Thrones, Jon Snow’s final fate is to go beyond the wall.

While to many this was an underwhelming fate for his character arc, for me there was subtle beauty in it.

Beyond the wall is a symbol of freedom.

All those that live within the walls are subject to the power dynamics which define the 7 Kingdoms - the “Game of Thrones” as it were.

Those at the top must play the game, those at the bottom live at their mercy - no one is truly free.

Throughout Jon’s character arc it is apparent that he assigns little to no importance to matters of power and wealth.

He envied those beyond the wall (”the free-folk”) and their simplicity of life.

He played the game when he had to, but he always did so in honour of what was right and true.

Unlike those who selfishly sought power and wealth until their inevitable demise, Jon’s fate saw him go beyond the wall - a symbolic transcendence of the Game of Thrones.

The ultimate consequence of his relentless pursuit of integrity, was freedom.

So, unity and freedom - these are the consequences of iron-willed morality.

SPOILERS FINISHED

And so we reach the purpose of this newsletter: to share with you how the unyielding pursuit of goodness, righteousness, and Truth (GRT), in your own life, can lead to both freedom and internal and external unity. To demonstrate how the cultivation of honour and integrity (like Jon Snow’s) will not only aid you in living a more free, meaningful and spiritually fulfilling life, but also how it will serve you in helping others and uniting with them.

Defining GRT

Before we get into it, we have to unpack what is actually meant by good, right and true.

How do we know what is good? How do we know what is right?

At first thought, these might seem like such abstract questions with so many potential subjective answers that they are impossible to answer objectively, but there is one illuminating avenue of thought which makes things glaringly obvious once you see it.

So here it is:

What is good and right emerge from what is true.

Truth is the defining principle of goodness and righteousness.

It is the foundation from which they arise.

Think about the words “right” and “wrong” in relation to “true” and “false”… they are synonymous.

The word “right” not only describes moral correctness, but also correctness in general as it relates to Truth.

If something is correct we can say either “that is right” or “that is true”.

In contrast, if something is incorrect we can say “that is wrong” or “that is false”.

Right and wrong are synonymous with true and false because they emerge out of them.

In other words, something is morally right because it reflects and honours Truth, whereas something is morally wrong because it denies Truth and reinforces lies or illusion.

By extension, what is good is that which honours what is morally right and true, and what is evil is that which rejects truth and righteousness in favour of what is false and morally wrong.

So this begs the question: what is Truth?

Truth is the Way. It is reality. It means what is.

It is the most basic and simple - yet profound and crucial - concept of all concepts.

To align oneself with Truth is to align oneself with reality itself.

There is a clear implication here, to align ourselves with Truth, we must tell the Truth, and our actions must be in service of the Truth.

We must overcome any habit of lying we may have, and strive only to speak and act in honour of Truth.

Truth as we see it externally, and Truth as we feel it internally - we must stay true to these.

But that refers to our own subjective interpretation of Truth, so, is there an absolute Truth?

Is there one Truth which stands as the ultimate foundation for all morality?

To these questions, all the prophets of history answer with an unequivocal yes.

The core message of all religions and spiritual traditions is the message of unity.

They all remind us of one fundamental Truth: we are all of the same Source.

There is an underlying Spiritual Reality from which we all emerged and to which we will all return.

And so (as a result of our essential oneness) kindness, love and peace are the most important things.

You might call this underlying Spiritual Reality God, Allah, Tao, the All, the Divine, the Absolute, the Creator - the choice of word is utterly unimportant.

What matters is that we recognise It as the Source of all things - as the bedrock of our ultimate unity.

That which is right and good honour and reflect this Truth - love, peace, kindness, justice etc.

That which is wrong and evil reject this Truth and reinforce the illusion of separation - war, greed, oppression, division etc.

Moreover, the words “good” and “evil” are rooted in “God” and “devil”.

God’s will is that of goodness, that which reflects the Truth of absolute unity.

The devil’s will is that of evil - division, separation, fear and hatred,

The word “devil” is rooted in the greek “diabolo” - which literally means to throw apart or divide.

So here we have it: the matter of morality - of good and evil, right and wrong - are not merely subjective constructs.* They are rooted in the deepest most fundamental Truth of Being - the Truth of oneness - and are echoed throughout history by the prophets and sacred texts.

What is good and right emerge from the Truth of oneness, and what is evil and wrong are that which reject the Truth of oneness.

What your life will look like if you don’t prioritise GRT

So now that we’ve established what is meant by GRT, we can begin to examine what your life will be if you abandon your inherent responsibility to honour these things.

The abandonment of GRT is, in the long term, the most perilous and self-destructive act you can commit.

By honouring GRT, you live with honour. They serve as a compass to meaning, fulfilment and freedom.

They are corrective forces which set the world - and your personal reality - right.

Without holding GRT at the helm you set your course for, at worst their opposites, at best a life of meaninglessness, detachment, and spiritual disarray.

Temptation is the manner in which you are steered away from GRT - away from what is deep, substantial, and true and into what is shallow, hollow and false.

Our true nature is spirit, and our spirit requires nourishment from the substance of what is GRT.

Without it, we become spiritually malnourished, and honesty and integrity are forsaken in favour of lying, cheating and selfishness.

These are the surest ways to isolate yourself from others.

Through lies, deceit and self-seeking actions you may occasionally and temporarily get what (you think) you want, but with every lie the value of your word decreases, and with every selfish act the value of your character.

You become untrustworthy and unreliable to other people and an unbridgeable gap is formed between you and them.

What’s left with those who (foolishly) do not remove you from their lives is a false pretence of a connection, ultimately rooted in self-gain or fear (of loneliness) on one or both parts. By rejecting GRT you create a little box of hell in which you must live, deprived of true connection with others.

The spiritual benefits of GRT

In contrast, consider the person who is defined by their pursuit of GRT - the Jon Snows, Jesus Christs, Buddhas, Muhammads and Moseses of this world.

These are people who lead by example. Where do they lead us to? A better world.

To the Kingdom of Heaven, Nirvana, Jannah, The Promised Land - once again, call it whatever you wish, the name is unimportant.

By pursuing GRT through your actions, you become an embodiment of the highest values: Truth, courage, wisdom, peace, justice, honesty, kindness, generosity, compassion, humility.

There is a reason these values, and the human beings who embodied them throughout history are held in such high regard - because they reflect Truth.

The named people and traits alike, they honour the Truth of oneness, and that is what makes them right and good.

By embodying them and using them as your compass, you are always moving Truthward and spiritward.

You align yourself with the single most real and powerful force in the Universe: Truth.

And if there is one thing which is inherently and inextricably linked with Truth, it is freedom.

By living in Truth you live freely.

You are not bound by lies you have told, either to yourself or to others.

You move free from the chains of illusion and unconsciousness, rapt by the infinite expansiveness of Truth.

By honouring GRT, you live with honour. They serve as a compass to meaning, fulfilment and freedom.

By embodying these spiritual forces you become a beacon, attracting more of what is GRT into your life and the lives of those around you.

You become a correcting force for yourself and the world around you - a force of Truth, Righteousness, Goodness and Freedom.

GRT as a unifying force - the internal and external

As discussed in the intro, GRT has the power to unify.

This is true on multiple levels - it can unify what is split or fractured within yourself, and it can unify people and groups of people in the external world.

Internal unification

First let’s examine how pursuing GRT can lead to internal unity.

By explicitly setting GRT as your target in all areas of your life, you are removing all inner conflict.

All your goals, values, decisions, actions and words are now aligned under the same umbrella.

You no longer say one thing and feel another.

You no longer feel regret or guilt around your actions or words because in the moment it served your interests, but deep down you knew it was wrong.

Every time you tell a lie or do something immoral you create a fracture within yourself.

Every time you speak honestly and act morally, you repair yourself toward wholeness.

As stated, Truth means what is. When you align yourself with GRT you are aligning yourself with what is. Alignment is the same thing as atonement. Atonement is the same thing as unification.

Alignment with GRT is the key to internal unity, where all values and motivations within you line up as one.

External unification

Just as GRT create alignment and unity within oneself, so too does it create unity among people.

Evil, hatred, division, oppression, greed etc are only made possible through the rejection of GRT.

The existence and enactment of each of those things depends on the false belief that we are ultimately separate from one another.

The more we, as humans, focus on the superficial distinctions which divide us, the more we perpetuate evil.

And the reality is that those apparent differences between us only exist at the surface - when considering the deepest Truth of oneness, they are ultimately illusory.

When we overlook our differences and realise our unity, we can begin to treat others with love and kindness.

No matter who someone is, whether they are a different race or religion, whether they come from a different socio-economic background or even an oppressed or war-torn country, whether they’re homeless or addicted to drugs - none of it matters. They are all human.

There are so many people in this world suffering unimaginably, and we have the power, by harnessing GRT, to reduce their suffering, even if just ever so slightly.

Through acts of kindness and compassion other people feel seen and respected.

A sense of love and appreciation is generated within them that they might then pass on to the next person.

If we could all strive to put a little bit of love and goodness out into the world every day, the world would become a beautiful place.

We would begin to love and respect each other, rather than hate and fear each other.

Moreover, if everyone wholeheartedly prioritised GRT we would all be united by values and purpose.

We would collectively stand against injustice and oppression in the name of GRT, regardless of the identity, race, religion or economic class of either the oppressor or victim.

Superficial differences and individual agendas become subverted by GRT in the hearts of all those committed to its pursuit.

Human beings across all different classifications would come together to fight for and honour goodness, righteousness and Truth above all else.

This is the unifying power of GRT.

An urgent call for GRT

At this point in time, we urgently require a collective recognition of our oneness.

There is one undeniable factor - when you go beyond the surface level differences of race, religion, nationality etc - which serves to unite us as humans: our humanity.

When you zoom out and see the bigger picture, one thing is painstakingly obvious: we are all humans.

When this truth is realised and integrated at a deep level, anything other than peace and kindness between humans is revealed as utter insanity.

Zoom out again and you will recognise our oneness with all of nature, and come to the realisation that we must love and protect nature too.

Too many human beings are suffering unnecessarily on this planet. There are at least three genocides happening in the world in Palestine, Congo and Sudan.

We must recognise that those suffering such unimaginable pains are humans just like us.

The only thing that separates our position from theirs is the conditions of our birth.

In the West, we simply do not fathom how lucky we are.

Our luxury and material wealth is built on the suffering of others, and our indifference and apathy towards the suffering of other human beings is what is going to allow these shameful conditions to continue.

We must come to realise the Truth of our oneness, and collectively act in the service of that Truth.

This, and only this, is what will redeem our species.

There is infinitely more that unites us than divides us, our eyes are simply focusing on the surface level, rather than the depths.

This is why Jesus emphasised not only to love your neighbour, but to love your enemy too.

If we are to survive - let alone thrive - as a species, we must recognise the truth of our unity and reflect it in our treatment towards one another.

That is to say that, the only forces powerful enough to unite humanity and salvage our species, are GRT.

This is how urgent it is that we awaken our own moral compasses, and follow them in the same unshakeable manner as Jon Snow.

The more people on this planet that can succeed in doing that, the greater are our chances of redemption as a species.

How to prioritise GRT in your own life

There are a few key traits we must cultivate in order to meaningfully pursue GRT in our own lives.

They have already been mentioned, but here is a reminder:

• Truth

• courage

• wisdom

• peace

• justice

• honesty

• kindness

• generosity

• compassion

• humility

Use these virtues as a set of ideals to strive for in all your actions and interactions.

Not true? Don’t say it.

Not kind? Don’t do it.

Not just? Don’t stand for it.

Recognise other humans as an extension of yourself, or at least recognise **their shared humanity.

Smile at homeless people. Maybe buy them a sandwich or help them get into a hostel.

Hold the door open for people. Compliment strangers and go out of your way to help people.

Most importantly, offer help to those that need it whenever you can.

We all have the power to contribute toward bringing about a better world, but only if we truly prioritise in our own lives the unwavering commitment to what is Good, Right and True.