For Tywin Lannister, he reached the top. He was the Ruler Behind the Rulers of the World. When he reached it, he found things farther to reach for: leaving a legacy for all of history to remember, leaving a Royal Family Line embedded in all the stories and songs of his time.
But Critics will ask, “Well was he happy?” As if it were an avenue to subtract from his prestige. They ask “How much has his pursuit destroyed the relationships around him - with his daughter, his sons? Going further, how much has it destroyed the livelihoods of innocent people around him?”
Does that make him happy…doing that?
My answer goes:
If he is pursuing that goal, obviously he is deriving meaning from it. Why else would he be doing what he is doing if it did not make him happy? No person big or small would do anything unless strong emotions compelled him. Tywin is over 60 years of age, nearing death in a time period like that. If something did not make him happy and give him meaning, he would not engage in it.
People will judge a person in accordance to his or her own standards and value systems. That is normal. But do realize that each can choose each’s own requirements for what makes one happy. Do hear what people say, but make your own resolute decision and don’t be afraid to stand by it, despite how other people may judge you, based on their own standards.
If someone could judge you based off of your own standards through seeing through your lens, they would undoubtedly support you. For if they understood and empathized with your reasons and intent, they would be equivalent to you.
His pursuit was challenging on a whole other scale, no doubt, but if he derived the greatest sense of glee from this pursuit — that there was a greater vision in mind behind every action — then there is nothing left to be said.
