How to Deal with Monikers

One time, I found this description of the book, Ivan the Terrible on Bookbub:
“Explore the life of Ivan the Terrible — the infamous Russian tsar who more than earned his daunting moniker. But beneath Ivan’s exterior of brutality may have lurked a complex, even sympathetic leader…”

The phrase “daunting moniker” caught my attention. It reminded me of this blows-your-mind-away monologue by Christoph Waltz as part of his portrayal of a Nazi Colonel named Hans Landa in the movie Inglorious Basterds. Here, I quote the parts of relevance:
“Monsieur LaPadite, are you aware of the nickname the people of France have given me? … “The Jew Hunter.” … Heydrich apparently hates the moniker the good people of Prague have bestowed on him. Actually, why he would hate the name “the Hangman” is baffling to me. It would appear he has done everything in his power to earn it. Now I, on the other hand, love my unofficial title precisely because I’ve earned it.”

Set aside the moral aspect of the Hans Landa quote for a minute. But isn’t it true that most of us do get tagged by a moniker during childhood or at college? And in those periods of our life, those monikers can be honest and usually cruel. Sure, at other times, they can be unfair and undeserved. But either way, during those periods, they “stick”. Sadly, the more you dislike it, the harder it sticks. Anyone who says otherwise was never a child…

At least monikers like “the Terrible”, “Hangman” and “Jew Hunter” are accurate descriptions based on what the person did. But often monikers come from actions that lie beyond one’s control. Like being a bastard. A term that Jon Snow faces all the time in the awesome series, Game of Thrones. So how does one deal with a situation like that? After all, Landa’s advice to “love (the) unofficial title precisely because I’ve earned it” doesn’t apply in such cases. So how does one deal with such “unearned” monikers? Tyrion Lannister, the Dwarf (another moniker, this being of the honest and cruel kind), from Game of Thrones gave the answer to Jon Snow:
“Let me give you some advice, bastard. Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.”

I never cease to be amazed by the wisdom one can get from the most unlikely of sources, including a Nazi Jew Hunter and Game of Thrones. In fact, Game of Thrones has wisdom (and quotes) on every topic under the sun, and it would take an encyclopedia to capture all of that. And like the Greek and Hindu epics, Game of Thrones can be (re)interpreted and argued about for ages…

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