BY Bill Reagan
Many of you have watched the immensely popular television series “Game of Thrones.” You might have read the books. There are five of them – five long books. I am almost finished with the fifth book. Fans are eagerly waiting the sixth installment of “A Game of Thrones” as the book series is known.
The books are challenging. There are hundreds of characters and as many plotlines. I confess I can’t keep it all straight in my head. “A Game of Thrones” is an epic fantasy saga, a big story filled with ordinary people, royalty, wizards, magical creatures and dragons.
It is a brutal story. Winners rule. Losers get their heads chopped off. No one wins the game for long. The game is power and it is winner take all. That’s the appeal of the book. Readers of the books or viewers of the show are amazed by the naked embrace of power and the characters’ willingness to do anything to win the game.
In many ways life is a game of thrones. We compete. We win. We lose. The stakes are high sometimes. And sometimes they are not. We like to win. We hate to lose.
Politics really is a game of thrones. I wrote this column several days ago, so I do not know who won the races for City Commission and School Board as of this writing. In each race there was only one winner. Thank God the losers didn’t lose their heads.
Washington politics is the biggest game of thrones. That is why some of you love Donald Trump and others of you loathe him. He’s the current winner of the game.
Harlingen politics is not quite so brutal. Here’s why. Our city is too small. We have to live with each other after the election. We see each other at HEB, at civic events and Market Days, in our clubs and in our churches. We are a community.
Congratulations to the winners. To the losers, stay involved; keep your commitment to service. Help our community win. We all win when the community wins.
Bill Reagan is executive director of Loaves & Fishes of the Rio Grande Valley.
