Viking: The Art of Bravery

It started with one man, one vision, and his bravery.

Viking is one of the well-known series that can be enjoyed on one of the movie streaming platforms. This series tells the story of the Vikings in their daily lives, starting from their culture, their conflicts, and also their success in traveling to areas that are far away on earth. The Vikings who are famous for their cruel nature are depicted particularly by this series. It is told that one of the Vikings named Ragnar Lothbrok, who started as a farmer, became one of the leaders who was greatly admired by many people.

Ragnar Lothbrok in his daily life as a Viking set a great example for his people, where everything he did made many people want to follow him, even to hell though.

Actually, what are the qualities possessed by someone called Ragnar?

1. Want to pursue a dream for the common good

Ragnar's background was not at all one of affluent, or noble blood. Ragnar's journey begins with him becoming a farmer. When one of the leaders in his area ordered to sail, Ragnar said that the destination of the voyage should be to the west, if we look at the map there is a land of the British. The leader in the area or the so-called “Earl” refused because the idea seemed like a joke. Because of that, Ragnar tried to make a secret plan to be able to sail west. Ragnar's effort is to gather people who have one vision with him. For most people, the benefit itself will come first. This is the opposite. Ragnar managed to convince that the profits would benefit every individual who wanted to help him first, so many people were tempted and wanted to go sailing with Ragnar to the west, which is said to have met great success.

2. Always use the word “we/us”

In every opportunity Ragnar explains something, the thing that always comes out of his mouth is the word “we”, not “I”. Things like “we will be able to find something of value in the west” or “next month, we will all sail west, and will meet another glory.” One thing worth seeing here is how the word “we/us” makes everyone believe that everyone in Ragnar's group has meaning in achieving this great goal. When someone knows that he is considered important, believe me, he will do his best to achieve a common goal.

3. Leading from the front

When someone has become a leader, every command will be carried out by someone who is told. It becomes very commonplace in every leadership. Ragnar did things a little differently. Every chance he gets, he wants to lead from the front. Ragnar knew his ability to speak, fight, and survive. This ability makes Ragnar lead from the front, and this can be seen in every incident in the series. Ragnar was willing to lead his troops forward into the battlefield, which managed to increase the confidence of his troops because his leader was on the battlefield with them. This made many people want to go to war and feel honored to be able to sacrifice their lives for the achievement of the goals of the Vikings.

4. Calm in every way possible

As humans, it is natural for us to feel afraid. Ragnar himself as a human feels afraid, when he becomes a soldier or when he becomes a king. However, due to frequent violent events, even in his fear, Ragnar managed to maintain his body movements. One of them is, Ragnar can remain calm even when there is a threat. In one of the episodes in the Vikings series, Ragnar and his army are seen eating at a banquet. Suddenly news came that the enemy troops were approaching the position of Ragnar and his allies. Everyone immediately stopped eating and became alert, but not Ragnar. Despite being in the middle without wearing any protection, Ragnar remained silent, sat down, and finished the food that was already in front of him. Because of this calm, many people also entrust their lives under Ragnar's leadership.

5. Able to walk in another person's shoes

One of the episodes allows us to see examples of traits that are very difficult for us to do in this life. It is said that an old man asked Ragnar's permission to be able to fight on the battlefield. Everyone in the room laughed at the request, but Ragnar didn't. He gave the elderly an opportunity to explain what he meant. It turned out that every friend he had died with honor on the battlefield, and he wanted to immediately meet his friends by dying with honor on the battlefield. Ragnar then understood and granted the person's request. Bringing an elderly person into battle may not be the best tactic for a leader. However, to be willing to take risks in granting the request of others after listening and understanding is another example of a great and understanding leader.

The five qualities that we have read above make Ragnar loved by his people, even though there are some conflicts caused by him. When we try to learn these five things, we can understand and experience what Ragnar was going through.