Is Rick Grimes a Stoic Leader? Why Rick Grimes Ideals Line Up A Lot With Stoicism And Why He Is a Hero

Fans view Rick as heroic because he constantly risks his own safety to protect the people they care about. Because of Rick’s actions, people such as Maggie, Carol, and Aaron are still alive, hence many choose to have faith in and esteem him. After watching The Walking Dead multiple times over, I would say that Rick Grimes is most definitely a leader that aligns with Stoic principles. He has tried to be happy and always have a positive state of mind in even the worst of circumstances. One of the scenes that I think illustrates Rick’s stoic principles the most is his “we are the walking dead” speech. He talks about how he once talked with his grandfather about if he killed any Germans in the war. Basically it went like this “he said he was dead the minute he stepped into enemy territory. Every day he’d wake up and say Rest in Peace, now go to war, to himself before leaving.” Rick then goes on to say “and so after a few years of pretending he was dead, he got to live. I think that’s the trick of it. We do what we need to do NOW, then we get to live.” This is a very stoic philosophy that I think Marcus Aurelius, Seneca or some of the greats were to agree with. Even if life literally turns into the Walking Dead one day, Stoic philosophy would tell you to enjoy it for what it is and for what it’s worth, and to make the most of the time you have. It was going to end anyway.

Was Rick Grimes a good leader?

He did make some serious missteps as the group’s leader, but he only ever wanted what was best for them. However, he grows as a leader every year, having learned from his past mistakes.

But maybe most importantly, Rick is a superb leader because he practices what he preaches. He respects and admires his team members because he communicates his principles and sets high standards for how they should operate together.  I would say that overall both Machiavelli and Marcus Aurelius would agree that Rick Grimes was a good Prince. He has an innate ability and experience that made him extremely useful throughout The Walking Dead, and he is also a fighter that strongly focuses on what he can control, working to achieve his ends and prevail at all costs.

Rick Grimes and Stoicism Vs Negan

If both parties were to abandon their weapons, it would be evident that Negan would have the upper hand. Negan gets the upper hand since he is stronger and has more hands than Rick, and Rick is missing his dominant hand.

That being said, in a battle with no rules, it has been shown that Rick Grimes can come back from almost anything. Negan literally had the upper hand and was completely toying with him at one point, and Rick still came back to win in the end, overall Rick is the stronger man.

Who is Rick’s Right Hand Man, Daryl or Glenn?

Daryl is always looking out for Rick’s interests and the gang. Even if he questioned Rick’s orders less frequently in season six, he still did so for most of the show’s first five years. Glenn was like that in the first movie, but since then, he’s put himself and Maggie before the rest of the group. Rick doesn’t give him many orders anymore. Now that Glenn has passed, Daryl is most definitely Rick’s right hand man, and has proved to be a great ally during the battle against the Saviors.

Final Thoughts on Rick Grimes as a Character And How He Aligns With Stoic Principles

The quiet, self-assured Rick Grimes is the unsung hero of the show. He tries to live by his code of ethics, but that isn’t always enough in a world full of flesh-eating zombies. Moreover, Rick is quite critical of himself, possibly unjustly so, if his plans fall through. Every choice you make in this horrifying new world could end in death. This is because Rick focuses on what he can control, and sometimes the only way to do that is to look around and know that there is always something that you could be doing. For these reasons I would say that Rick Grimes is a virtuous and Stoic leader!

*TWD

Sources:

https://www.amc.com/twdu/the-walking-dead

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_(TV_series)

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