I have reflected all day, while re-potting and rejuvenuting my (numerous!) houseplants on why I feel somewhat overwhelming grief for the death of Queen Elizabeth. I posted earlier, after I had just heard, and after reading JVL’s reprise of the article I had also read earlier, and I knew I was just sad.
Now that I have marinated in it aw…
I have reflected all day, while re-potting and rejuvenuting my (numerous!) houseplants on why I feel somewhat overwhelming grief for the death of Queen Elizabeth. I posted earlier, after I had just heard, and after reading JVL’s reprise of the article I had also read earlier, and I knew I was just sad.
Now that I have marinated in it awhile, I am a little more clear on why I feel as I do.
She was the last world leader , regularly seen on all media, who exhibited decency, kindness, compassion, empathy, competence, and grace on virtually every occasion. She had no political power, but she held an enormous amount of real power. For 70 YEARS. She understood duty and service in ways that are incomprehensible to us now. Our leaders can’t even be civil to one another, let alone kind and compassionate. I understand she held a unique position, yet it was still the the best exemplar of power I have ever seen. I am bereft.
Our leaders are not even capable of doing their duty for the length of their terms. They seem to have no concept of service in terms of generations- which is where are thinking should be- but only in terms of election cycles.
It was a very interesting juxtaposition of topics today. How one person in power did her very best, not always perfectly, but her very best, as often as she could, changing and growing and adapting to a myriad of change, while our own leaders change their “values” with the passing of power, and never hold to a basic standard of civility, compassion, and care. In fact, many in our country seem to value the opposite. Our 70 year exemplar of real service to a concept of ideals and country and even power is gone, and I am grieving.
And , yes, I can hear, “ but the privilege “, “the money”, “it’s not like she had a hard life”, “the castles!”, and still, 70 damn years given to her country. It could never have been easy. And I look at our sad sacks , and I am sickened.
I grieve. Our world is now much more fragile, it seems, with the passing of a 96 year old queen.
Queen Elizabeth didn't choose to be born into immense privilege, but she did choose to fill her position with as much integrity and decency as it could possibly be done. Receiving the new PM so shortly before she passed away leaves a striking image of honoring duty to the end.
I have reflected all day, while re-potting and rejuvenuting my (numerous!) houseplants on why I feel somewhat overwhelming grief for the death of Queen Elizabeth. I posted earlier, after I had just heard, and after reading JVL’s reprise of the article I had also read earlier, and I knew I was just sad.
Now that I have marinated in it awhile, I am a little more clear on why I feel as I do.
She was the last world leader , regularly seen on all media, who exhibited decency, kindness, compassion, empathy, competence, and grace on virtually every occasion. She had no political power, but she held an enormous amount of real power. For 70 YEARS. She understood duty and service in ways that are incomprehensible to us now. Our leaders can’t even be civil to one another, let alone kind and compassionate. I understand she held a unique position, yet it was still the the best exemplar of power I have ever seen. I am bereft.
Our leaders are not even capable of doing their duty for the length of their terms. They seem to have no concept of service in terms of generations- which is where are thinking should be- but only in terms of election cycles.
It was a very interesting juxtaposition of topics today. How one person in power did her very best, not always perfectly, but her very best, as often as she could, changing and growing and adapting to a myriad of change, while our own leaders change their “values” with the passing of power, and never hold to a basic standard of civility, compassion, and care. In fact, many in our country seem to value the opposite. Our 70 year exemplar of real service to a concept of ideals and country and even power is gone, and I am grieving.
And , yes, I can hear, “ but the privilege “, “the money”, “it’s not like she had a hard life”, “the castles!”, and still, 70 damn years given to her country. It could never have been easy. And I look at our sad sacks , and I am sickened.
I grieve. Our world is now much more fragile, it seems, with the passing of a 96 year old queen.
Queen Elizabeth didn't choose to be born into immense privilege, but she did choose to fill her position with as much integrity and decency as it could possibly be done. Receiving the new PM so shortly before she passed away leaves a striking image of honoring duty to the end.