#BT Column – A modern monarchy as a mirror of hope and truth

By Walter Edey

Charles III is now the King of Great Britain and head of the Commonwealth, but the form and nature of the monarchy remains uncertain.  And, as some replay videos of the beating hoofs and marching feet, the intentions and words, the varied commentaries, and the pomp and ceremony of the Queen’s funeral service and burial, the mirages and reflections of British history and traditions continue to retreat from the global landscape.

At the same time a legion of people, as is their right, chose not to salute the Queen’s seventy-year reign or mourn her passing. Instead, they relive a history of pain. As yet, they have not buried their casket of pain. Nor thrown flowers over the mounds of dirt in the burial ground. They cry and weep loudly for something different. It is as if the removal of the monarchy will wipe away their tears and sooth the pain. It doesn’t matter that the head of state they so dearly desire, is an unexpressed idea. It cannot be denied that their weeping is authentic; that their tears of joy and halleluiahs are for transparency; that they crave for a figurehead which looks and feels like their city, community, village or home. A figurehead that they can touch and is only a heartbeat away.

This crave for modernization has become a global phenomenon. For example, in many parts of the world, people are adding new technology and ideas from the West as they seek to better themselves. But over time they still experiencing a sense of powerlessness and frustration. They see Western countries continue to get richer, more advanced, and more influential, while their own countries lag behind.  In the same way, the addition of robots and artificial intelligence to the workplace will have a similar outcome.  Modernization is nothing more than a mechanism of change. By itself it will not be successful in bridging the gap between rich and poor be it individuals or islands or countries. If seen as an end in itself it is most likely to widen the inequality gap.

The Queen Elizabeth II began her reign with these words: “I am committed to service whether my life is long or short.” King Charles III, who is much older than when Queen Elizabeth started her reign, in one of his commencement speeches said: “I feel the weight of history.”

It is likely that this statement will evoke the same kind of images that great leaders have at momentous events. The kind of words that like Sir Winston Churchill, and others rallied populations into action or negotiations that ended lengthy conflicts. However, the weight of history of which he spoke, is not the same weight of history that millions across the Commonwealth perceive or experience. It is fair to say that it is difficult but not impossible for the rich person or a monarch who grew up in wealth, to understand the sense of history of an island or a country with a complex and disrupted past, and feel the heaviness of the air or the sadness in their eyes. In these human moments, the weight of history is not just a metaphor; it is a tangible reality. And it is when this reality becomes public or institutional policy and individual community and private action that gives such words comfort, empathy and meaning.

It may not appear to be so but this crave for modernization is no different from the call for reformation and restructuring. And it is no happenstance that this global cry is happening right now. Historically, crises precede and lead cycles of reformation and restructuring; and renewal and reconciliation resolve crises, given will and freedom to do so.

Thankfully, the pathway to reconciliation to that which is good and honourable does not see or favour colour class or creed. Deliberately so, it is narrow, rocky and full of potholes, twists and turns. It is selfish and requires a single focus. That’s how it empowers anyone or group who chooses to walk it. Ultimately, the future form of monarchy that legions desire, will not rest on the actions of Charles III alone, but rather in the acceptance of this fact of life: life by design is intentionally difficult.    

But truth is a tricky thing. It can be easy to believe something that is not actually true, and sometimes it can be difficult to accept the truth even when it is right in front of us. That’s why, when people discover something on their own, they are more likely to pay attention to and value it. If it takes the cry for modernization and passage of time to uproot the power of collaboration of effort, to sanctify the importance of surrendering to the greater or higher cause, or to give inequality a steeled lifeline, so be it.

Walter Edey is a retired maths and science educator in Barbados and
New York.