What a spectacular production the coronation of King Charles III was, reminding us of the power of an establishment that has reigned supreme since William the Conqueror was first crowned king of England back in 1066. Prior to that people lived in a relatively free and unfettered way under an agrarian system of subsistence farming where you were effectively the king and queen of your domain, a grassy patch of mother earth on which you depended for sustenance. Now I am not saying that there have not been significant benefits accruing from the course of history and civilization as we know it; education, scientific advancement, and material prosperity being the most obvious. But what does concern me is the price humans, and the planet on which we depend, have paid in terms of personal freedom and integrity. If Covid19 taught us anything, and the king’s coronation clearly demonstrated, it is how easily we can be herded like sheep with the proverbial carrot and stick of faith and fear.
Thanks to technology, I would estimate that at least half our global village of eight billion people was able to witness an ancient rite of passage. Within the magnificent Westminster Abbey Cathedral, with its soaring steeples and majestic colonnades, we were given a birds’ eye view of political power and principality. The sheer number of office bearers involved in the proceedings, the symbolism attached to each item, and the ritual adhered to in each moment, was a clear reminder of how well preserved and protected the prevailing power base is. With orchestral music and choir, our post-modern world was mesmerized into believing that with power firmly in the hands of the ‘chosen’ few, all will be well. Of course, the one item beyond human ingenuity and engineering was the weather, but such was the commitment of sovereign to the people and people to the sovereign, that the show went on without so much as a hitch.
For our show to go on, with the myriad problems facing us and our earth community, the challenge is clear – balance. Yes, we need the civilizing power of law and order that comes with establishing cultural norms and values. But these should no longer be cast in stone, but become as flexible as we need to be, lest we imitate a previous and now extinct species – dinosaurs. To be agile and creatively responsive, our prevailing culture needs to be balanced with our inherent human nature, which speaks to individual autonomy, moral integrity, personal responsibility, and self-determination. There is an obvious and present danger that unless we find the balance individually and collectively, those within the establishment will continue to deny their own humanity and render themselves unable to truly lead by example. This is the unfortunate reality we see in the failing and fallen statesmen and stateswomen we appointed to serve us, but who only seem able to serve themselves and their master.