Today, the 9th September 2022 is the 21st anniversary of one of the most visceral atrocities of the 21st Century. The Terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City. The statement “Never Forget” is used these days to remember many different atrocities around the World, but for me, the 9/11 attacks were the first time I can remember using it myself. The sad thing is that 21 years following the events of that day, people are starting to forget. Life is for them starting to return to some kind of normality. It is sad to bear witness to this acceptance that living in a World where Terror exists, makes black days like these more and more commonplace. For me the 9th of September 2001 is engraved into my soul, the same way as the 7th July 2005 is too. I will never forget these dates. I will never be able to. I will never understand… Anyway.. Never Forget.
On the 8th September 2022, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II died in her favorite place, Balmoral. While of course not the focus of an atrocity, her death is a great loss to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. There are.. amongst those who are openly paying their respects to this fallen monarch, people who are downplaying the importance of this loss. Whatever your standpoint on the monarchy of the UK, surely we can all come together and respect the loss of our Queen. She was the Queen of the people. Not just those who liked and supported her and the Royal Family, but those who didn’t too.
In the days that have followed the 8th September 2022, I have learnt that I am within the minority within my family who has any kind of respect for the monarchy. I am one of just two of us. Now please, don’t misunderstand, the Royal Family are not at all a perfect family. But they are just that – a family. It just so happens that their lives have played out on television continuously since television has developed. Every family has it’s problems, it’s just not all families are scrutinised quite so closely. I have always held respect for the Queen. For her lifetime of service to the UK and the Commonwealth. That dedication to service really is something special. That alone should be respected. I’ve not held so far the same kind of respect towards the new King Charles III. However, he is now the King, so my respect he shall have.
My allegiance is to the newly named Prince of Wales, Prince William. The next in the line of succession and a King who I hope I will get to see ascend to the throne within my lifetime. Nothing is certain however as nobody knows what the future holds for any of us, which is why I have found it important this week to bare witness to many of the ceremonious occasions that have ended in the proclamation of our new King. It may be a once in a lifetime thing, as has been the knowledge of the Queen, for until now she has been the only UK Royal that I have had the pleasure of knowing.
As I am in London this week, I will attempt to go and pay my respects to the Queen as she lays in State at Westminster. I feel like it is the respectful thing to do. A cannot be present in my spiritual City and not pay respect to the lifetime that the Queen gave to us. I know that from my family and probably my friends too I will be the only one to attempt to do this. But I feel it is important. While I cannot imagine having the Queen as a Mother nor having to take up the duties of being a King while mourning the loss of the Queen, if you remove the royal roles from this, then Charles is simply a man who has lost his Mother. That.. is something I can understand and empathise with completely.
Moving away from the Queen, I wanted to mention that this post is neither focused upon the loss of a monarch or terrorist atrocities, but more so on respectful remembrance. So much happens in our daily lives these days, much of it we get to see on TV, or via the Internet or Social Media. But it is not these platforms that are to blame for how we deal with news, nor is it the fault of the news being reported. We are ALL individuals. We ALL have free will. We should ALL excersize it a little bit more in my opinion. Stop being such sheepish sheepies. I think that sometimes experiences we each have in life, help to shape us and shape our character. Through this very nature however I do also feel that a lack of life experience that some have, and god willing will refrain from having for a long time yet to come, does on some occasions limit people’s potential understanding of situations that affect others perhaps more than they affect themselves.
