Good Question

What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?

I don’t really think about being British. Did I when I was younger? I don’t particularly recall that. It’s where I was born.

Then I became a spiritual thinker, which in itself is hard to describe as in my case it’s not attached to any specific ‘way’. That’s the polar opposite of everything I believe in.

I do believe in what we call God, but I prefer the term Source. Source reminds us that we are all one, from the same root. That’s fundamental to my thinking.

Your gift wrap, your gender, your romantic others, none of it matters in the one-ness. But while we’re human I support your human rights to be who you are, unless you harm people, animals, or the planet. They’re my only red lines.

These are the things I attach to. No feelings that being British means any more nor less than being anything else. However…

There is one aspect of our society that I am proud to have, and as I’m interested in all history they fit in nicely.

Our late Queen, her late husband, and our King.

Only human

I don’t worship their status, had met them I would either like them or I wouldn’t. What I admire is their duty.

The late Queen dedicated herself to us and kept that word until 2 days before she died. Leaving her sick bed to meet our new, and not at all lamented, Prime Minister, and ask her to form a government. She could have asked the then Prince of Wales, she didn’t, she kept her word. Know anyone else who’s kept their word like that?

The Duke started off carousing, a man in a time that you were head of the family, who would fundamentally spend the rest of his life walking behind her.

Then he turned to charities, to protecting the planet, protecting wildlife when we didn’t know we would lose so many species, he did, and he did something.

He did so much. He took his young son to see the problems the world was facing. He gave a young Prince of Wales a purpose.

He is my king

Not because he was born to a woman who would unexpectedly be queen, not because he’s a king, because of who he is.

He reiterated his mother’s life-long promise and he will keep that promise. He didn’t run round partying and drinking waiting for the monarch to die, he made being the heir to the throne stand for something in its own right.

He went out, he mixed with the public. His much maligned letters to the prime ministers were about us, the things he saw, the concerns we told him. He didn’t interfere in politics, he fed back. He was our voice.

He cried openly when his uncle died, when his father died, when his mother died. Yes he’s been through the mill, yes he suffered because his personal business was made public. It was just a traditional bad marriage and toxic divorce, played out in the world stage.

He’s human. He tries. He does what he believes to be right. He gets things wrong and puts things right. Just like everyone else.

He’s clearly struggling with our cross young Prince, like any dad, but he’s keeping it private and he’s not complaining. He will know how many families go through this.

The big point

The only thing that gives me a little feeling of warmth when I think about my race are people I admire, and not just Royals. But then I admire every kind, compassionate, caring, thoughtful, honest, individual who keeps their word.

So the thing I admire the most is my human cultural heritage, the many incredible people I hear about, and those I will never encounter, but I know they’re there.

Kindness

Compassion

Respect

Responsibility

Thoughtfulness

That’s the heritage I want to scream about from the rooftops.

Deb xx