The world stood still for a moment when it was announced that Queen Elizabeth had died. The words posted from the crown about her death was a short sentence. It was understated.
There was no fanfare or over the top language to make her death official. In a short period of time, however, messages of celebration of the life of the Queen quickly poured in. The depth of mourning in England was palpable. The news coverage was thorough and painted a picture of a life that made a difference to others both at home in England and throughout the world. One of the first things that I did was to email friends in England offering my condolences, one was the former Chief Architect for the Church of England and the other his wife who was a teacher. We had spoken by zoom just a few weeks ago. I heard back from him this morning with words that captured the grief of the English people.
Queen Elizabeth experienced the ups and downs in life from the Depression to the challenges in Ukraine. Her joy and sadness in actions in her family life were subject to the same kind of drama as we saw in the struggles of humankind during her life. She was the great influencer, a woman of deep faith who prayed on her knees each night, and someone whose life became a symbol of public service and stability.
I need to bring another Englishman into our conversations about her contributions to the ethical life. John Stuart Mill set forth ideas in the 19th century known as the Utilitarian perspective. At the heart of his ideas to explain social ethics he said that we must consider the “greatest happiness principle” which became known as the idea of the “greatest good for the greatest number.” In this ethical system one must provide the greatest good for the greatest number in your identified group at the time. That group could be your family, nation, friends, or the whole world. The queen’s greatness rests in the number of groups including the world that she went about in life to make sure that the greatest good for the greatest number prevailed. World leaders, English people from all stations of life, her nation, her family, and other groups too numerous to mention rejoiced in the stability and compassion that she embodied.
But the Utilitarian Doctrine has something else to it that is often forgotten and perhaps the single most important aspect of Queen Elizabeth’s time here on earth. It is that her good virtue, among others, is the fact that she “stood the test of time.” She stands in sharp contrast to those who have been flashes of celebrity, perhaps even getting more than their 15 minutes of fame. This has been true too many times of recent leadership and our everyday experiences as well. When someone arrives on whatever scene with great fanfare and noise whether it be a plumber or a politician, I sometimes reflect to myself, “Will they last?” There have been more times than I can remember that they do not. They are gone with the last news cycle.
The Queen reminds us that humility, consistency, stability, faith, and dependability is sometimes rare in our present time as well as in history. The contrast between her and others is stark. No one entered, in the eyes of the world, with more fanfare than did the Queen in her coronation so our “flash in the pan” others in our public and private domain seem clearer in our experience of them. Many don’t last!
The Queen had a marriage with the people of England and the world. It is why the vows in the marriage service are so applicable to her relationships with others and so necessary in our world today.
“Do you promise to love them, comfort them, honor and keep them, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to them as long as you shall live?” The world has answered, “She did! And We will!
That is a description of the “test of time!” It is sometimes expressed as “You can count on me!”
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