Royalty

Why do we delight in seeing how are the mighty fallen, whether it is actual monarchy, or those who have assumed such titles from their fame on the silver screen? It's actually rather sad. When they are reduced to public humility, we tend to gloat, "Ah! You see, not so great after all!"

A monarch thus reduced to but a shell of his former self must be that old King of some undefined time in England - Lear. Unfortunately, by the time I knew the RSC were in town to put on the play all the cheaper seats had sold out, and I decided my pockets were not deep enough to be able to pay for a premium seat. However, due to a stroke of luck I did manage to attend the press conference since I am now writing for a teen magazine.

I dusted off the cobwebs in my brain that had been gathering around my memories of that great play that I studied in my final year at high school and found a script that essentially makes you ponder how temporal and transient all those trappings of fame and fortune really are. Poor Lear realises too late where his true treasure lay - in the love and loyalty of only one of his daughters, the other two only feigning love to get their greedy hands on his estate and wealth.

"Be not content with the ease of a passing day," are Baha'u'llah's words of wisdom, "and deprive not thyself of everlasting rest. Barter not the garden of eternal delight for the dust-heap of a mortal world. Up from thy prison ascend unto the glorious meads above, and from thy mortal cage wing thy flight unto the paradise of the Placeless."

I love how that really makes us think of the transient nature of this physical life, how we need to be mindful of that for which we were truly created. Hopefully we will not be as naive and trusting as Lear but ensure that we recognise the value of family, friends and being of service to others. Whoever can do that is a King or Queen in my book!