NB: This article was originally posted in September 2022.
Coming together for a common purpose. Coming together to achieve a common goal. Coming together in unity.
I hope everyone is OK.
Here in the UK we have just witnessed 11 days like no other.
The outpouring of emotion following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, has; for the most part, united our nation in grief.
As the days and protocols around her funeral arrangements gained momentum, I found myself more affected by events than I ever thought I would be.
Her Majesty’s funeral services at Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle were the most powerful media experiences I’ve witnessed.
Reflecting on the past 11 days, most of the emotion I’d felt came from the stories and anecdotes cited by her admirers – some of the many thousands of people she met in her 70 years of being our Queen.
There were people – heads of state, media personalities and members of the public, who remembered Her Majesty’s many qualities, including her smile, commitment to the role and her uncanny ability to put everyone at ease.
It was these very qualities that switched a very sombre occasion into an experience that might be described as more joyful because so many people came together.
As an optimistic, I believe that this unity for a common cause isn’t going to be a one-off.
Can we keep up this momentum in the weeks, months and years ahead? I hope so. Society certainly needs it.
Perhaps if we can come together to:
- Check in every once in a while, and make sure others are OK
- Give everyone an audience for sharing ideas, challenges and concerns; and
- Motivate everyone to do great things.
It will bring massive benefits for us all.
Thank you for reading.
