Ivory Tower

Having lived in an Ivory Tower for most of my life, I am wary of making statements because I know that my life has been easily lived so I can not really understand the depth of feelings created by racism and other forms of violent, abusive and unkind behaviour. Living in that Ivory Tower is actually easy but difficult perhaps for those around you. You can adopt this attitude that you are perfect and only see the faults in the world. But we all have faults of one kind or another and a really particular fault is thinking that you are able to "fix" people. Fortunately I have refrained from that although I do on occasion take up my stance on particular items. In my old age, I refuse to allot blame however as none of us is free from blame, I will defend myself since living in my Ivory Tower I am uncommitted to most things. The exception is my devotion to God, Mother Nature, my country and my family (in my mind I do realize I am 100% Canadian but there is a part of me that is also British and so I do sometimes embroil myself in items there on occasion). Those are my commitments and I retain them for myself and will to my death I suspect. Truly I prefer the hermit existence although Edward did manage to drag me out into the world doing various things through our life together. Having children also resulted in my leaving that Ivory Tower to be part of their growing up years - helping at play group, helping in their schools in the early years, helping with Brownies for six years and then electing to serve the District rather than do Guides with them. I was volunteered to be secretary at Edward's Church although I had been secretary at my own for a short period when it was very new and young. I did volunteer to be part of the World Day of Prayer preparations for a number of years for both Edward's Church and my own Anglican Church. But that was really the extent of my own volunteering everything else Edward volunteered me to do. My cousin dragged me into genealogy needing a profile for the Pincombe family for the book on Westminster and Delaware Townships that he was editing in 2003. But I can still be in my Ivory Tower working on my parent's one name studies which I did actually move to after taking 42 courses at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies and in particular DNA - such a marvelous topic in our lifetime. 

That does bring me to Harry and his Memoir. I had meant not to comment anymore on that particular item but one wonders why someone would go out of their way to destroy their family - is jealousy such a powerful human emotion that one would destroy one's own or at least attempt to do so (he says he is trying to help them but it is a strange kind of help one might say). The Queen saw Harry's jealousy; she took away much of what was Harry with the stripping of his military titles and his honorary titles because he said he wanted out - it was a logical step on her part. He punished her by not going to Balmoral when he could have done so while she was alive. Criticizing the Queen would not have gone over well and so he has gone after his father and brother (and their wives). It is sad really to attack one's own in such a public way and one might think he would regret it in his old age but I am dubious of that. I do not think that the Duke of Windsor ever regretted anything that he did. Harry is probably better ignored. I think Anderson Cooper got it right; why keep the titles? Renouncing them would seem to be the right route in order to support all of what was said about the British Monarchy; renouncing his place in succession for himself and his children would seem to be the appropriate route given what has been said about the British Monarchy. Thinking that the British people would ever want him as their King is a fairy tale. He has piled blame on them for something that was caused by Harry - he knew that his father and brother came first and simply could not accept that and attempted, like Diana, to make himself most beloved of the British public. Diana was very beloved and I respect her for all the work that she did; but she was in full support of the British monarchy and the British people - is Harry? He too has lived in an Ivory Tower his entire life and continues that same course without any consequences to him so long as he can pay the price for his upkeep especially security and that of his family. 

On to the day, cleaning day two.