Making Sense of the "Royal Wedding"

People want to be inspired.  That’s the only sense I can make of the “royal” wedding that took place on Friday.  The bride and groom have, to date, done little in their young lives to actually merit the affection of the public.  So why do people cheer them?  It must point to some part of our psychology that wants to believe we are part of something bigger and more important than our daily lives might suggest and “royalty” are easily identifiable apex points of "kingdoms" or systems people can feel they belong to. That’s why occasions like “royal” weddings or even national sporting events inspire a sense of patriotism and pride.  People are cheering from their own sense of purpose and pride in belonging to something bigger than themselves.

But that instinctive sense of wanting to belong is both a natural and dangerous thing.  It’s natural because it’s true. We are all part of something bigger than our own narrow selves.  But it’s dangerous, because the craving to belong can be manipulated and abused.  One thing about the royal wedding that disappointed me was the military gear that the groom chose to wear. It’s a subtle infusion of pride and passion with warfare and it’s the sort of emotive blend that has been abused for centuries by kings and rulers to turn people into subjects and citizens into soldiers.

I know it might have been "protocol", but I will respect William more if he chooses at some point in his life to break with protocol and forge his own path, hopefully one that promotes unity and diversity and desists from glamourizing the military, as “kings" and "princes" have been known to do.