Amidst the wave of outpouring of emotions to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, and the Royal Family, over the recent passing of her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburg, it seemed absurd that anyone would be interested in the disorder that characterized the early life of the great man. Yet the fact that turbulence, disorder and their ilk have become the closest companions of many persons in the world today, make the exercise a useful one.
Especially the fact that Prince Phillip put all the disorder and turbulence aside, or navigated his way through them going on to live the life the world is still talking about since his passing last Friday. If by zeroing in on some of the turbulence he experienced in his childhood, many admirers may find some inspiration to tackle their own demons, his greatness and legacy would have been further amplified.
If a couple of more persons saw him when he was at his most vulnerable points, and can relate with those aspects of his life, they may yet have hope. Hope has become something in short supply in the world today, what with the pervasive wind of insecurity and uncertainty blowing everywhere.
Mightn’t the fact that he was born on a kitchen table give some bit of hope to those born in a similar circumstance? Mightn’t it put at ease the mind of those mothers, many in rural areas, who for lack of funds, delivered their babies in far less than ideal situations? Generally, speaking poverty makes the circumstances of delivery of many babies, far less pleasant than it otherwise should be. Yet, because of the promise of life, all of those hampering and restrictive circumstances could be left behind through the passage of time. Though your beginning was small, your latter end will greatly increase. No wonder wise people do not despise the days of small beginnings. And this is not one situation where the morning shows the day. You must never judge the trajectory of an individual by the circumstances of his birth. If he finds hope along the way, there’s plenty that can change about his life.
He was born at a time of great political turmoil. How many young mothers can relate with that reality today? How many are so afraid that they wish they can move their infants and young children to countries where they would be safe? How many have cursed the fact that but for lack of funds, they would have decided quickly about moving their young families to safer climes? Yet time and chance combined and delivered Prince Phillip through the turmoil that characterized Greece in his early years.
Even though the sentence was not carried out, his father was sentenced to death while he and the rest of the family had to be spirited out of Greece to Britain because living in Greece was no longer an option. How many can relate with quick, unplanned and forced relocation of the family? It is doubtful if these disruptions did not play a significant role in the nervous breakdown which his mother later suffered from, and one which necessitated hospitalization in a mental hospital. How many people can relate with this? How many have been scared by the nervous breakdown suffered by their parents or carers? Yet through all these, time and chance combined again to yield Prince Phillip the tools he needed to meet the persons and circumstances, to urge him further along the way.
Mightn’t this aspect of the story of the great man inspire those who can relate with it today?
