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As a journalist, I would be remiss if I missed an opportunity to comment on the unexpected exit (insert all “Brexit” puns here) from their royal duties of Harry and Meghan. Personally, I find this news story fascinating, not just for all of the complexities, financially, surrounding the young couples’ decision to move, but rather for all of the complexities, emotionally.
Whenever people get married they usually have an understanding of WHO the other person is fundamentally. Although I do not know the couple personally, I cannot imagine that Meghan married Harry without knowing that he was — a prince raised in England by a privileged family of rulers. So why then, after less than two years of marriage, does Harry want to change, fundamentally, who he is?
I am aware that there will be many who may challenge my conclusion with justification that Harry is way more than just a man with a title and privilege. He may have deeper personality traits and a litany of other attributes, there is 100 percent truth to the fact that the essence of what has made Harry the man Meghan wanted to marry in the first place comes from the three plus decades of his foundational upbringing.
This leads me to ask another question: Why does Meghan want to change the essence of who her husband is? As complex as these issues are, I can think of no simpler answer to both questions other than, LOVE.
When we love someone, we can do things which may seem to some, out of our normal character like running off to Paris for the weekend or tattooing their name on our body. However, neither of these things changes the essence of who we are. If you see a friend becoming engaged in harmful behavior, simply in the name of love, you would certainly try to caution them that the person they love may not be a good choice. But what do you do when your friend, or beloved family member, does exactly what Harry just did — not just move to a different country, but, essentially ask to be released from the family business, which embodies centuries’ old traditions, values and duties that are inherent in his very being? If it were my sister, I would certainly counsel her in hesitation and caution.
The complexities of love are vast, but the actions are often simple in their nature and, in this particular case, compelling. No one knows the future but major decisions made in haste, without guidance and for immediate gratification, are often decisions wrought with regret: Whether they stem from love only complicates things more.
Ironically, I have been analyzing and offering my opinion (to anyone who would listen…) on this matter for weeks and it occurred to me, as I wrote my first sentence of this column, that I don’t even know Harry and Meghan’s last name. I suppose I could look it up, but, honestly, I am not that interested. In the end, does it really matter?
Regret!! Regret!!
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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