Finland could very well have its own king or queen, writes Konstig.
Queen Elizabeth’s funeral ceremony enlightened me to believe in people. It was wonderful to see a complex show full of beauty, cooperation, tradition and a restrained adult feeling. Thousands of people participated in the show, and everyone knew how to do their job. Even the bystanders, ordinary Brits who hadn’t been rehearsed for their roles, behaved naturally beautifully.
That a person is capable of such a thing. Isn’t that great?
If we could no longer organize funerals like this, wouldn’t we have lost something, as a species?
Monarchy appeals to people first of all because it offers an invaluable sense of continuity. You can watch the funerals of both Queen Victoria (1901) and Elizabeth’s father Yrjö Kuudenne (1952) on YouTube. They were exactly the same as before, the men were more mustached and the rifles less firepower. Such continuity testifies to civilization.
Civilization is built of stone. It is concretely built of stone, because wood rots and burns, but stone cathedrals will still stand thousands of years after Helsinki’s acclaimed central library, Oodi, is level with the ground. And it is built on stony traditions that continue from generation to generation and create that important sense of continuity that the world, .
Democracy feels natural and the only right thing for us, because democracy has raised and taught us. Still, democracy as it is today is a younger invention than constitutional monarchy, and there is not the same historical evidence of its durability. You could see democracy as a constant bickering, where the leaders bark at each other for a while and then disappear again, so fast that you can’t even study their names. During Elizabeth’s time, Britain had 15 prime ministers; According to my calculations, there are 41 governments in Finland.
Of course, the Queen does not handle government duties, but she creates a sense of continuity and harmony over all of this.
\”Monarchy is a holy mission set by God to make the world more peaceful and honorable, to give ordinary people an ideal to strive towards. The nobility of the monarch raises the nation above the sorrows of everyday life.\”
What ideals are we striving towards today? Who are we offered as role models?
Elisabeth’s funeral described her ethos: duty before one’s own feelings and desires. The dignity and honor, duty and dignity represented by the queen are not exactly words that are associated with our current celebrities. may not represent the same security.
The right unashamedly blue-blooded front image would suit our people just fine. Kruunupää would bring something bright, tall and granite to the middle of all life’s uncertainty and everyday Tuesday. After the sauna dalliances, we would admit that he is a good guy after all. We would be proud of him and at the same time a little prouder of ourselves. That way, in a Finnish way.
The column can be discussed on September 29. until 23:00.