A good proportion of the world is in mourning during these early days of September 2022. The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has touched many, from all walks of life, these past several days of September.
At the heart of what seems to be a world of mourning people, stands the British Royal Family, who have currently been subjected to prying eyes and prying cameras daily, repeatedly; all the while having to deal, as best they each can, with their individual experience of heartache and grief, all due to the passing of their much loved Granny and mother.
It has been interesting to observe how the world responds to mourning and those mourning. Much has been revealed, particularly via the media and social media, about underlying attitudes and mindsets, and frankly some of what is revealed is not at all good, but instead horribly bad and revoltingly ugly.
Some of what has been revealed has been less than human and less than humane. It has instead been proven to be most unfortunately inhumane and unfeeling.
In 2022, there are those who believe freedom of speech warrants freedom to pass critical, harsh, boundary-less judgements against those who are key mourners.
There are those in 2022 who believe freedom of speech provides a warrant to have the unquestionable, complete right to mock, to pinpoint and to over analysis every single gesture and every single action of those who are central mourning figures.
Prying eyes and prying cameras, they are each being used as tools to endeavour to capture and directly shape underlying thoughts and attitudes worldwide in 2022.
In 2022, it is considered by some to be rightfully correct to use the mourning as subjects for entertainment and subjects for public scrutiny.
Not only the good, but the bad and ugly have been repeatedly tabled, for all time, about current and past human history, and human choices, attitudes and behaviours as they stand in their diversity in September 2022.
There are those that have chosen to stand for literally hours to respectfully file past a draped coffin, as it rests for a time in both Scottish and English places it is laid in.
There are those that have carefully chosen plush Paddington Bear toys, written notes of sincere sympathy and condolence.
There are those that have placed bouquets of beautiful blooms and sunflowers outside gates of royal residences and other designated points for memorials.
The list of acts of respectful and kind gestures, both public and private, that are part and parcel of mourning and grieving in 2022 are notably long.
There have been those that have been seen to speak quiet words of comfort.
There have been those who have been recorded speaking words of sweet remembrance, as well as those who have shown a desire to express and to offer small, gentle acts of assurance and even hope.
Yet, others have only offered up for historic human history records words of judgement, bitterness, harshness and even poked deliberate, unkind fun.
The record of human responses, in this current time of mourning, show they are most varied and diverse, particularly in what they reveal about the cross-section of humanity present and living in 2022.
A good proportion of the world is in mourning, and knows how to show kindness and compassion to the key party of those mourning.
There are those who are the champions amongst us when it comes to good character, common, good human decency and good etiquette, and they are what some would clearly refer to as the salt of the earth in 2022.
Yet others simply have expressed no desire whatsoever in September 2022 to engage in such acts or gifts of notable good character or good social etiquette towards those key people who are mourning.
Instead, they want to favour their own need for freedom to say what they like, when they like, how they like and where they like.
Freedom of speech in 2022 has meant for them that there is no time like the present time to lay out judgement, analysis and harsh hatred. A time for mourning to them is just no different to any other season of time, it is just another opportunity to do and say as they blatantly will.
Humane respect for those mourning prevails amongst some in 2022. Loss and heartache are known to be hard, yet others see their right to freedom of speech to be far, far more important.
The need to keep the wheels of gossip, the wheels of online and offline harsh discussion turning and spiraling along are deemed far more incredibly important.
There are views, there are subscription numbers and even dollars to be gained and had, and there is no time like the current time, according to some, to make sure that is these alleged paramountly important goals are achieved.
A good story is deemed by some to be a story containing biased, subjective analysis upon analysis, no matter how much actual reliable, factual truth may be otherwise present.
In 2022, this time of mourning is instead to been seen, by some, to be yet another opportunity to subject judgement and frankly scathing words of unkindness and hatred.
It is not hard to find those willing to publicly table and pass judgement on every physical gesture or facial expression of a family member, be it walking in a formal procession or pausing to look at a floral tribute.
Videos, reports, photographs pointedly focused by some have endeavoured to determine that yet again certain individuals are only worthy of lesser respect, lesser compassion and lesser understanding. As they walk literally and figuratively through the act of mourning they are deemed to be good and easy subjects and targets for prey instead.
A time of mourning it is deemed by some to be no more important or significant than any other time or season in human history.
Kindness in a time of mourning? It would surely be a natural, humane gesture and gift to extend to another human being, in their time of vulnerability and deep heartache, yet for some, it is most definitely not their first natural choice of response in September 2022.
In 2022 a good portion of humanity know, without question, that a time of mourning is a particular, unique season and time.
There are those that still know that a time for mourning is a time with its own unique set of underlying guidelines about what is fitting human behaviour, fitting human attitudes and fitting human actions.
Yet for others, here in September 2022, they are so out of touch with what is humane, what is decent, fitting and appropriate and human, that they expose their own lack of timeliness and timely sound judgement.
A time for mourning. It was once a holy thing. It was once unquestionably a time understood by all to have its own specific guidelines and understandings for the good of all humanity.
Those that unitedly and rightly acknowledge once again, even today in 2022, without question how important it is to rightly behave, to rightly speak, to rightly focus solely on offering unquestionable support and kindness to those key figures most vulnerable and hurting with grief, do so, for the good of all that is human.
Freedom of Speech has never been, nor should ever be, an unquestionable warrant to disregard the natural laws and decencies of a time of mourning.
Those that mourn, be they a princely lord or a commoner, ARE deserving of the all the full rites of mourning and the respect duly due them for their time and season of mourning.
There IS a time and place for mourning.
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