The Common Wealth of Nakedness

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tonight leave the Solomon Islands for the next leg of their Diamond Jubilee Tour - the aim of which is to visit each of the Realms of the Commonwealth to celebrate the  jubilee of the current Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II.

It is a largely vainglorious mission, not least because the role of Head of State will likely not pass to the Queen’s successor.  The role is largely ornamental. That said, it’s important to our current monarch and I respect that and, as she is not able to attend all 54 member nations, the Queen has sent different members of her family on the tour to represent her.

I respect that a little less.

In any case, I am sure that, as her equerry arrived on the sinking land of the Solomon region, to be greeted by Melanesian tribe-folk in traditional dress, Her Majesty would her preferred that the world was not making comparisons to the topless pictures of her new daughter-in-law on her hols in France.

Because bizarre back-drop it certainly did provide.

What was more strange? The giggling of the Duchess as the bare-topped tribal women placed traditional wreaths around her neck, at exactly the moment she and her husband were suing for ‘grotesque’ invasion of privacy and seeking criminal charges against the photographer?

Or, the image of a sedated Duchess in high-necked, long-armed formal attire as she was carried on a throne by naked Melanesians, in such contrast to the bare-breasted bikini-bottomed girl rubbing sun-cream into her new husband’s back?

 

In parts of the Melanesian region, men went naked except for a penis sheath made from the gourd of a vine and greeted eachother by rubbing each other's groin region. Now the laplap, wrapped around the waist or the armpits to cover the body is generally worn. In certain areas, women still prefer not to wear any covering on their upper body, as we saw in many pictures this week.

They prefer to not wear any covering. And so they don’t. Not even when, the chances are, they will be on the front pages of national papers around the world. The Duchess had much to discuss with these ladies.

So, how wonderful this tour could have been, given the Duchess relatively relaxed attitude to clothing and body, surely the most relaxed of any so close in line to the throne. What if the Duke and Duchess had taken the opportunity to step off that plane wearing nothing more than a penis sheath, and a folded laplap? To have performed a brief ceremonial groin rub and shown true respect for the indiginous culture of one of the members of our former empire!

Instead, the tour lacked authenticity, even more than it did at the start.

Go to work, voluntarily

The voluntary sector is back in the press following the mouth-watering value delivered by the London 2012 Games Makers on the world’s largest stage. For free.

Politicians are jumping up and down, slathering a bit. Ha! Proof! Our Big Society concept was absodooperly spot on! The Games Makers loved it too! This is how we get our stagflative economy out of the doldrums – volunteerism! Let’s bottle it! It’s our nation’s newest greatest asset, and it’s freeee, we can afford it! 

Listening to many of the Games Makers, willing to work so hard, expecting so little, and yet receiving so much, it’s hard to disagree.  Many said that the experience was the best thing they had ever done.

It gets even harder to argue the power of volunteerism when you read the latest white paper from the global consulting firm, Hay Group, optimistically entitled ‘Depressed Employee Engagement stunts global business performance’. The paper claims that more than a third of employees across the world are unwilling to go the extra mile for their organization.

So two groups in the press offering their services: one unwilling, one willing. One remunerated in cash, the other remunerated…how?

In their testimony (The Guardian’s open thread on the topic), the Games Makers describe a passion for sport, pride in their product, tremendous collegiality and a sense of driving real value to the bigger whole. 

Passion, pride, collegiality, value.  Sentiments lacking from many a disengaged employee’s day to day.

We certainly can learn a great deal from the joyful success of volunteerism this summer. We can learn to be more ‘willing’, to find a job which delivers passion, pride, collegiality and value. We can remember that remuneration comes in many forms, cash being just one. There is a chance that if we all set out to add value, we may actually do so, and the economy may improve after all.

Because of your difference

"Show the world that, regardless of differences between individuals, there is something that everyone is good at".  

The instantly recognisable synthesised voice of Professor Stephen Hawking, so charismatic in Pink Floyd's "Keep Talking", and the driving force of the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. 

If I were feeling really brave, I would suggest to the Professor that he replace 'regardless' with 'because'. "Because of the differences between individuals, there is something that everyone is good at."

So many Paralympians have found their difference, and consequently, their strength, through tragedy.  Others have endured so very many years of challenge, to eventually find acceptance in sport.

You may be entirely able in body, and mind, or maybe not, but have you found your difference? That quirk, that foible, that idiosyncrasy which differentiates you from your colleagues, from other parents, from friends? Is your difference so well admired by those close to you, or by society, as the ability to swim faster or shoot straighter than anyone in your class?

Admired or not, it is your distinguishing characteristic, work with it.

If other parents think your approach strange, prove through your children that your distinct formula works.

If your employer can't see it, or can't put a value to it, or doesn't like it; leave. You won't reach your  potential there.

You have been blessed. You have your difference, without suffering true challenge or tragedy. Don't wait for disaster to discover it.