Posted by
peripheral on Monday, December 07, 2009 5:48:56 AM
From My Perspective - - -
The King and I is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. The
plot comes from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became school
teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s.
Wikipedia contains a good summary of this production: “The King is
quite pleased with Anna’s teaching. His eldest son Prince Chulalongkorn
has some concerns, however. The young prince asks his father when he
will know he knows everything and thus be ready to rule. The King gives
him hope, but when he is alone, reveals that he himself is troubled; he
does not know how best to rule. In the meantime, Anna tells the
children that she has grown to like them. Then she launches into a new
lesson - geography - having just received a more accurate map from
England. The new map shows Siam in its proper size in relation to other
countries. She has to end her lesson prematurely, though, when Prince
Chulalongkorn refuses to believe that Siam is so small and that there
is such a substance as snow. His father rescues Anna by ordering the
children to believe her.”
There is a death-bed scene when all of the King’s children are brought
to the King. “Prince Chulalongkorn is a combination of his father’s
self-assured leadership and his mother’s careful wisdom. Prince
Chulalongkorn brings to Anna’s classroom a healthy skepticism and a
junior version of his father’s arrogance. Prince Chulalongkorn bridles
at the geography lesson which reveals Siam to be smaller than he’d
thought, then rebels and refuses to believe in snow, turning the
classroom to pandemonium until his father orders the children to
believe the schoolteacher. While the king is dying, the young prince
makes his first proclamations, one of which is to abolish the
established tradition of bowing low to the ground ‘like a toad’;
instead, he wants his people to show their respect with straight backs
and a confident look in their eyes. His display of command and concern
for his people demonstrate his readiness to rule as well as his
successful assimilation of modern Western thought.”
It is always good to remember who and where one is in terms of position
and responsibility. In the world of politics, too often one is
subjected to the bellicosity so typical of the politician. There can be
a fixation on: “If ‘I’ were King…” They become fixated on "I" rather
than the people who elected them. Peggy Noonan points out in her column
on Friday, December 4th regarding the President's address to the nation
from West Point: “…there was too much "I" in the speech. George H.W.
Bush famously took the word "I" out of his speeches - we called them
"I-ectomies" - because of a horror of appearing to be calling attention
to himself. Mr. Obama is plagued with no such fears. When “I” took
office…”I” approved a long-standing request…After consultations with
our allies “I” then…”I” set a goal. That's all from one paragraph.
Further down he used the word "I" in three paragraphs an impressive 15
times. "I” believe “I” know, "I” have signed…"I” have read…"I” have
visited. I, I—ay yi yi. This is a man badly in need of an "I"-ectomy.
After the President announced his plan he seemed to slip in, After 18
months, our troops will begin to come home…Then came the reference to
July 2011 as the date departure begins. It was startling to hear a
compelling case for our presence followed so quickly by an abrupt
announcement of our leaving. It sounded like a strategy based on the
song Groucho Marx used to sing, "Hello, I must be going."
Interestingly, the issue with Lucifer prior to his being cast out of heaven by God, was his need for an “I”-ectomy. In Isaiah 14:12-15
the Prophet states: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star...How
you are cut down to the ground...You who said in your heart, “I” will
ascend to heaven; above the stars of God “I” will set my throne on
high; “I” will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the
north; “I” will ascend above the heights of the clouds; “I” will make
myself like the Most High. But you are brought down to Sheol, to the
far reaches of the pit.” The self-confident and self-assured should pay
attention to the words of I Corinthians 10:12, “…let anyone who thinks
that he stands take heed lest he fall.” The Message takes some
liberties with its translation but maintains the basic focus: “Don't be
so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on
your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's
useless. Cultivate God-confidence.” Consider these things with me!