OK, I admit it—I am unabashedly a Downton Abbey fan and like DA fans all over the world, I am in mourning following the final installment which aired this past week. If you viewed any portion of the six-season series and decided it wasn’t your cup of tea, well, I completely understand. There’s nothing in me that demands or expects others to be as caught up in the grandeur and pomposity of English Aristocracy as I have been. Perhaps my subconscious fixation is fueled by the antique British sports car I recently restored, or perhaps the attraction comes out of my intrinsic love for classic architecture, especially when it’s draped in leathers and English tweed.
In today’s overly casual world, a world in which a tee shirt passes for acceptable apparel at a funeral and body ink replaces freshly ironed oxford shirts, I find the meticulous fashions and unquestioned traditions of one hundred years ago incredibly refreshing.
I believe the juvenile climate of our political debate belies the blistering pace of our ever changing social morays, changes that strip us of healthy traditions where no moral high ground remains sacred; a society in which special interest groups no longer seek to earn respect but arrogantly demand it. These realities cause this anachronistic senior to gasp for the cleaner air.
I know I’m guilty of escapism. I too often look over my shoulder and long for a time when political correctness didn’t imprison opinions. A time like my parents and grandparents experienced—when one was simply expected to maintain a stiff upper lip and soldier on, understanding their personal rights were not as important as the greater good.
But alas if I’m waxing pernicious I pray thee forgive me, good fellow. I do believe with every radical swing of the social pendulum, as indeed we are today experiencing, there are many good people like you who will help keep the ship afloat.
The truth is nothing here on Earth remains the same. All things change and, just as the underlying theme of Downton Abbey so brilliantly portrayed, not all change is bad. We must believe that as things change there are better days ahead. I think we can agree there is no going back. It just doesn’t work that way. We are destined to move forward. In the midst of aristocratic England, terrible health and living conditions existed below the level of the privileged classes and as modernism displaced the traditions of Edwardian England, the quality of life raised across all of Europe. That’s our hope for today. We are a more tolerant society and I pray we find more grace for one another as we embrace our differences. I have to believe the crippling arguments will soon mellow and be replaced by more productive days ahead.
I believe God is never flummoxed by our tendency to err, but rather offers timeless wisdom and encouragement through His Word and through the reading and teaching of it in our churches. My prayer is that each of us will do our part to maintain a level of concern for one another as we individually recommit ourselves to all things wholesome. Have a blessed week, RG
Read Ron’s column, Simple Faith, each Saturday on the Faith Page (page 3) of the Lancaster Eagle Gazette, or visit www.lancastereaglegazette.com.