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!
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!
1 comment:
"I" in Spanish of course is "Yo", so in Costa Rica we simply call people who is "in need of an 'I-ectemy'", "Yo'Yos" A public speaker, especially a pulpit preaching fellow, should certainly be careful not to be an ego-centric "Yo-Yo" as his goal should be to carry his audience to be God-centered.
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