On St. Patrick’s day our Irish cousins take great joy in proclaiming their Irishness. Good luck to ’em! On the Fourth of July our American cousins wave that star-spangled banner with great pride and many a tearful eye is seen as people begin a song with, “Oh say, have you seen…..”. On Bastille Day a dazzling parade makes its way along the Champs Elysées towards a giant tricolor flag hanging inside Paris’s Arc de Triomphe.
Britain on the other hand finds it hard to beat its own drum or blow its own trumpet. ; why belittle our own accomplishments? If you had a friend who indulged in yes-buttery you might sit her down and suggest that she be less harsh on herself.
– “You have a roof over your head.”
– ”Yes, but other people live in mansions.”
– ”You have successfully brought children into the world.”
– ”Yes, but none of them have a Nobel Prize or knighthood.”
– ”Your hard work has been of benefit to society and your bank balance.”
– ”Yes, but……………”
– ”Y’know, if you deny your strengths and proclaim your failings you’ll lose your joie de vivre and sink into negativity. What did Eric Idle sing? Always look on the bright side of life!”
Imagine sitting Britain down in a similar way (yeah, yeah, that would be a very big chair!).
– ”The English language is used across the world like a New Latin.”
– ”Yes, but we’re sinking ever lower in the educational league table.”
– ”Citizens’ rights were first formalised in Britain, in the Magna Carta.”
– ”Yes, but there’s homelessness and unemployment.”
– “Slavery was first abolished by Britain and the trade blockaded by the Royal Navy.”
– ”Yes but before that…….”
– ”Y’know, if you deny your strengths and proclaim your failings you’ll lose your joie de vivre and sink into negativity.”
It rather grates that Britain puts itself down these days. Stop it! We should be proud of who we are and where we come from.
The list of Britain’s accomplishments is as long as your arm. What other country can match these four luminaries: Shakespeare, Newton, Darwin, Gervais?
Always look on the bright side of life!
[Dear reader, did you just exclaim “Yes, but…” at one of the four luminaries? Only teasing! The fourth pedestal is of course reserved for McCartney.]