Beyond #Infidelity: Meghan and Harry, why do we care?

You might be in the group of people who are not interested in what happens to members of a certain royal family.  Yet, there are millions who follow with true curiosity and others who even go the extra mile, taking sides for or against the rebel royals vs those who abide by "the institution". 

I am curious in general, and have since my childhood followed the stories of princes and princesses. The Monaco girls were a bit older than me, so I kept up with their news. 

Regardless of where you are at with this topic, it got me thinking: why does an institution such as the Monarchy still exist with such level of popular interest?

I listened to Russel Brand's comment on the whole Mexit/Oprah interview and he focused on this question. He leaves aside the BIG themes of racism, suicide and discrimination within the institution, and looks at the bigger picture. 

Russel goes beyond the monarchy and mentions other families with power, such as the Clintons, the Bushes and the Kennedys. So, it is not so much about royalty as it is about assigning certain characteristics to an elite, so that we can eventually look up to them. 

So, why looking up to a group of other human beings who share their DNA with us?

I will use one last bit of already digested information from Russel Brand: You have to chant "God save the Queen" to make this possible. So, if the Greeks humanized the Gods by giving them a palace on Mount Olympus, we have left perfection for the divine: perfect love, etc. and we are coming to terms with our limited humanity every single day of our lives. 

Our own weaknesses never cease to surprise us. Monarchy, celebrityhood and any group of people associated with power, provides us with an elite to whom to look up to. It doesn't matter if you're not interested in royals or celebrities, I bet you admire a certain elite. Whether is a political, financial or even spiritual exclusive group of people, you are into some sort of admiration-for-a-group group.

In the absence of a humanised Olympus, we are left with nobility and other groups with privileges to find that they also feel jealous, they are also betrayed and betrayers and they suffer. If the rich and powerful do all those things, then we cannot escape. 

My conclusion is that having a specific group of human beings to look up to, gives us comfort about our own limitations. If a certain royal feels unloved by his father, then it doesn't hurt so much if we feel unloved by a parent. Elites help us find other human beings suffering (they all die eventually), giving birth, ageing and making mistakes. 

We admire their pomposity so that we can solace in their imperfections. 

What do you think? Let me know in the comments. 

Much love,

Helen