{"id":13553,"date":"2023-05-07T08:42:45","date_gmt":"2023-05-07T12:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=13553"},"modified":"2023-05-07T08:49:25","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T12:49:25","slug":"is-that-all-were-known-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=13553","title":{"rendered":"is that all we’re known for?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As I tuned in briefly to watch the really royal affair, fascinated by the bona fide pomp and circumstance, all sorts of questions swirled through this western wonderer\u2019s fairly inquisitive mind. (ie. Where\u2019s Harry? Isn\u2019t Kate awesome? Isn\u2019t Prince Louis the cutest? What would Diana think? Where\u2019s the diversity? Does Prince Andrew still qualify to don the regal garb?<\/em> And of course\u2026 where do they get those hats? Do they not know they\u2019re crooked on their heads?)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But alas, I digress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intrigued by much, many caught my eye. But one made me think a little more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I watched Camilla Rosemary Shand then Parker Bowles then Duchess of Cornwall then Queen Consort to now (hopefully in the Palace\u2019s eyes, just) Queen, the magnificence of the moment made me think of what she is known for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bigger question, no less, is are we known for singular moments? Sole seasons in life? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or do we look at more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queen Camilla prompts an excellent question. As yesterday\u2019s private promenade made its way to Buckingham\u2019s public balcony, the masses ardently cheered for the newly crowned king and his bride. Is she known for being Queen? Or\u2026 in a respectful albeit inconvenient question\u2026 is she known for being one of so-called \u201cthree\u201d in the King\u2019s first marriage, the married woman who would have an ongoing affair with then Prince Charles while he was married to Princess Diana? Longtime royal watchers will attest that for many years, after the affair was a most poorly held secret, Camilla was known as one of the most hated women in Britain. Princess Diana\u2019s tragic, untimely death, vilified Camilla even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So which is she most known for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The villain or the victor? The devoted or the deceitful? The conniver or the Queen?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So that bigger question \u2014 and the one that\u2019s relevant here, as it pertains to far more than the British royals \u2014 is: is it fair \u2014 wait \u2014 is it accurate<\/em> to be known for only one thing? In other words, can we be known for more?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ray Lewis is a very respected NFL Hall of Famer, after a successful career, marked by his contagious leadership. Inducted in 2018, he would begin by saying, \u201cOh, listen to me carefully. When God tells you something, believe Him. Listen to me. No matter the journey, oh, there’s too many ups and downs, but, boy, when you believe Him.\u201d<\/em> 18 years prior, Lewis was arrested and indicted on murder charges. He would later accept a plea deal helping him to avoid prison. He embraced what it means to be graciously given a second chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Downey Jr. now enthusiastically enthralls millions as American superhero Iron Man. He is engaging, charismatic, and just downright fun to watch as Marvel\u2019s movie star man. Little would one know of what his career previously entailed. Becoming a drug addict at age 8, his substance abuse would swell, spending much of his 20’s floundering and his 30\u2019s arrested on drug-related charges, time in prison, and losing roles. He, too, is therefore, a story of redemption\u2026 one indeed for whom, should be known for more than one thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think of this often in this whole cancel culture movement \u2014 this idea that it\u2019s ok to shut down something or someone for a perceived wrong committed at one time in their life. In contemporary times, it\u2019s a shutting down of present activity. In past times, it\u2019s an erasing of history. It\u2019s assuming they know all that we know now. It\u2019s assuming only they (never we) make significant mistakes. And it\u2019s assuming that singular moment, that sole season in life, is all they should ever be known for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October of 2011, Robert Downey Jr. was being honored at the 25th American Cinematheque Awards. Downey chose actor Mel Gibson, another who has had more than one shining and not so shining moment over the course of his career to introduce him. Gibson would publicly say of Downey, after his very public moral failing, that Downey was one of the first not to shun, but to reach out, to recognize that we are always about more. Downey would call and say to Gibson, \u201cHey, welcome to the club. Let’s go see what we can do to work on ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sweet wisdom it is to know that we are known for more\u2026 to know, too, that redemption can be the most beautiful thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I tuned in briefly to watch the really royal affair, fascinated by the bona fide pomp and circumstance, all sorts of questions swirled through this western wonderer\u2019s fairly inquisitive mind. (ie. Where\u2019s Harry? Isn\u2019t Kate awesome? Isn\u2019t Prince Louis the cutest? What would Diana think? Where\u2019s the diversity? Does Prince Andrew still qualify to … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “is that all we’re known for?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-event"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13553"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13557,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13553\/revisions\/13557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}