In concert with the times

Photo: Screenshot/ABC News

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was not just another regal occasion of pomp and pageantry at Windsor Castle.

Blessed by an electrifying African-American Bishop, the marriage between the Prince and the biracial American actress has profound symbolism both in terms of historicity of the event and a reflection on the contemporary realities.

The royal family’s embrace of diversity times with Britain’s exit from the European Union, known as Brexit, which, in part, has been dictated by people’s disaffection with influx of immigrants.

The wedding takes place at a time, when after the U.S. had its first African-American President, anti-immigrant and anti-diversity sentiments are back as staple for populist politics.

Both the American and British societies are struggling to grapple with the wave of multiculturalism that replaces the customary description of a place being a melting pot of cultures with the concept of a salad bowl of cultures, where each community retains its distinct identity while being an inseparable part of the whole.

That becomes more pronounced as people of color, races and faiths make it to top of professions and contribute more significantly to economic development, medicinal advancement and scientific inquiry in the Western countries.

Britain in recent years has particularly shown a remarkable political tolerance of diversity and minorities. The current mayor of London is a Muslim as is the British Home Secretary. These are the times of irreversible and the Internet-boosted sense of democracy, globalization and interconnectedness.

Having shaped some important world events and advancements over the last few centuries, both Britain and America owe it to the world to adjust to the new reality, of emergence of previously downtrodden communities or less developed countries.

In the case of the United States, the country has been able to maintain its primacy as the leading economic and political power due to injection of fresh ideas and innovation in the form of the best and brightest from around the world. For example, the modern American economy has benefited tremendously from the talent and skills of immigrants in the fields of information technology. President Trump cannot lose sight of these realities of the U.S. economy while formulating immigration policies.

Meghan, in her flowing five-meter silk veil, embellished with the flowers of each country in the British Commonwealth, represented the best of the people of color. Prince Harry with his poise and candor represented the new fresh face of British monarchy, adjusting to the new world with a humanistic outlook, much like her mother late Princess Diana. The world is evolving into a global house of commons thanks to globalization through the English language, trade interdependence and the Internet-driven interconnectedness.

But at the glittering wedding ceremony, attended by some high-profile African-Americans including most notably Oprah Winfrey, it was Bishop Michael Curry, who animated the guests and millions of global viewers alike by invoking the power of love and the importance of fire as stimulant of human progress.

The black church leader addressing a predominantly white royal gathering, and his reference to slavery and Martin Luther King, made a huge impact on people listening to him live on their TV sets or electronic devices.

The message of the British monarchy’s practice marked a welcome departure from the royal traditions, and a new beginning for a new world, resonated with many followers of the event.

“There’s power in love, don’t underestimate it,”

“There’s power in love to lift up and liberate when nothing else will.

“There’s power in love to show us the way to live,” said Bishop Curry, while addressing the audience as brothers and sisters, part of one human family.

Here are some of the key points, the bishop made emphatically:

“If you don’t believe me, just stop and imagine. Think and imagine a world where love is the way.”

“Imagine our homes and families where love is the way. Imagine neighborhoods and communities where love is the way.

“Imagine governments and nations where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce where this love is the way.

“Imagine this tired old world where love is the way. When love is the way – unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive.

“When love is the way, then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again.

“When love is the way, we will let justice roll down like a mighty stream and righteousness like an ever-flowing brook.

“When love is the way, poverty will become history. When love is the way, the earth will be a sanctuary.”

But such a new world will only be possible when love of humanity actually becomes moral foundation of societies around the globe, when major powers and rich countries including the United States and Britain lead the way with respect for equality and diversity in the conduct of international relations.

That may seem a big ask of the world torn along political lines and locked in geostrategic rivalries, and using the media to drum up hysteria and xenophobia. But can we rule out a turning point?

Both Britain and the U.S.  have a unique relationship with immigrants and the world. The British colonizers and immigrants shaped the future of the new country, the United States of America. The U.S., since its inception, has benefited enormously from waves of skilled and hard working immigrants. Today, it is an acknowledged fact that immigration factors critically into conduct of international relations.

Perhaps, nowhere does humanity need a more practical demonstration of compassion and love than in the case of migrant crisis impacting millions of lives in the face of multiple ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. The rich Arab and European countries’ have been unable to address the issue and the U.S. has dropped the number of refugees it is taking from conflict zones dramatically. Compounding the problems are terror groups like the ISIS or Daesh that heighten security concerns among countries willing to receive migrants but as Pope Francis said a the height of the refugee crisis, migrants are not a danger they are in danger.  Yet, moral voices often get lost in the clamor of the populist politics that have found a large audience in the West, in part out of fear of the other, hurting the ideals of inclusiveness and pluralism. The U.S. and Britain, which launched the 2003 Iraq war – source of much of the massacre and bloodshed in the region – will do well if they address the catastrophic situation in the region.

The United States and Britain will be leading the world in concert with the times if they help advance democracy in the Muslim majority Middle Eastern countries and resolve political conflicts like the Palestinian question and the Kashmir dispute with a democratic non-discriminatory approach. The unresolved conflicts are a fodder for militant narrative in the Muslim world and a factor in the rise of politics of populism in the West, reasons that keep the world out of concert with the times.