I’d like to share something with you. Something you might never get to see. I go to London pretty frequently, and I’ve been in some incredible places, but I’ve never been here.
It’s from the Spitalfields Life website, the Gentle Author’s archive of the East End, which, if you’ve never been there, is a treasure trove. It’s one of my favourite blogs, hands down. This particular post is a ‘tour’ of the Mansion House, in the City of London. I hope you’ll enjoy it.
The magnificence of the Mansion House is overwhelming. There’s literally too much of everything; it is overstocked, over-scaled, over decorated…all to attest to the power of empire and the people it benefitted. Personally, it’s too rich for my tastes (and I like a little pomp and glory).
You know what I’m going to say, because you’ve probably heard me say it before. Empire is a period of our history, a part of our development. Without the advancements in science and technology, and the archaeological and sociological discoveries made possible by this period of history, we wouldn’t have the lives we have now. We all benefitted. I’m not defending our ancestors’ tendency to appropriate the riches they discovered in other parts of the world, or their subjugation of the cultures they encountered. We know better now. Or at least, we should.
Now, I’m going to get a little political. I try not to do this, but this topic is something I feel strongly about. Let me ask your forgiveness in advance.
When we plant our soapbox and rant about the evils of empire, I fear that the effectiveness of our argument is diluted. At worst, it’s counter to our objective. It motivates puerile fools like President-elect Trump to rattle their plastic sabres and stamp their little feet and threaten to ‘buy’ Greenland, or take possession of the Panama canal. Like a spoiled child, he’s reacting against the morality of the liberal-minded, the very idea of equal rights, and the ancient mores that prohibit taking things that don’t belong to you. Do you think people today ever consider the Ten Commandments, and what they mean? The way it was taught to me, ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, nor his wife, nor his manservant, maidservant, ox… nor anything that is thy neighbour’s ’ meant ‘You will not make plans to take these things that belong to someone else.’ I can’t remember to what era scholars date the Exodus. But it was a very long time ago. I’m pretty sure there was a reason it was written down.
Let’s be objective and let history remain history. It had its benefits and its evils. What we should under no circumstances do is encourage the kind of thinking that motivates Donald Trump and his ilk.