What we can learn from the Queen

We are hearing lots of gushing about the Queen, how her whole life was serving England. It's a silly notion. The woman lived in palaces, was attended to by servants, and enjoyed honor like you can't imagine. I think maybe a social worker in the run down part of Manchester might be more of a servant. But her life wasn't all fun and games. She did have to put up with a lot. There is a service element involved in being Queen. As she once told Piers Morgan upon his inquiry of her feelings about an event at the Palace, "How would you like 20,000 strangers trampling on your lawn?" She wasn't allowed to speak her mind. Prince Charles tried doing this recently and was hit with some really shocking threats from MPs about ending the monarchy. The Royal Family live like wealthy honored people, but they live in a glass box, and that's not so much fun.

We can learn from this woman. She wasn't beloved for nothing. For one thing, she practiced silence. The Mishnah says, "There is nothing better for the body than silence." Rabbi Avigdor Miller noted the reference to the body. Why is silence good for the body? He says, silence also applies in your own head. People make themselves sick with self-talk. The Queen's philosophy, as learned from the Queen Mother (her mother) was "never complain, never explain, speak rarely in public." Well, the Queen lived till 96. So there you have it. The Mishnah come to life.

Yet, she was reportedly very intelligent. So it's not as if there was nothing on her mind. But it takes intelligence to shut the mouth. Fools blabber on.

It also takes self-discipline. And she had lots of that. Always well-dressed, cool-headed, controversy-free, busy, and punctual. If you asked me when I was 20 if royalty was good or bad, I'd have condemned it, being American raised. But I say now that if royalty sets a good example, it's a good thing. People need good examples. The Queen set a good example, in many ways. She was regal, long married, modestly dressed, well-spoken. She reportedly also had a good sense of humor and didn't take herself too seriously. That's an incredible accomplishment for someone who lived in luxury and honor.

So let's give her credit. It says something that the NY Post can say, "The Queen is dead" and we all know exactly which queen is meant.