A Modern William Wallace? by Sharma Krauskopf

Tragedy seems always to make people stop and take notice. Some say people are drawn to the sad and the horrible. Called by some the gladiators' syndrome, in my opinion it takes a tragic or momentous event to get people to stop from their day to day struggle and take note. A disaster on last day of August 1997 caused the world to pause and watch. In a late night car crash in a tunnel in Paris France, Princess Diana was killed. Most of the world like I woke up the next morning to hear of the horrible events which surrounded her early and untimely death. My reaction was shock, sadness and many tears.

Picture courtesy of bbc.co.uk

One of my Scottish friends said to her husband when he told her "Oh, come on you are joking." It was no joke. I am not a British citizen nor am I sure I believe in the monarchy and the need for all the tradition which surrounds it. Mine is a typical American viewpoint in many ways in relationship to the system that exists in the UK. By the waste of the life of this young vibrant modern age lady, I was emotionally injured as if a member of my immediate family had died.

Arguments are continuing whether it was the press' fault, was the driver drunk, or was Diana a fame seeking media junkie who deserved this fate. To me these are not the relevant issues. What killed Diana are the individuals of this world - you and I. Wait a minute, you will say. I had absolutely nothing to do with that automobile accident or the press chasing her. Did you ever buy a magazine or listen to any news about her? Did you follow the divorce and the rumors surrounding it? Did you read any of the books about her? Well, I did. I followed her life quite closely. It was a fairy tale come true when she married Charles and then the fable started to go bad. Fairy tales are supposed to have happy endings but this one ended in tragedy. The question we must ask is her death going to matter in the long run.

I would like to leave the question of why she died. It is too complex for me to answer. Let us take a different approach which may have more bearing. What good if any can come out of this recent catastrophe? As I was out for my daily walk yesterday, the thought crossed my mind maybe Diana's death was meant to teach us something. Maybe she was like a modern Bonnie Prince Charlie. She came to lead us. She could not be the Charles Edward Stuart of today because many died for his cause but he did not. Then an idea began to build. She was more like a modern William Wallace. Her life goal whether ever stated or not was to make the world take note of the monarchy; to help us begin to change both how we consider royals; their role in the lives of their country and the world; and to act for the less fortunate. Diana lived through the publicity and the destruction of her marriage as William Wallace lived through the death of the people he loved. The Princess suffered emotional ups and downs and the world watched as they did The Wallace in his day. Their battle was public. The spectators cheered and cried. William Wallace persuaded his country to act as some watched while others fought. Diana made us take notice. Then in screaming of tires and smashing of glass the battle seemed lost. Like the now glorified "Braveheart" the enemy caught up with her and she died in a dramatic and gruesome manner.

So if she was a Braveheart of today than we must learn from her death and apply that to positive change in our lives and the world. How do we do that? I think a good beginning is to start noticing how we really act. Are we going along with the rest of the world and are we proud of our actions in relationship to the media? Do we think the media is giving us what we want or do we think they should change? Okay, each of us is only one person so how can we take on one of the most powerful forces in the world today. It is as easy as turning off the offensive television programs, not buying the tabloids, or reading the dirty books, and digging to know more scandal. You will say but I won't know what is going on in the world. News isn't all bad and scandal. There are more noble things to read and hear about. It is important to pay attention to the more positive and non invasive press. We must if we want Diana's death to have meaning for us. We need to turn our back on the assault of people's lives by the press by not buying the results of their efforts or paying attention to them. One person will not make a big difference but if great numbers of people turn away it will make a big distinction. I gave up watching television six years ago because I did not like the trend.

Do we want Prince William to have a chance to bring about a monarchy which is more in tune with the modern age and the people? Then we must stop following the media and make it receptive to what we want. If we don't, we will be sentencing the boy who would be king to a fate maybe even worse than his father, Prince Charles, or his beautiful Mother, Diana. Just like William Wallace's death gave Robert the Bruce the opportunity to lead the Scottish people, Princess Diana's death can give us the opportunity to help Prince William and others guide the world into a more sane and kind place. A place where famous people can live normal lives and not have to fight our greed for personal knowledge. No matter what the press says as they present the facts on what killed Princess Diana, we must all look inside ourselves for the answer. Then like William Wallace's death, the tragedy of Diana Spencer will give the world a chance to conduct itself in a kinder and more compassionate way. My hope is if we ban together the future will hold no flowing black ribbons for Princess Di but just a beautiful English rose. Will we succeed? I do not know. It may take a long time but I hope not. After William Wallace death it has taken centuries for Scotland to find its correct place. Many think the new Scottish parliament is a very important step in the chain of events Wallace started. I only know I will start today doing my share to secure a positive legacy for Princess Di. As a good friend said to me yesterday. "The press are starting to tear everyone apart related to her again and I am going to quit following it." I applaud her. When Princess Diana's hearse entered her ancestral home for her final resting, I said to myself, "God bless her. Now let all of us allow her to finally rest in peace."

(The proceeding is the opinion of this editor and does not reflect the collective views of Scottish Radiance.)