The mighty can fall, do Fall and so may we...
Published: 03:04 PM,Apr 02,2022 | EDITED : 07:04 PM,Apr 02,2022
How are the mighty fallen? It’s an old phrase, originally from what was known as the Great Bible to be exact, of 1539, the book of Samuel 1:19, and reads as, “Oh howe are the myghtie ouerthrowen.” It was further anglicised in the King James Version of 1611.
It is a phrase often used when reflecting on a life lived, a decline, or a failure, whether personal or institutional, often today used sarcastically, or within wry humour. It can be heard in contemporary conversation, for example: “How has it come to this, one of the richest countries in the world, with so many people, so much land, so many resources and such a strong military, with a real no-nonsense leader... Now look at them!” Yes, how the mighty have fallen ay?” Robbie Burns wrote, “While Europe’s eye is fixed on mighty things, the fate of Empires, and the Fall of Kings. While quacks of State each produce their plan, and children lisp the rights of man... the rights of women merit some attention.”
He was advising us to do be mindful of our genuine responsibilities. History though has many examples of those who have found themselves dismantled by their own follies and they have most often been those who regret only that they were tripped up, exposed, or caught, not recognising that the true failure was their own.
Traditionally though, it has been a phrase more used by the elite, high society and the well-educated, as a solemn signature to an obituary, where it has been not only a lament, but also an elegy, in praise of those who have achieved a measure of greatness.
Walt Whitman, in fact, while writing his ‘O Captain, My Captain', in praise of the assassinated Abraham Lincoln, must surely have been tempted to ‘borrow’ the phrase to end his elegy, as almost every line draws the thought that that which had so much good, done and to do, is gone.
It’s a thought I’ve had these past days, wondering if we cannot fall,’ and continue to contribute, however, and wherever we do. I guess that sort of wistfulness lends itself to introspection, when it’s too late to shore up against a fall, rather than us being able to insulate ourselves against our demise as we go about living a positive life, working in a productive job, or simply being a good person. Being, or doing these things sounds easy I guess, but is in reality effectively managed by few.
We all become complacent. It’s in our nature, and it comes unbidden, meaning we don’t summon complacency and assumption, but they fill the void left when we stop doing things at 100%. At 99% there is room for, if not an insidious intervention, then certainly one that has the potential for harm. We need to keep working at what we are doing well, to keep doing it well! And yes, I do know that sounds like common sense, but we all do need to hear it from time to time, as maintaining standards is one of the most difficult things we will ever need to do and we must refuse to let others’ standards become those which we measure ourselves against.
Speaking of standards, and also going off on a tangent, not mighty maybe, but certainly great, Shane Warne transcended the sport of cricket, and sport, to become an ‘A List’ celebrity of sorts, and do you know what... very few were critical of him, or felt he never deserved his five-star lifestyle. I recall watching Warne prepare to bowl against New Zealand in 1993, and with his casual action and demeanour felt he could hardly be termed a threat... yet he took 35 New Zealand wickets in that calendar year, and was on his way to greatness.
His passing is not a ‘fall’ from greatness, as such', but is certainly a life lived, and lived in such a manner that ensures he will be remembered with affection... overthrown not by his folly, but fate!
It is a phrase often used when reflecting on a life lived, a decline, or a failure, whether personal or institutional, often today used sarcastically, or within wry humour. It can be heard in contemporary conversation, for example: “How has it come to this, one of the richest countries in the world, with so many people, so much land, so many resources and such a strong military, with a real no-nonsense leader... Now look at them!” Yes, how the mighty have fallen ay?” Robbie Burns wrote, “While Europe’s eye is fixed on mighty things, the fate of Empires, and the Fall of Kings. While quacks of State each produce their plan, and children lisp the rights of man... the rights of women merit some attention.”
He was advising us to do be mindful of our genuine responsibilities. History though has many examples of those who have found themselves dismantled by their own follies and they have most often been those who regret only that they were tripped up, exposed, or caught, not recognising that the true failure was their own.
Traditionally though, it has been a phrase more used by the elite, high society and the well-educated, as a solemn signature to an obituary, where it has been not only a lament, but also an elegy, in praise of those who have achieved a measure of greatness.
Walt Whitman, in fact, while writing his ‘O Captain, My Captain', in praise of the assassinated Abraham Lincoln, must surely have been tempted to ‘borrow’ the phrase to end his elegy, as almost every line draws the thought that that which had so much good, done and to do, is gone.
It’s a thought I’ve had these past days, wondering if we cannot fall,’ and continue to contribute, however, and wherever we do. I guess that sort of wistfulness lends itself to introspection, when it’s too late to shore up against a fall, rather than us being able to insulate ourselves against our demise as we go about living a positive life, working in a productive job, or simply being a good person. Being, or doing these things sounds easy I guess, but is in reality effectively managed by few.
We all become complacent. It’s in our nature, and it comes unbidden, meaning we don’t summon complacency and assumption, but they fill the void left when we stop doing things at 100%. At 99% there is room for, if not an insidious intervention, then certainly one that has the potential for harm. We need to keep working at what we are doing well, to keep doing it well! And yes, I do know that sounds like common sense, but we all do need to hear it from time to time, as maintaining standards is one of the most difficult things we will ever need to do and we must refuse to let others’ standards become those which we measure ourselves against.
Speaking of standards, and also going off on a tangent, not mighty maybe, but certainly great, Shane Warne transcended the sport of cricket, and sport, to become an ‘A List’ celebrity of sorts, and do you know what... very few were critical of him, or felt he never deserved his five-star lifestyle. I recall watching Warne prepare to bowl against New Zealand in 1993, and with his casual action and demeanour felt he could hardly be termed a threat... yet he took 35 New Zealand wickets in that calendar year, and was on his way to greatness.
His passing is not a ‘fall’ from greatness, as such', but is certainly a life lived, and lived in such a manner that ensures he will be remembered with affection... overthrown not by his folly, but fate!