If I were King

I would start each day with a question.  I would ask myself, what is my role?  From the answer I would then be able to determine what tasks are important enough to fill my day, what can be delegated, and what should be ignored. 

As the King I would set out to learn the realm, meet the people, understand the economy, gain insight into the fiefdoms that make up the government, and observe the surrounding kingdoms.  I would set forth to survey the borders, and understand the threats, both external and from within, for without that understanding I, as King, would not know how to define my role.

It seems to me; not being a King, if the monarch looks into a mirror and says to himself, “How can I become a bigger King?” the priorities he will set will be small and self-serving.  His role will be to impress the other Kings and Queens of the land so that they will see him worthy to rise to rule an even greater kingdom, but when he leaves the kingdom it will not be a better land because he was there.  He will have the castles unfurl the flags, he will have the soldiers march to and fro, the trumpets will announce his arrival, and he will stride heroically around the land looking very king-like.  But, the borders will not be strengthened, the crops not improved, the economy will not grow and the people made to see a brighter future through his leadership.

He will command his court to move first in one direction and then another, as his fortune swirls and changes, like the winds sway the banners of the castle to and fro.  He will see in himself a great King, who only needs to show other great Kings he is like them, forgetting that that without humility and concern for the subjects, greatness is an illusion.

On the other hand, if the King were to say to himself, “I must unite the lands, I must bring prosperity in times of change, and I must steady the kingdom -- so that the subjects know the course I am steering” than much could be accomplished, without thought of self-image and aggrandizement.  He will make his role one of peacemaker, seeking wise council not from his closest friends, but from those with whom he disagrees.  He will speak with his court and set them on a path of stability where change and the reason for change is understood, and their roles in strengthening the kingdom support the common good.

If you were King, what question would you start your day with?