Our Que to Queue

The queue to see the crown jewels at the Tower of London

 “Mummy, I am not going to queue for half an hour to see some crown jewels,” the ten-year-old in front of me declared in disgust. “If I do, I’ll die.”

“No one has ever died from a little queueing,” the mother assured him, and off they went to queue.

I hesitated before following. I didn’t blame the little tyke for his reticence. If his experience visiting the Tower of London had been anything like mine, then he’d probably queued patiently at various locations for half the day.

But still, it was the crown jewels! Could there be anything more quintessentially British than queuing to see crown jewels?

In the end, I decided the now-hour-long wait to see the jewels was worth it.

It seemed like hundreds of people were there, but, in true British fashion, the crowd was calm and well-ordered. Our queue moved us through like a well-oiled machine. And we all stayed neatly in our little line right up to when we officially entered the museum-like exhibit where . . . we continued to stay in our neat little line throughout the entirety of the exhibit.

As the glitzy diamonds appeared, there was no shoving or jostling. Not the slightest hint of a head craning to see any artifact, either, because everyone got their turn to see everything as we filed slowly past in a row. It was peaceful.

The universe, for once, was organized.

St. Edward's Crown. Photo cred: The Royal Mint

I’m not surprised, though. It seems the British have always had a talent for drawing order out of disorder.

From the hope and aspirations their first fleets of explorers carried as they sailed out to conquer the globe to the majesty and girth of scientific progress in the Empire’s golden age, being British has always, in part, meant organizing the world by rational laws.

Enlightenment thinkers believed that the answers to life, the universe, and everything lay within humanity’s grasp. Death bowed down as medicine advanced. The planet shrunk as modes of transportation improved. With eyes straining to the horizon, and hearts filled with patriotic fever, the Brits laid Science across the world like a measuring stick, and the world lined up to satisfy.

Statue in the entry hall of Westminster Palace 

Their enormous colonialist success contributed to a strong national identity. More than just individuals, the British people saw themselves as part of a group—an intelligent, brave, and hearty group.

When the Great War broke out, it was a small thing for the empire to leverage this patriotism to mobilize the whole of the country and its commonwealths into a powerful, unified force against the Germans. The national identity that had lent itself so well to expanding across the globe and pursuing scientific discovery turned as a single entity to fighting the war.

British propaganda poster for WWI

Additional propaganda poster writing the national narrative

Civilians, soldiers, and politicians pulled together. The great national genius that had established an empire now created a fluid assembly line of recruiting, training, and outfitting thousands upon thousands of troops.

To be a Brit meant doing one’s part against the central powers, which, from a larger perspective, meant doing one’s part against the forces of evil combining to swallow the continent whole.

Britain lived together, it died together, and it won together.

A pair of naval guns outside the Imperial War Museum in London

Thankfully, the world wars are decades behind us now. But the British identity has not faded with time. London especially, with so many different cultures putting down roots inside its borders, continues to be a place of teamwork and altruism. To be a Brit still means working together towards the common goal of a better world.

Trooping of the Colors outside Buckingham Palace

With that in mind, queuing is simply a natural extension of viewing others as part of oneself. After all, a good queue can only be maintained by the common consent and respect for others’ needs held by every single person in the line. A queue reflects the British love for order, efficiency, and fairness.

Interestingly enough, just like in a queue, with so many differing viewpoints, forward progress in life can only be achieved through the same principles of respect for others’ needs and a consensual goal in mind.

Perhaps Britain’s queuing is more than just a means of waiting. Perhaps it is also a means of acting, of leading, of showing the world how quickly and pleasantly things can get done when we all agree to abide by rules that help everyone.

London builds the future from the past