Keep Calm and Carry On

I am trying to adopt “Keep Calm and Carry On” as my new mantra. You may have seen this phrase on mugs, greeting cards, etc. over the past year or so. The original poster was created by the British government at the beginning of World War II. It was meant to “strengthen morale.” For whatever reason, the poster was not distributed widely and few people saw it. Fastforward to 2000…a couple who owns a bookshop in England found the poster in a box of old books that they bought at an auction. The artwork was in the public domain at this point, hence the merchandising explosion.

One of the reasons I am fond of the Brits is the stiff upper lip thing. They’re not complainers. (Well, I’m overgeneralizing here, but bear with me.) During impending invasion, they’re told to keep calm and carry on. And that’s what they do. As the bombs start to drop, they put the kettle on for tea.

In the United States (and again, I’m overgeneralizing), we are told to fight back! It’s us against them! We’re also used to having whatever we want. We’re used to having 20 different brands of toothpaste to choose from. We’re used to having it “our way.”

Maybe the grass is always greener on the other side, I don’t know. Maybe I am just obsessed with everything England. Maybe I just need this mantra right now.