It’s summertime, and the heat is getting into everyone’s skulls. Patience is running thin, and squabbles erupt at the drop of a hat; on our crowded streets, our overflowing queues, our sweat-dripping marketplaces — everything seems to be reason enough to bicker. It’s the oppressive temperature, of course! Strange then, that our global leaders who have been entrusted with keeping the planet safe for its inhabitants are also succumbing to the heat, despite their air-conditioned existence. Unlike us mortal beings, they fight over territories, seas, trade, history, and might. Major difference there! Recently, a French politician even suggested that America should return the Statue of Liberty to France, as the country no longer lived up to the values that prompted the gift from France!
Although meant to be a political statement and not an actual demand, it does make one ponder the act of gifting that once sealed bonds between nations and how that generous spirit is now being replaced by greed. The Statue of Liberty, created by French artist Auguste Bartholdi, was gifted by France to the United States. While France managed the funds for the statue through lotteries and charity, America managed the money for the pedestal through private donations and various fundraising events. Crossing over all these hurdles, the statue was installed and stands tall, proclaiming the ideals of freedom and democracy.
Similar gifts of admiration have been exchanged throughout history. HMS Resolute, the Royal Navy ship, was trapped in the ice while on its mission to search for Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition and was subsequently abandoned in 1854. It was an American whaler that discovered and brought it to the US, where the Congress bought the ship, repaired it, and sent it back to England as a mark of friendship. Twenty years later, the Royal Navy sold the ship to scrappers and made three desks from its oak frames, one of which was gifted to the US by Queen Victoria. The desk still remains in the White House and has been used by all presidents in the Oval Office.
In 1943, Winston Churchill gifted the Sword of Stalingrad to the people of the city, on behalf of King George VI, as a token of gratitude for supporting the British during the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the fiercest battles of World War II. The only gift that wasn’t genuine was the Trojan horse, gifted by Greece to the city of Troy as a sneaky ploy to enter the city during the Trojan War.
Gifts have come in all shapes and forms — Obama sent 25 DVDs of American classics like The Godfather to the UK, while the Netherlands sends Canada their famous Tulips every year since the Second World War to say thank you for giving refuge to the Dutch royal family during the war. Pandas were gifted by China to the US, and a Christmas tree arrives from Norway to the UK every year, announcing goodwill. In these times of raging conflicts, let us take some time to acknowledge these gestures of solidarity which still serve as reminders that friendship and peace are the greatest gifts mankind could ever receive.