Commitment to Self-Development

The 2011 film The King’s Speech tells the true story of George VI, who surprisingly and reluctantly became monarch of the United Kingdom in 1936 when his brother abdicated the throne less than a year after their father’s death. Early in the film, his father, George V, coaches the young prince on the burdens of leadership. He speaks about the need to connect with the people via the relatively new social media technology of radio—what was then called “the wireless”:

This devilish device will change everything.... In the past all a king had to do was look respectable in uniform and not fall off his horse. Now we must invade people’s homes and ingratiate ourselves with them. This family has been reduced to the lowest and basest of all creatures. We’ve become actors!⁵