{"id":912,"date":"2015-10-19T16:45:58","date_gmt":"2015-10-19T16:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/?p=912"},"modified":"2021-07-10T20:41:10","modified_gmt":"2021-07-10T20:41:10","slug":"keep-calm-and-carry-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/2015\/10\/19\/keep-calm-and-carry-on\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cKeep Calm and Carry On\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

For some reason, many Americans admire all things British. For instance, we are often impressed by the accent of those hailing from across the ocean. When an individual from Great Britain says something, they sound a great deal more intelligent than those of us born in farmland USA. Even though we fought for freedom from our Mother country over two hundred years ago, we are still tied to her apron strings by our fascination with England\u2019s royalty, culture, and celebrities. Can I get an \u201cAmen\u201d from a few Beatles<\/em> or Downton Abbey<\/em> fans?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s no surprise that an historic five word phrase originated by the Brits has caused an ongoing marketing stir stateside. \u201cKeep Calm and Carry On,\u201d can be found on coffee cups, T-shirts, infant attire, phone cases, decals, tote bags, aprons, wall plaques, and you name it. In 1939, it all began with a few World War II posters designed by the Ministry of Information, the public relations branch of the British government created to encourage the country\u2019s citizens during the war. According to the www.keepcalmandcarryon.com<\/span><\/a> website, \u201cWith a bold coloured background, the posters were required to be similar in style and feature the symbolic crown of King George VI along with a simple yet effective font. The first two posters<\/span><\/a>, \u2018Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory\u2019 and \u2018Freedom is in Peril\u2019 were produced by His Majesty\u2019s Stationery Office (HMSO).\u201d<\/p>\n

Both of these positive propaganda posters were displayed all over England on buses, store windows, and in public places. While the third poster with the words, \u201cKeep Calm and Carry On\u201d was not to be issued until Britain experienced a crisis or invasion. Multiple sources estimate that approximately 2.5 million copies were printed, but never released. It is speculated that following World War II most of the posters were destroyed. Fast forward over 50 years when a \u201cKeep Calm and Carry On\u201d poster with a red background was discovered in Barter Books, a used bookstore in northeast England. In 2000, the bookseller\u2019s owner found the copy among some old books he purchased from an auction. The poster was then framed and hung in the book shop. Copies were eventually made and sold, as customers embraced the motivational message.<\/p>\n

The Story of Keep Calm and Carry On<\/em> produced in a short video by Barter Books channel on Youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FrHkKXFRbCI<\/span> <\/a>reports that, \u201cSince that time, the poster has been reproduced, parodied, trivialized, and has become a truly iconic image of the 21st<\/sup> century.\u201d A parody in www.dictionary.com<\/span> <\/a>is by definition \u201ca humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing.\u201d Parodies of the famous slogan include: \u201cKeep Calm and Have a Cupcake,\u201d \u201cKeep Calm and Buy Shoes,\u201d \u201cKeep Calm and Read a Romance,\u201d \u201cKeep Calm and Tweet On,\u201d \u201cNow Panic and Freak Out,\u201d and \u201cKeep Calm\u2026Oh Who Are We Kidding,\u201d along with countless more. Like the last two parodies portray, it\u2019s not easy to remain tranquil in a world filled with ongoing chaos. Still, the British are known for their stiff upper lip of\u00a0 exercising great restraint in the midst of calamity. The poster\u2019s popularity is also benefiting Americans seeking the virtue of self-control, because its timeless wisdom appears universal.<\/p>\n

But how do we \u201cKeep Calm?\u201d Citing the stressful situations life produces, New York Times Best-selling author Joyce Meyer offers some advice in her article, \u201cHow to Calm Down and Cheer Up,<\/a>\u201d on her website, www.joycemeyer.org<\/span><\/a>. \u201cWe need to have a change of attitude,\u201d writes Meyer. \u201cThe right attitude and approach can completely turn a situation around. Instead of stressing out and tensing up, calm down, take a deep breathe and try to get some perspective on the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The evangelistic lady speaker admits, \u201cYou may not be able to control the situation, but you can control how you respond to it.\u201d Meyer sounds like an NFL coach in the locker room before a challenging game when she advises, \u201cTake an offensive approach and decide beforehand what your attitude will be.\u201d To \u201cKeep Calm and Carry On\u201d appears to be a faith-filled choice that one can make in the midst of daunting circumstances. However, not only carrying on, but becoming hopeful about the future as well.<\/p>\n

Personally, the verses from Matthew\u00a06:25-27 NLT\u00a0resonate with me, \u201cThat is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life\u2014whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn\u2019t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?<\/span><\/span> 26\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>Look at the birds. They don\u2019t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren\u2019t you far more valuable to him than they are?<\/span><\/span> 27\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” I freely admit that I am a “One Day at a Time” person due to an ongoing struggle with anxiety. That’s why remembering that God’s always got my back, makes me rest a lot easier. How about you? What do you do to deal with the pressures of life? <\/span><\/span>The bottom line is that with God at our side, we don’t ever have to worry about anything again.<\/p>\n

\"ChristinaChristina Ryan Claypool is an\u00a0award-winning\u00a0freelance journalist and inspirational speaker.
\nContact her through her website at www.christinaryanclaypool.com<\/a>. She has been featured on CBN’s 700 Club and on Joyce Meyer Ministries Enjoying Everyday Life TV program.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For some reason, many Americans admire all things British. For instance, we are often impressed by the accent of those hailing from across the ocean. When an individual from Great Britain says something, they sound a great deal more intelligent … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[673,671,677,670,676,71,429,669,342,675,672,679,678,564,674],"class_list":["post-912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-spiritual-path-on-the-road-less-traveled","category-uncategorized","tag-barter-books","tag-britain","tag-downton-abbey","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-history","tag-joyce-meyer-ministries","tag-keep-calm-and-carry-on","tag-marketing","tag-parody","tag-posters","tag-public-relations","tag-the-beatles","tag-world-war-ii","tag-youtube"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=912"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1762,"href":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/912\/revisions\/1762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}