Upon influence of Miss Diane Sarenas and my dreams of studying in the United Kingdom, I bring to you the recipient of My Favorite Word award, approved by Miss Kathlyn Pike.

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Chivalry.

An almost-natural law, so palpable in the air that every man is obliged to follow it even if it goes against his best interests... this is how my pragmatic eye sees chivalry in a nutshell. It is a code of the male populace [or at least those who are male enough] that dictates kindness to or helping women, children, and the weak as an honorable and dutiful act. Although I believe many nonconformist women and feminists take offense in it, thinking that the early Europeans made it to pass as an excuse to make the world accept the belief in women being inferior, its clever use of a ‘required goodness’ has certainly won over the majority of the she-species. We now regard a man of chivalry as a man of a civil, respectable core. I am really no exception.

Historically speaking, chivalry is the knightly system of medieval Europe, with its focus on a man’s religious, moral, and social selfless gallantry and of certain values such as bravery, honor, protection of the weak, and generous treatment of foes, held to characterize the ideal knight. The word is derived from its French roots in cultural and linguistic aspects. French words ‘Chevalerie’ from ‘chevalier’ account for the origins of its phonetics.

This is one of the more beautiful loan words for me, and I picked it both because of its meaning and its sound. Aside from my aforementioned view of the meaning of the word, I have completely fallen in love with the sense of class it gives when it rolls smoothly on my tongue, like a smooth ice sculpture on a dimly-lit winter museum. And if you and I are of one mind, you will also agree with me on the following:

The shee sound of the first syllable is to be blamed for the word’s almost-feminine elegance. Try saying it with me: chivalry. See, while being another rather feminine sound, the “v” in the word complements the shee with a resounding masculinity in val, according to the creatures in my own imaginary world. The combination of these sounds result in an overflowing bounty of class and an almost regal, dignified feel to the word when pronounced.

However, the mental image conjured in my head by the word is not one of the literal nature—not a knight nor its horse—but an imperial metal-plated coat of arms, with all the regal-looking symbolisms etched into fine detail and meaning. For me, it is the ultimate representation of medieval Britain, which I really find so romantic, or, in more humane terms, ‘sigh-worthy’.

In line with this, I am also fascinated by its remaining impression on present society, and am thankful that chivalry isn’t completely dead yet. As I see it, barbarianism is the opposite of not being the chivalrous knight society expects a man to be. And I certainly do not want an uncivilized, uncaring and indifferent barbarian to look after my future children. (I say this because 98.5% of the time, to qualify for such chivalrous responsibilities, one needs to be male).

For—really—what woman hasn’t dreamt of her glorious knight-in-shining-armor?

_{Modified version; made to fit blogging standards. windwalker, forgive me.} 

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<sup>White, also 'light', is always considered as 'Holy' or good while black and darkness always are often associated with evil and death.

Take chess, for example. White pieces always go first! Why? Lagi ba dapat bida ang white?

Another would be stereotyping daylight and clouds as heavenly. While nighttime and fire are said to symbolize hellish environments.

Why is black bad and white good?</sup>

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    To be honest, when I first read this, I thought of Mormons. But true, there is always that association or 'labelling' of things good and bad.

    Back to the real world where I have to answer this question... 

   

    My take on this is that it is a natural, unspoken rule between humans to differentiate between what is good or bad, what is ideal and not. The idea of Yin and Yang in Taoism clearly explains the existing of two opposing elements --- as in the case of this argument -- black and white.

    I wouldn't call it unfair that black had been associated with so many negative things, or that white gets to be in the limelight, because I don't think humans would retain what little value and moral they had in themselves if this small differentiation didn't exist.

    As you might note, gray is rarely included in black and white-oriented affairs. Gray is the mixture of both colors, and have little place in the balance and natural order of things, as in YinYang, there is only a little part of the other in each party -- the 'gray' area. I stick to my belief that it is an unspoken, but established basis of judgment, this discrimination in colors.

    Furthermore, as complete opposites, black and white tend to draw the line of judgement for fickle-minded human beings in general. It is very essential to note that the importance this 'bias' serves is highly responsible for shaping human morals, dictating a general 'ideal' for people to pursue, and it defines the line between having a human intellect from mere animal instinct.

    If you just really think of it, BLACK and WHITE may very well be the very foundation of society as we know it today, di ba? 

;p

<sup>Then again, black and white are NOT colors.

Black=absence of color
White=all colors combined

So it's still your pick, if you want to abide by the universal belief of this distinction. I certainly do.</sup>

 

A poll on a forum I’m part of: [April 14, 2005]

Human Cloning. What are your thoughts?
o I don't really care, it doesn't concern me. [6.00%]
o I fully support human cloning. [4.00%]
o I am 100% against human cloning. [22.00%]
o I only support the cloning of human body parts for medical purposes. [50.00%]
o I want a clone [12.00%]
o Other. [2.00%]
o I hate George Bush so I'll support cloning just to spite him [4.00%]

Another controversial, deadpan issue little children love to talk about. I thought I’d give it a shot. Here’s what I said, quoting directly:

Just so you know, I clicked on "I hate George Bush so I'll support cloning just to spite him". I do hate him. And besides, for the reasons you guys have stated, cloning (in organs) is not all that horrible as people make it out to be. It's an innovation --- something that has been discovered and developed to HELP the selfishness of people and people alone. Cloning cows for meat would have humans still at the receiving end.

Frankly, I think the good points of the issue are too underrated because of the adamant need for debatable matters of ethics in carrying out said cloning.

And alas, I’m gonna contradict myself by saying the good points are overrated as much as it is underrated. There ARE so many possibilities to this issue that improving the quality of human life could be done perfectly in a jiffy -- lengthening lives, improving living conditions, etc. But I can't seem to catch why making copies of entire human beings is still a debatable issue. The argument of psychological trauma at the loss of the original person is nothing but BULLCRAP.

So what if your soulmate died on you? Did you honestly think the world would stop to mourn with you? Knowing that the clone would be an entirely different individual from the deceased one --- and a soul-less one at that --- why would you still opt to duplicate the person who had completed their journey in this life? It might be saying too much, but I believe it says something about the superficiality of your love for that person.

As in cases of willingly letting oneself be cloned, that's perfectly, helplessly conceited of that someone to consider it. Sure, you have dreams for the betterment of the world. Sure, you're George Bush and you control the world. Sure, you're MJ and you wanna live forever. We don't care. The world carried on fine when you weren't here. Even if you had other reasons, I don't think your reasons would be 'more valid' than of those big people’s I stated above, being as insignificant a single person is in the humongous blue world we call earth. In cases of extreme, dire need to extend some earthly king's life, we still go back to the issue of them not being the same person. It doesn’t help solve anything at all.

Besides, it’s already overpopulated as it is. We don’t need any more spiritless medical things pigging on our resources now, do we?

It’s already all corrupted and stupid, really, this human cloning industry. We keep going back to the same starting lines, running forward with direction but with closed eyes, and occasionally taking peeps to see that we’re back where we started. And this industry hasn’t even started yet!

So, hurray for organ cloning at the most, and boo for thinking of human cloning at all.

No one loves the Philippines.

Not the elders; they have matters of health, family, and life to trouble themselves with these days. Not the rich, who are intoxicated by their fine wine, and the fine breeze produced by fanning folds of money just above their high noses. And not the poor --- they’re in the streets dancing to Sandara Park novelty and whatnot; others too hungry to think of anything, much as whom to best vote for in the elections.

And no, one would have figured by now that the youth are not ones to exhibit this rare love. They are too busy chasing dreams in places as far away from the mythical Pearl of the Orient; too attached to the West to look back on lolo’s stories of war with the Japanese; too uncaring to check on the heroes’ heartfelt cause of death.

There is no love for the Philippines.

After all, how can you love something that was never there?

What culture are we to brag about? The Spanish-initiated one or the American-molded one? What milestones in world history are we to brand ‘Filipino’? The Wowowee stampede, I assume? And alas, where are all our graduates? Not in local hospitals and schools, mind you.

Valedictorian here, nurse there. High School graduate here, entertainer in Japan. Mother here, domestic helper in Hong Kong. To deem it embarrassing is an understatement. It is loss of the hard-won dignity Rizal and our ancestors seized with their deaths. We choose, despite our promising capability to better our nation, to flee our native land to be at the feet of foreigners.

Like a mother who has painstakingly taught her children so they may live without her, the country is heavily wounded on the moment of separation. There is love that is stubborn with what was once a part of her, and the presence of her children is the only medicine to it. Not the help of some American President. Not the foreign troops warring our people in Mindanao, claiming to be on the President’s aid.

To leave them to mend our mistakes is further degradation. We, the youth, are heavily responsible for the nation we will become in decades, and whether it will fit the ideals of our ancestors is yet to be seen. Only, in this brief stage of adolescence, the giftedness with which the Filipino variety is naturally blessed with must turn the wheels --- we will be a better nation.

No one else will love the Philippines but the Filipinos.

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NOTES: Concept from CA. This is the long, original version of the essay I submitted to the MTPA in response to the question: “What is the biggest problem facing the Filipino youth today?” The one I actually submitted was supposed to be only 150 words, but I passed a painstakingly shortened version of this @ 195 words. This is not a heartfelt piece, so don’t be amazed at how patriotic I suddenly am, because I’m not. Kasinungalingan toh! And it didn’t even answer the question! Agh!

I believe, clichéd as it may sound, that He never really gives us anything we can't handle.

Because He gives us firends.

He gives us resources.

He gives us opportunities.

He gives us time. 

He gives us love. 

Look around you. Isn't that noisy bratty sister a piece of His love? Isn't that annoying and haywire computer a piece of His love? Isn't that zit a piece of His love?

No, you say?

Think again. If you hadn't grown up with that sister, you might never have learned anything of the virtue of patience. If not for the zit, You might not be able to appreciate the other aspects of your beauty, such as your hair, your eyes, and most especially, your inner beautiful self. It's all in the mind -- how you see the things He gives you. No matter what, in the end, it is ALWAYS a sign of His love.

As for the haywire computer, I really can't think of how that could be a gift. I'll edit when I learn to appreciate sucky things.

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Countless times, she has picked my up from where I fell and dusted my clothes off, urging me to go on though my faculties do not always permit me to. She smiles and offers silence when I am in a tantrum, complaining about life. She tucks me in when I'm lonely and cold. She cuddles with me when I need her. She gives me the strength to persevere, because something done for her, I believe, is something done for the Lord.

I've never really thought about doing it before, but this year is different. Today is her birthday. I did something heartfelt for her; not just buying a gift like I used to.

First I got her her favorite flavor of Yellow Cab pizza. Then I made a card just for her, writing there the longest letter I've ever written to her. I remember saying "I love you", something I've never really verbally expressed before, and it felt really good. Like something heavy has been lifted off me. At least I'm content with the fact that she knows I love her, and that I really do.

Yes, my mother is truly a wonderful person.

She is the best gift the Lord has given me. 

I'm glad I can heave a sigh of relief. Can you, now?