Thursday, June 4, 2009
Friendship vs. Fellowship
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Chivalry still Lives: an Essay
Here is an Essay by me. It is a basic overview of modern Chivalry. It may help in our search for a Practical Chivalry for Modern Man.
What is Chivalry? It is a much used word, and it’s meaning which most often springs to mind is, as the Oxford American Dictionary says: “Courteous behaviour esp. that of a man toward women.” Chivalry most certainly is that, but more. Chivalry, in short is the tendency to act courageously, with “honour, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak”(OAD). In the twenty-first century, chivalry has lost much of its attraction. The strong can help themselves and the weak can go to the devil. But chivalry is not dead. On the contrary, chivalry is making the comeback of the century.
To act courageously is perhaps the hardest thing for humankind. Man has a natural tendency toward self-protection and acting courageously often means forgetting oneself. Courage means doing what’s right as opposed to what’s easy. But to do what is right, does not justify how you do it. It must be done with honour, doing things right, the right way. It must be done with courtesy, respect for all people, It must be done with justice, a sense of the fair and reasoneable. And most importantly, it must be done with a readiness to help the weak. This is the core of chivalry. Chivalry is not doing the right thing because it will gain you acclaim. It is not all flashing swords and colorful pennants. It can take that face, but now in the twenty-first century, they are symbols for more ordinary things. After all, they were at one time the ordinary. Now, however, we must find our modern face of chivalry, and it is there.
In the modern day, chivalry is often characterizeds by cliches such as holding doors open, but modern Man can do better, and does do better. Helpfulness in all areas and for all people should be our goal. One place that this can be put to practice is in the workplace. Very often there are odd jobs that need to be done, or sometimes, you can get short-handed, and so people have to do extra. The chivalrous approach is to help as much as you can. If you are doing nothing else, pick up the slack. This is just one example, but a general rule can be followed. We should think of others first, we should respect people even if we disagree with them, and we should give ourselves for the sake of others. We should protect the weak, man, woman, and child, and treat them honorably and respectfully. Not only can we do this, but we do. Chivalry still lives!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Chiv.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Graduation is a relative term...
They always say that they can’t wait
to graduate
and neither can I
But neither can I forget you at all
And in the fall
When I call
Remember that if I could
I would take both worlds and still will try
To make your world with every “hi”
Cause you’ll continue to make mine
More tolerable than it’s ever been before
They always say ttyl
forget the cell
But I’ll try not to
And I’ll try not to get caught up in what
Just doesn’t cut it
And you know, but
I’ll remind you, if I could
So, Things in Motion stay in motion
So can you slow me down?
They say emotion, what a notion,
Tends to spin us round.
I feel like I’m spinning too
But I’d just like the sight of you
So i think that I’ll spend the day
Not thinking bout going away
Cause you make it possible to say
Monday, May 18, 2009
Notre Dame Response
ND vs. USC…CB
In 1977, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the University of Southern California Trojans in an epic battle. It was literally epic, because the Irish came out of a wooden horse, took the field and defeated the enemy. Now they are fighting again, but this time against a more formidable and eternal opponent. And let’s hope they lose, or rather, that they win, for to win this battle, they must lose it.
This is World Non-famous reporter Nate Gotcher. Today I’m following the interesting and controversial story of President Barack Obama’s visit to the University of Notre Dame and the student response commonly known as NDResponse.
Now, the controversy doesn’t arise from the fact that President Obama is visiting Notre Dame, but rather that he is speaking at the commencement and receiving an honorary Law degree from the self-same University. But of course, you all know all this, since it has been covered pretty thoroughly by the media…or maybe you don’t.
The focus in the media for the past couple of weeks has been on the Pro-life activists coming to South Bend and Notre Dame to protest Obama’s visit. Yes, NDResponse has been mentioned, but the focus in the media for the past couple of weeks has been on the Pro-life activists coming to South Bend and Notre Dame to protest Obama’s visit. Sorry to be redundant, but I feel your pain. From Randall Terry and his groupies of radicals to other activist groups, they are not necessarily in my good graces. Now I myself am a Pro-life activist. I went to the March for Life 2009 in Washington, and was sincerely impressed and inspired.
All right…before I go on, I have to say this. True, the Life issues are the most important, and I could get into that, but won’t at this time. The main point is that this is more than the abortion/embryonic stem cell issue, and in fact I’d say almost a different issue all together. And this is where the outside radicals get kind of over the top.
Yes, Obama is Pro-choice. Yes, he is for embryonic stem cell research. Yes, we as Catholics disapprove and do not want to condone his political views on such subjects, but why specifically do we not want him at the University of Notre Dame giving commencement speeches and receiving degrees? Because the bishops said so, duh, to use a somewhat colloquial term. Yes, the reason they don’t want him there is because of these issues, but for goodness sake, they don’t want him there.
This is a Catholic issue, it really doesn’t extend out of the realms of the Church, because why would any one else care if we listened to our bishops? Except out of some sort of misplaced regard for obedience to authority or order. Or maybe they just feel sorry for us poor shepherdless Catholics. Didn’t some pope say that the Church was Apostolic, namely under the guidance of the Apostles and their successors? Or is that one of the Marks of the Church found in the Nicene Creed?
The main thing is that as a Catholic University, Notre Dame is part of the Church and ought to act like it. Some say that they don’t need outsiders defining their mission, and I’d agree if they were talking about Randall Terry, but if they’re talking about the Church, they’re sadly mistaken since they’re kind of in the Church, thus their mission should be that of the Church.
A Catholic University should bring the light of the Truth of Christ to the world as only a University can, but if they can’t even follow the Magisterium, where the heck are they going to come up with the Truth of Christ? They can’t share that which they don’t have themselves. In fact, I’d almost go as far as to say that this is a schismatic move, breaking from the hierarchy just as Luther did. What do we need popes and bishops for? I dunno, ask Jesus. He’s the one that built his Church on fallible humans.
So what if the bishops, as fallible humans, are wrong? Well, I ask you, what if? How are you supposed to know? Are you going to doubt, or trust Jesus when he put these men in charge that they will guide us along the right paths and that things will turn out. I put my faith in the bishops and so I don’t want Obama at ND giving speeches and getting degrees. The bishops say no, so I say NO.
Go IRISH!!!!!