Hand to Hand Combat

You meet a person and what is your first instinct?

More often than not it is in the defense.

This is the current definition of our society and their relationships with others. So many people get divorces now that people are apathetic to the fact. Many start marriages thinking they will defy the odds but in such a perverted society they only prove the statistics correct.

Perhaps part of the reason relationships no longer flourish as they used to is due to the fact that conversation no long happens. Conversation is an art, a skill, a habit, a practice. Many people, and I would go so far as to say almost everyone, in this era (not as those 20 and under, but those 50 and under) no longer have the ability to hold conversations.

With things like email, texting and Facebook instant messaging is brought to a whole new level. Who needs social, physical, personal, face to face interaction anymore? When we do have face to face interaction it always starts as and often times turns out to be hand to hand combat. Perhaps not hand to hand exactly, sometimes spirit to spirit, will to will, mind to mind fights. No longer to people sit and converse.

In the movie Enchanted, Giselle is an almost princess who is thrust from the cartoon fantasy Disney princess world into the here and now of 2007. There is a part in the movie where Giselle is in the office and hears that a woman and her husband are filing for divorce. She does not know what a divorce is and when she learns what one is she starts crying. While her crying may be exaggerated (even though she does cry softly and steps aside) I firmly believe that this is the way that Christians should act. We should be upset when we hear things like this.

Perhaps though we should also be upset for the reason why these things occur. Perhaps we should even be upset at the dying art of conversation. Sure it is something small, and perhaps to some insignificant, but it contributes to so much. Many say that chivalry is either dead or dying, but perhaps mourning the loss of conversation is just as important as chivalry.

I talk to my girlfriends all the time and we do have conversations. I am not saying that I have perfected the art of conversing, rather I would love to learn it. I want to practice this art, I want to hone my skill. I want to have a conversation, a deep, intellectual conversation with someone. Perhaps though, we should start by truthfully answer the question of "how are you?" We should also start by only asking the questions we want to hear the answers to.

When I ask my friends how they are I don't want answers like "Good." They infuriate me. Unless you of course are truly good, but if you are truly doing well, please tell me why. This holds a conversation. Talking to people is not one sided, and I am learning this. I talk so much, and perhaps it is to fill the silence, perhaps it is so there is no chance to hear something I don't want, or maybe it is because I feel awkward. Either way I am going to try and talk less, and think before I speak, while encouraging others to talk more, or at least talk more in a constructive conversation encouraging manner.

I no longer want my speech to be a battle. I no longer want the hand to hand, or speech to speech, combat of fighting for the attention in a conversation.

I want to learn the art of the conversation.

~Carollela~

Chivalry: An Act of Kindness

I feel like ranting today. Ranting on what?

Valiant men, courageous chaps, polite guys, fair dudes....

in other words:

Chivalry.

As Chivalrynow.net says: "Out of the shadows, we come as men of light, men of vision and men of honor — to replace what was lost, fix what was broken, and renew a pervasive conscience long considered dead." (While I don't know if I like the website here is the link anywho: http://www.chivalrynow.net/intro.htm)

Chivalry is not dead. I don't care what people say, or how much guys complain, or girls whine; it is not dead.

I have seen instances of chivalry in many cases, not only on my little Christian campus school. (In fact sometimes I see less chivalry and common courtesy on my campus than out in the "heathen" world.)

I hate women because we started the "Oh no chivalry has died"-thing... we essentially killed it and then shot it and kicked it and continued to assault it while it was down. Chivalry never had a chance against us warmongers. Us feminists, all our "let us have equal rights" and "We are the same" and "if you do not give us rights we will murderize you."

However it is not only our fault, I mean sure, we started it. We got the chain reaction of kicking the horse while it is incapacitated and down, down-pat... but guys... I'm sorry but you have had a hand in this also.

There are still girls out there who believe in chivalry... and even if girls don't believe it you should still exercise the rights. I have seen too many guys walk past me as I was holding the door for them and only a couple times have they said something like "after you" and let me through (even while I was holding a bunch of stuff)

Here is my "new English" version of the "Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry" (according to http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall/chivalry.html)

1.) Believe in the Church and uphold its directions.

2.) Defend the Church and stand for your country

3.) Defend weakness (not everyone is as strong as you)

4.) Love your home country. Patriotism?

5.) Do not back down from your enemy. (Though it is not always wise to stand up to them or start it first.)

6.) Do not let down your God for another.

7.) Obey the law, unless against God.

8.) Do not lie, stay true to your word.

9.) Be kind and give without wanting back.

10.) Wherever you go uphold the truth and be a hand of justice.

So Okay, I had to edit a few of those since they were a little graphic and since the Renaissance times and things have changed; but those are it overall.

Now this doesn't seem to point to chivalry as people think of the "dead and gone" traits today, but it is.

Chivalry is not only holding a door for a girl, complimenting her and whatever the heck else. Nope it is being a gentleman. It is respecting not only the girl but yourself. Come one guys, lets be manly, kind, Godly, heroic men!

*And this doesn't mean hero as in Superman or Spiderman, nope. This doesn't mean you have to be a Marvel Comic character, however boss that would be. This mean standing up for what you believe in. This means knowing and practicing truth. This mean loving God with all of you and living for him. This mean no striking your wife or kids or girlfriend for no reason.*

So girls. I'll address feminism at a later date, because hey, that deserves a post all in itself, but try and help the men be the heroes they should be!

Okay, that was a small tirade, so I'm out.

Peace,

~Carollela~