Lust and Love, defined.

Paragon of marital fidelity — a serious and industrious character, a devoted wife and mother, but one who lacks the fascination and zest for life (http://www.cliffsnotes.com/Section/What-kind-of-a-woman-is-Penelope-in-The-Odyssey-.id-305403,articleId-27204.html). Penelope, the Queen of Ithaca, is the wife of Odysseus. When Odysseus left to Troy, Penelope was left in Ithaca with his son, Telemachus. Odysseus was away for twenty years but there is no day that Penelope lost her loyalty and faith to her husband despite the suitors who stayed on the bay of Ithaca. Her faith never faded.Penelope, as the wife of the wisest king, handled the situation wittily. She set challenges as delaying tactics to her suitors while waiting for his husband's return. This brought the victory to Penelope and Odysseus against the challenges of love.

The face that launched a thousand ship. The mortal Aphrodite. Queen of Sparta. The mistress of Troy. The face that has an ethereal beauty. Helen has the face which any man could hardly resist. As Paris chose Aphrodite as the fairest of all the gods, a curse was to be realized. Paris, then, went to Sparta to witness the engagement of Menelaus and Helen and saw the latter naked in front his lustful eyes. Paris and Helen fell in love at first sight and eloped to Troy. Happiness for a selfish purpose. This started a lifetime grief between two nations. The war that rooted the defeat of many lands.

The beauty, riches, and love for their man made Penelope and Helen be compared in many ways. As for the riches, bot were the queens of their own land. Helen was the queen of Sparta while Penelope was the queen of Ithaca. In terms of beauty, being the daughter of Zeus, Helen's face was matchless. However, in terms of the inside beauty, that of Penelope's is beyond compare. If I were to choose, I would choose the inside beauty than have the face the would led to a ten year between to nations. Moreover, both became good lovers to their man but on Penelope stayed faithful to her husband. Thus, Penelope stood out over Helen in terms of their loyalty. Helen was selfish. Penelope was open-minded, wise, and mature.

Between the two, Penelope was more of the protagonist and Helen was the antagonist. Penelope's loyalty, faithfulness and maturity were unparalleled and incomparable. She showed her love for Odysseus without her cheating on him. She waited for twenty years while Helen showed her love by doing such selfish act. Eloping with Paris to Troy. Despite Penelope's countless suitors, she was not driven by passion and lust. As for Helen, she left Menelaus for Paris. She was the cause of the death of millions of innocent lives. Penelope is a better example to women than Helen.

Choose love not lust. Being happy with your loved one in exchange of the lives of innocent people is a selfish deed. Think of possibilities. We do not how far the ripples of own decisions go.

Love is sacrifice.

“Four things does a reckless man gain who covets his neighbor's wife - demerit, an uncomfortable bed, thirdly, punishment, and lastly, hell.” - Seneca

Helen has the face which any man could hardly resist. The face that launched a thousand ship. As Paris chose Aphrodite as the fairest of all the gods, a curse was to be realized. Paris, then, went to Sparta to witness the engagement of Menelaus and Helen and saw the mortal Aphrodite, Helen, naked in front his lustful eyes. Paris and Helen fell in love at first sight and eloped to Troy. This started a lifetime grief between two nations.

If I were Helen, would I pursue my love for Paris? That would be telling. The fact the I am a wife, just the thought of being in love with someone else would be a sin. Adultery. I would rather suffer in Sparta than to go to Troy and pursue my love for Paris and burn in hell for eternity. As a woman, regardless of being a queen, I would stand for what is right. Moreover, as a queen, I would rather sacrifice my love for Paris than be happy with my selfish desires and stake the lives of my people because of my desires. May the Lord bless me, I will not follow Helen's footsteps.

 

Without sacrifice, love is not love. Even God sacrificed His begotten son for the salvation of mankind.

If I love Paris enough, I would sacrifice my love for him. I would rather lose the one I love than let him suffer because of me. I would rather let him be happy alone than get hurt if he's with me. I would rather cry a river of tears than be in the arms of my dearest and see my people die in front of me. I would rather endure the pain of losing him than having him but burn in the tongues of hell.

And if Paris loves me enough, he would let me do what is right. Yes, he may want what's make me happy. But, if he truly loves me, he would be just enough to let me go. He would understand that I have to do my duty before I can be happy. He would know the consequences. If he loves me enough, he would sacrifice his love.

I do not believe in love at first sight. I believe love is between two people who knows each other well and accepts him without any second thought, regardless of who he may be, regardless of his physical appearance. If you look on the outside before you look on the inside and tell that you are in love, I'd say you're not. For it is lust not love.

If it's true love, whatever challenge might occur, whatever problem might arise, you would be able to overcome it. As long as you face it together. And, sometimes, sacrifice should be done. For love is not love without sacrifice.

And if the gods truly allows us to be together, we will be.

Certainly, life isn't fair.

"Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you."

 - H. Jackson Brown, Jr

 

As Taytay United Methodist Christian School celebrates its 26th founding anniversary, I have been able to witness how God truly blessed my school. Also, I was also able to see my batch mates and my schoolmates'  talents in the field of sports and multimedia arts.

 

February 14 was the first day of the foundation. But then, on the 15th day of February, the lighting of torch was held. This was not just held as a part of tradition but to symbolize sportsmanship among the students. On the same day, parade, Mr. and Ms. Intrams 2011, and field demonstration were held. In these events, the juniors bagged the awards in Mr. and Ms. Intrams, cheering and ballroom demonstrations while we, seniors, won the award in the modern dance. In this part of the event, I'll admit it, the juniors do deserve their titles.

 

One of the most awaited event of the week is the sports fest. I have been the commentator of the  whole volleyball game, thus, being able to witness skills of my schoolmates. I could simply say that the juniors, again, deserved being called as the Volleyball Champion. Fair and square, Rachel. ;> 

 

However, most wouldn't agree that they won the competition fairly, especially on the basketball game. I have seen the juniors basketball game with the seniors. The seniors lost the game with humongous and deep wounds, sprains, and a swollen eye without even the referee calling a foul for the opponent. Seriously, you call that fair, juniors? Plus the fact that you swore to play game with all honestly and not inflict any harm to your co-players. Is that what you call fairness and camaraderie? Well, I couldn't agree more.

If you are a player or even the referee, I would say that you should do your job fairly. No biased decisions, just the truth. Whether it is for the good of your team or to the opponent's, you should learn how to handle things the way it should be.

As a whole, I learned that failures should not keep us away from the things we want to achieve.  It should our motivation. As long as we love what we are doing, we will be able to achieve success.  What do you get from cheating? Winning is just a plus, what matters is the lessons you learned as you go along the way. Most importantly, do your best for God's glory.