Among all the races in the world, my favorite is the British race… the people of the United Kingdom. They are people of admirable traits, character and history. They are really admirable and fascinating.
Britain was often dominating in terms of military conflicts (their only famous defeat was of the American Revolution). Most of all, they were always the “good guys”. They led Europe against Napoleon, won the Boer War, was prominent in both World Wars, they had beaten the great Spanish Armada (and I think there it all began that became a legendary naval power), the RAF beat Hitler’s “invincible” Luftwaffe… most of all they had conquered half the world.
They used to be the most powerful on Earth, as well as the richest. Those were the days of the mighty British Empire –where “the sun never sets” since the empire stretch out around the world, in all the continents. And with the trade and industry of the entire empire, they became richer, it was the time when one pound is equal to five dollars (now, I think one pound is only equal to about one dollar and ninety-nine cents).
Great leaders like Winston Churchill, Margaret “The Iron Lady” Thatcher, Tony Blair, Queen Victoria and many more. And the stories of their nobility are interesting, too, like of the Georges, the Henrys and the Elizabeths. William Wilberforce was behind slave abolition in the Empire, long before good ol’ Abe Lincoln abolished it in the States. And there are many other British leaders that were admired and made an impact in the world.
Literature was also enriched by the British. Because of the likes of Geoffrey Chaucer (“The Canterbury Tales”), William Shakespeare, Daniel Defoe (“Robinson Crusoe”), C.S. Lewis (“Narnia”), Robert Louis Stevenson (“The Black Arrow”, “Kidnapped!”, “Treasure Island”, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”), H.G. Wells (“The Time Machine”, “The War of the Worlds”), Lewis Caroll (“Alice in Wonderland”), Charles Dickens (“Oliver Twist”, “A Tale of Two Cities”, “A Christmas Carol”), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (“Hound of Baskerville”, “The Lost World”), Agatha Christie, and many many more. The world owes the British for Beowulf, Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and before I forget, Harry Potter. Britons have beloved and respected authors by the world, but most of all, beloved and respected fictional characters.
Sure, Mozart was from Austria, Bach and Beethoven were German, and Chopin was Polish, but Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Spice Girls were from Britain. See, the British have their achievements in music.
In Science, there were the likes of Isaac Newton and Alexander Fleming. But it is a pity that a man like Charles Darwin was also a British.
The King James Bible is from Britain (commissioned in the reign of, obviously, King James). Men of faith like Charles Spurgeon, William Tyndale, John Newton, C.S. Lewis, John Wesley and many others are British. Maybe God blessed Britain because they are God-centered (though, of course, they are not always so… like all races, even God’s “chosen”, the Jews).
I wonder what would have happened if the British succeeded in conquering the Philippines from the Spaniards, or we mimic them instead of the Americans. Would our country have become better? Would or character became better? Our economy (former British colonies like Hong Kong and Canada are doing great economically)? Filipinos as persons? We will never know.
No. no. I have no regrets of being a Filipino, instead of British. I love my country, and proud to be a Filipino (really). But I just admire the British than Filipinos. They are such great people. Last December 6, I think (or is it 7? Or 8? Or 9?), was the friendship day between the UK and the Philippines. Filipinos and Britons have some things in common like family values, love of merrymaking, and as Filipinos love their merriendas, Britons love their teas. I read and heard stories and observations that Filipinos are not discriminated in the UK (unlike in other countries where Filipinos are treated like dirt). They are such friendly people, like us, Filipinos. But sadly that’s where the similarities end. They have faults of course, but they are superior in many things in character (like they are also superior in other things).
But I wonder if the British also find Filipinos, who are sadly blemished with scandals and infamy, as a great admirable and fascinating race?
Britain was often dominating in terms of military conflicts (their only famous defeat was of the American Revolution). Most of all, they were always the “good guys”. They led Europe against Napoleon, won the Boer War, was prominent in both World Wars, they had beaten the great Spanish Armada (and I think there it all began that became a legendary naval power), the RAF beat Hitler’s “invincible” Luftwaffe… most of all they had conquered half the world.
They used to be the most powerful on Earth, as well as the richest. Those were the days of the mighty British Empire –where “the sun never sets” since the empire stretch out around the world, in all the continents. And with the trade and industry of the entire empire, they became richer, it was the time when one pound is equal to five dollars (now, I think one pound is only equal to about one dollar and ninety-nine cents).
Great leaders like Winston Churchill, Margaret “The Iron Lady” Thatcher, Tony Blair, Queen Victoria and many more. And the stories of their nobility are interesting, too, like of the Georges, the Henrys and the Elizabeths. William Wilberforce was behind slave abolition in the Empire, long before good ol’ Abe Lincoln abolished it in the States. And there are many other British leaders that were admired and made an impact in the world.
Literature was also enriched by the British. Because of the likes of Geoffrey Chaucer (“The Canterbury Tales”), William Shakespeare, Daniel Defoe (“Robinson Crusoe”), C.S. Lewis (“Narnia”), Robert Louis Stevenson (“The Black Arrow”, “Kidnapped!”, “Treasure Island”, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”), H.G. Wells (“The Time Machine”, “The War of the Worlds”), Lewis Caroll (“Alice in Wonderland”), Charles Dickens (“Oliver Twist”, “A Tale of Two Cities”, “A Christmas Carol”), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (“Hound of Baskerville”, “The Lost World”), Agatha Christie, and many many more. The world owes the British for Beowulf, Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and before I forget, Harry Potter. Britons have beloved and respected authors by the world, but most of all, beloved and respected fictional characters.
Sure, Mozart was from Austria, Bach and Beethoven were German, and Chopin was Polish, but Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Spice Girls were from Britain. See, the British have their achievements in music.
In Science, there were the likes of Isaac Newton and Alexander Fleming. But it is a pity that a man like Charles Darwin was also a British.
The King James Bible is from Britain (commissioned in the reign of, obviously, King James). Men of faith like Charles Spurgeon, William Tyndale, John Newton, C.S. Lewis, John Wesley and many others are British. Maybe God blessed Britain because they are God-centered (though, of course, they are not always so… like all races, even God’s “chosen”, the Jews).
I wonder what would have happened if the British succeeded in conquering the Philippines from the Spaniards, or we mimic them instead of the Americans. Would our country have become better? Would or character became better? Our economy (former British colonies like Hong Kong and Canada are doing great economically)? Filipinos as persons? We will never know.
No. no. I have no regrets of being a Filipino, instead of British. I love my country, and proud to be a Filipino (really). But I just admire the British than Filipinos. They are such great people. Last December 6, I think (or is it 7? Or 8? Or 9?), was the friendship day between the UK and the Philippines. Filipinos and Britons have some things in common like family values, love of merrymaking, and as Filipinos love their merriendas, Britons love their teas. I read and heard stories and observations that Filipinos are not discriminated in the UK (unlike in other countries where Filipinos are treated like dirt). They are such friendly people, like us, Filipinos. But sadly that’s where the similarities end. They have faults of course, but they are superior in many things in character (like they are also superior in other things).
But I wonder if the British also find Filipinos, who are sadly blemished with scandals and infamy, as a great admirable and fascinating race?
1 comment:
Hi Bernz,
How are you? This is a nice blog about the British Filipino. I was wondering if I may share this blog at the British Filipino Group that I moderate? Feel free to join if you wish. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BFUA/
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