Bravado, braggadocio, brats, blase and bobo

Last night as I got home I started channel surfing and came upon a news program, the main news items were the walkout at Justice Committee hearing the impeachment case against PGMA and the revelation of four of the Hyatt Ten. The pro-impeachment lawmakers and/or Anti GMA Congressmen walked out of the committee determining the if the impeachment complaints against GMA is sufficient in form and substance. Majority of the members of this committee and the whole of Congress is believed to be anti-impeachment and/or Pro-GMA. A lot of meanings and non-meanings in words. The different words used to describe a friend or foe have deeper sub-texts. For example, a Malacananang official reacted to a statement from former colleagues now called the Hyatt Ten and referred to them as the Hyatt Four. This was of course a valid observation given that the Hyatt Ten were not complete but the meaning, from ten to four, meant something else. After viewing and digesting the news a bit further, a few words and a story came to mind. The words: Bravura - a showy display: showy style or behavior Bravado - boldness or courage: a real or pretended display of courage or boldness Brat pack - affluent young people Braggadocio - overblown, empty boasting: empty boasting and swaggering self-aggrandizement Brat(plural brats) - who is regarded as tiresomely demanding and selfish in a childish way Blasé - not impressed Bobo - Filipino word for stupid Romantic - idealistic, characterized by or arising from idealistic or impractical attitudes and expectations. Pragmatism - As defined in Wikepedia as " characterized by the insistence on consequences, utility and practicality as vital components of truth..." And finally ... Hamartia, a Greek word used in literature referrring to a series of action, which is neitheir good nor bad, but leads to the downfall of the protagonist. Hamartia the word is taken from Aristotle's work Poetics and its literal meaning is "missing the mark" altough the modern meaning is a tragic flaw. An alternative translation of Hamartia is a tragic mistake. Interesting though is that tragic mistake or flaw is usually mentioned as hubris or pride. Good Reads on the Blogosphere about this: A more thorough discussion of yesterday's event was done by Sassy Lawyer in her two posts, Rising Actionand Rising Action 2. Other good reads include MLQ's The Gamble, JJ Disini's Walkout to Defeat, and By Joves Bluff. And finally a story I remembered: The Gift of Insults There once lived a great warrior. Despite his age, he was quite old, he still was able to defeat any challenger. His reputation extended far and wide, and many became his students. Then one day an infamous young warrior arrived at the village. The warrior was determined to be the first man to defeat the old warrior. He was confident for along with his strength, he had an uncanny ability to spot and exploit any weakness in an opponent. He would wait for his opponent to make the first move, thus revealing a weakness, and then would strike with merciless force and lightning speed. No one had ever lasted with him in a match beyond the first move. Much against the advice of his concerned students, the old warrior gladly accepted the young warrior's challenge. As the two squared off for battle, the young warrior began to hurl insults at the old warrior, for hours he verbally assaulted him with every curse and insult known to mankind. He even threw dirt and spitted on the face of the old warrior. But the old warrior merely stood there motionless and calm. Finally, the young warrior got tired. Knowing he was defeated, he left feeling shamed. Somewhat disappointed that he did not fight the insolent youth, the students gathered around the old master and questioned him. "How could you endure such an indignity? How did you drive him away?" "If someone comes to give you a gift and you do not receive it," the master replied, "to whom does the gift belong?"