Chapter XXI – How A Prince Should Conduct Himself To Gain Renown
Characters:
Boy Abunda
King Ferdinand
Prince Dastan
Princess Tamina
Former President Gloria Arroyo
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Boy Abunda: Good evening televiewers! We are here live at the Bottom
Line. “Great enterprises and noble
examples are two ways for a prince to earn prestige.” This is just one of the
most famous lines in The Prince, a well-known book written by Niccolo
Machiavelli, the father of modern political theory, who has influenced the
minds of many.
Tonight’s
episode will be very different. We’ll be having a little trend for a change and
we’ll have special guests. Tonight’s
guests are kings and rulers who have been bowed by many and have held kingdoms
under their power. Tonight they will show off their intellect by answering
questions that we have prepared specially for them. We will be asking them one
at a time. Others will be inside a sound-proof booth where they will surely
hear nothing from our conversations here.
So what
are we waiting for? Let’s start it with the king who has risen from being an
insignificant king to the foremost king of Christendom by fame and glory. Let
us all welcome King Ferdinand of Spain.
*Claps*
(King Ferdinand enters.)
Boy Abunda: Good evening King
Ferdinand.
King Ferdinand: Good evening too.
Might I ask you, what place is this?
Boy
Abunda: Welcome to the Bottom Line.
King Ferdinand: Bottom line? I should
never be in the bottom line. Why would I be? The leader of the army should be
in the front line and not in the bottom line. Great rulers always show
leadership and courage you know.
Boy: No no. You are in a show. You
are in the Bottom Line.
King Ferdinand: A show? Oh. Might I
ask to make a few greetings to my family and subjects back in Spain? (to
audience) Good day to my family and my subjects back in Spain! I hope you are
all watching. I am in the Bottom Line! (to Boy) Thank you.
Boy Abunda: You’re welcome your
highness. It is my honor to have you here, a king who has accomplished many
great deeds. We all know that you have successfully attacked Granada, Africa,
Italy and France. This time, we would like to know how you have managed to
attain such a triumph.
King Ferdinand: Good question you
have there. As king, I must secure and protect my kingdom by being wise in
making decisions and of course, I do not want to be the cause of its downfall.
But your kindness seems to show the respect and faith that you have in me. So let
me tell you this, I did it quietly and without any fear of hindrance. I held
the minds of the barons of Castile who were all busy thinking of the war and
not anticipating any innovations. They did not perceive by that means I was acquiring
power and authority over them.
Boy Abunda: Wow! I’m blown away. That
was really a great strategy of yours. Your military skill has really been
distinguished. Only great minds like yours could think of that.
King Ferdinand: Yes. I think so. I
was also able with the money of the Church and of the people to sustain my
armies. I also used religion to undertake greater schemes. I devoted myself to
clearing my kingdom of the Moors. Sometimes, it needs to be witty to get what
you want. It’s all or nothing. But still, it’s a matter of choice. It’s still
up to you if you would take them for granted.
Boy Abunda: No one could be compared
to you. No one could be a more admirable example. You have conquered Africa,
Italy and France by using the same cloak?
King Ferdinand: No. Of course not! I
change my cloak often. I don’t want to get dirty. It ruins my image. But I am
very fortunate of having these achievements. My actions have arisen one out of
the other, that men have never been given time to work steadily against me.
Boy Abunda: Thank you very much King
Ferdinand. Thank you for sharing us your military skills.
*Claps*
(King Ferdinand goes out.)
Boy Abunda: Now, let’s use the
magical dagger and use the sands of time to look back when the holy city of
Alamut was invaded by Prince Dastan. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome the Prince
of Persia, Prince Dastan and his lovely wife, Princess Tamina.
*Claps*
(Prince Dastan and Princess Tamina
enter.)
Boy Abunda: Good evening Prince
Dastan and Princess Tamina. Princess Tamina, you are really a gorgeous wife.
Princess Tamina: Thank you Boy. You
sure are too.
Boy Abunda: Haha. You’re flattering
me. J Prince Dastan, we all know your story and how you were
tricked by your uncle Nizam, the right hand of the former King of Persia, your
father. You are a brave prince; you surpassed all the troubles that came to
your life. How did you know where the right side is?
Prince Dastan: As prince/king, I can
win prestige by declaring myself an ally of one side of a conflict. In my case,
I sided with Tamina and not my uncle. I guess true justice has lead me.
Boy Abunda: You never thought to be
neutral?
Prince Dastan: Of course not. I am
acidic. Haha. Neutrality alienates both the victor and the loser. The victor
sees the neutral prince as a doubtful friend; the loser sees the neutral prince
as weak coward. Someone who is not your friend will always request that you
remain neutral, while a true friend will always ask you for your armed support.
A prince can escape short-term danger through neutrality, but at the cost of
long-term grief. Instead, a prince should boldly declare support for one side.
Boy Abunda: So that’s how it went. J Now, you’re married to the beautiful princess of Alamut,
Princess Tamina. How does relationship, specifically marriage of royalties
(like yours), between two different kingdoms contribute to the success of one
another?
Prince Dastan: For us, marriage is
not just a bind between two people who love each other. It is not only a social
institution under which a man and a woman establish their decision to live as
husband and wife by legal commitments and religious ceremonies. Political
marriage is different from our view. By marriage, we have expanded our
kingdoms, we have developed our trade and markets and we have made our economy
stable.
Boy Abunda: So it has many benefits
though. Lovers with benefits? J
Princess Tamina: They’re not just
benefits actually. Some people would
judge us that this is not true love but only a political marriage. But for the
two of us, our love is different from any other couple. Our family is our
kingdom. Love builds a family. Love is the foundation of our kingdom. That is
why together, our kingdom stands tall among the rest.
Boy Abunda: Very well said Princess
Tamina. Truly, love is a very powerful thing and can conquer even the mighty hearts
of kingdoms. Thank you very much for being here with us.
*Claps*
(Prince Dastan and Princess Tamina
goes out.)
Boy Abunda: Our last, but definitely
not the least, our very own Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Let us
all give her a round of applause.
*Claps*
Boy Abunda: Good evening President. How
are you right now!
GMA: Well, I’m still suffering from
my hypoparathyroid, diarrhea, and not mention the stress this controversial tug
of war has given me. The nerve of some people to actually deny a senior citizen
her medical treatment.
Boy Abunda: I can see you are having a
bad time these past few days.
GMA: Yes. There’s no reason not to
be.
Boy Abunda: Anyway, welcome to Bottom
Line. I have some questions here to ask you—
GMA: If that is about the electoral
sabotage, all I can say is I am sorry. But I did not do anything.
Boy Abunda: Uhm… Mrs. Arroyo, what I
was going to ask you is about the—
GMA: What? I spent my nine years of
presidency encouraging citizens to excel in their occupations, and live their
lives in peace. That is what a leader should do, right?
Boy Abunda: Uhm… Mrs. Arroyo, what I
was going to ask you is—
GMA: I never discouraged nor excessively
taxed private acquisition or prosperous commerce. I even rewarded those who
contributed to the overall prosperity of the state by personal visits and
city-wide feasts, but now, when my life is finally at peace, the past years are
haunting me. I told you I did nothing wrong! I tried my best to be a great
leader!
Audience: Weh?
GMA: Yes! I tried to follow the
examples set by the late kings and rulers, especially the way they gained their
esteem. I am sorry, but I really did nothing wrong! I did nothing wrong!!!
Boy Abunda: Before everything gets
worse, I’d like to thank my sponsors HJ Tiles, Aqua Drinking Water, Julie’s
Bakeshop, and Jolina’s Food Catering Services. And that’s how kings and rulers
conduct themselves to gain renown. ‘Til next time. This is the Bottom Line.
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