NorthStar Flags

It’s no secret that humans are inherent lovers of the heavens, particularly the stars. As Astrologers would put it, there’s a big connection between human behavior and our twinkling friends out there. In fact astrology proposed the idea that stars do already have an idea of what’s to happen in the future. It seems occult to the majority of us; even the Roman Catholic Church considers it as merely superstitious. As for me, I’m quite contented with the idea of gazing at them during a clear night. I’m more concerned of what they have to say about the present.

Stars like those seen in the Star of Life flag hold a special part in our culture as human beings. Through the years, we have not only found the many essential uses they offer, as in the case of the stars’ importance in nautical navigation. We also continue to adore them greatly through literary and scientific ways, a feat that no other object on earth may ever surpass.

Our favorite celestial objects go as far as representing life and existence. Remember the great star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Kings to Christ’s manger? Then there’s the famous Star of David which represents the Jews and Judaism. Even the Islamic religion is partly represented by the star.

And of course the star symbol doesn’t only hold religious importance; it is also used in almost every conceivable way. If you’ve ever seen EMTs, or Emergency Medical Technicians, they have this distinct patch on their uniforms which features a blue six-pointed star. The six points of this star represent the six main tasks of emergency rescuers, from detection to transfer. In the center of the star is The Rod of Asclepius, the ancient Greek symbol for healing. This symbol is aptly called the Star of Life, which in its own special way, reminds us how our lives are bound with the stars.

It’s no secret that humans are inherent lovers of the heavens, particularly the stars. As Astrologers would put it, there’s a big connection between human behavior and our twinkling friends out there. In fact astrology proposed the idea that stars do already have an idea of what’s to happen in the future. It seems occult to the majority of us; even the Roman Catholic Church considers it as merely superstitious. As for me, I’m quite contented with the idea of gazing at them during a clear night. I’m more concerned of what they have to say about the present.

Stars like those seen in the Star of Life flag hold a special part in our culture as human beings. Through the years, we have not only found the many essential uses they offer, as in the case of the stars’ importance in nautical navigation. We also continue to adore them greatly through literary and scientific ways, a feat that no other object on earth may ever surpass.

Our favorite celestial objects go as far as representing life and existence. Remember the great star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Kings to Christ’s manger? Then there’s the famous Star of David which represents the Jews and Judaism. Even the Islamic religion is partly represented by the star.

And of course the star symbol doesn’t only hold religious importance; it is also used in almost every conceivable way. If you’ve ever seen EMTs, or Emergency Medical Technicians, they have this distinct patch on their uniforms which features a blue six-pointed star. The six points of this star represent the six main tasks of emergency rescuers, from detection to transfer. In the center of the star is The Rod of Asclepius, the ancient Greek symbol for healing. This symbol is aptly called the Star of Life, which in its own special way, reminds us how our lives are bound with the stars.

Walking around the city on Easter Monday gives you a renewed feeling of quietude and inner peace. For large Christian cultures, this day is considered as a national holiday. And since I am a Roman Catholic living and working in a Christian community, I had the day for myself. I initially thought of spending the whole day at home and do some house cleaning, or maybe spend the whole day sleeping. But I soon found the whole idea boring and so I decided to walk around town in search of interesting stuff.

I chose the downtown park near the city hall as my destination. The park which was decorated with colorful Easter flags never run out of people and street vendors. You would easily notice the happy mood that engulfs the place. I myself frequent the place on weekends after football practice, where I get to hang out with my team mates while munching on some delicious street foods that come cheap.

On my way to the park, I passed the biggest cathedral in the city. Though this was the church where I got my baptism, I seldom visit and attend masses in here anymore. Since we moved to the suburbs, I preferred attending mass in a nearby church. But despite feeling of a long absence, I felt a profound connection with the cathedral.

The mass has recently ended and it was quiet now. Only yellow and white blank flags are visibly moving in the churchyard. These flags were used as decorations for the Easter celebration.

The solemnity of the place reminded me of the value of Easter for us Christians. So before I moved on to my city walk, I said a prayer in the church, to prepare myself for whatever the futures has in store for me and my family. This probably was the most humbling Easter egg hunt I ever did. I didn’t find eggs, but I found something more important and that was peace.

Walking around the city on Easter Monday gives you a renewed feeling of quietude and inner peace. For large Christian cultures, this day is considered as a national holiday. And since I am a Roman Catholic living and working in a Christian community, I had the day for myself. I initially thought of spending the whole day at home and do some house cleaning, or maybe spend the whole day sleeping. But I soon found the whole idea boring and so I decided to walk around town in search of interesting stuff.

I chose the downtown park near the city hall as my destination. The park which was decorated with colorful Easter flags never run out of people and street vendors. You would easily notice the happy mood that engulfs the place. I myself frequent the place on weekends after football practice, where I get to hang out with my team mates while munching on some delicious street foods that come cheap.

On my way to the park, I passed the biggest cathedral in the city. Though this was the church where I got my baptism, I seldom visit and attend masses in here anymore. Since we moved to the suburbs, I preferred attending mass in a nearby church. But despite feeling of a long absence, I felt a profound connection with the cathedral.

The mass has recently ended and it was quiet now. Only yellow and white blank flags are visibly moving in the churchyard. These flags were used as decorations for the Easter celebration.

The solemnity of the place reminded me of the value of Easter for us Christians. So before I moved on to my city walk, I said a prayer in the church, to prepare myself for whatever the futures has in store for me and my family. This probably was the most humbling Easter egg hunt I ever did. I didn’t find eggs, but I found something more important and that was peace.

Do you know how the Acadiana flag looks like? It’s like the Philippine flag, only that it has a star and no sun and some other designs. Funny thing is even the Microsoft Word program doesn’t recognize the name Acadiana. If you Google, Acadiana is the name given to the French Louisiana region. Makes me wonder if Acadiana is country or a province? Basing on my research, Acadiana is also called the Cajun country so I guess it is a country, but why is it unknown?

If you would ask people where the city called General Santos is, no one would know, except some avid fans of the boxing phenomenon named Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Same goes for Acadiana or the even the Acadiana flag. Sure, the flag itself is fancy and artistic but what is the use if you don’t know the country itself?

Most of the people of today dream of traveling the world and exploring every part of it. Looking closely at these big time dreams the persons who desire to travel only want to go to famous places. In my eyes, if we want to discover the world and its many wonders, we should start from places unknown and unheard of. If I randomly ask anyone if they would like to go to Iraq to travel, I believe 90% would say no. If you travel to explore the world, why would you look for smiles? Why not look at grief and distraught to understand the world more? If you would ask me, I would say no to that question too. If I were to travel I would want to be safe, but when you say discover the world? I would force myself to say yes. I guess there are dreams that could hurt and still they are being chased by people.