D. Pedro V was the second Portuguese King of the Portuguese constitutional monarchy and considered one of the most bright full minds of his time. Pedro was born on 16 September of 1847, Necessidades Palace, Lisbon. Son of Maria II of Portugal and Ferdinand von Sachen- Coburg und Gotha, became monarch at the age of 16 when his mother died during a difficult childbirth.
According to his biographers, Pedro was a shy person but very conscious and aware of his duties as a monarch. Despite the young age, his moral and intellectual preparation gave Portugal the required social development and the begging of a brand new age where the monarchy was close to the public sphere.
Pedro’s Kingship was marked by two principles:
1. Intellectual freedom for social development
2. Education for people in general, as a way to fight against the ignorance favored by governments to control individuals.
In these terms, one of his letters from 1856 called Public education and its considerations. Pedro wrote this:
” It is necessary to instruct people. This proposition is so holy that try to prove its validity would like to be cast doubt on it. People want to learn […] because “The ignorance favored by governments is such an absurd theory that it cannot have supporters.” […] There are around me those who think that people cannot be educated, that education is unsuitable for them, and this is the reason why they are blind or obstinate guiding themselves by first impressions. I believe otherwise that people are blind and obstinate because they don’t have education or instruction. […] Condemning society of not seeing the light, not participating in the educational system benefits that make a man capable of enjoying his freedom, is a crime or negligence that all of us will pay sooner or later.”
Pedro was a man who ruled a country in the nineteenth century, but his words, his thoughts are still contemporaneous. Education and training are fundamental principles for a healthy society and healthier social or intimate relationships.
We are, at some level, blind in how we deal, treat, and love others. Philosophy and psychology are important sciences in teaching because they help our critical thinking and enhance our connection with the being. Phenomena like stigma, discrimination, “gender inequality” exist because it comes from ignorance when one of the main principles of equality is that no one is equal. Therefore everyone must be accepted and protected for who they are.
The misrepresentation of words and their meaning is dangerous to social functioning, leading to social crimes or Politicians and institutions taking advantage of people and their intricate/unfulfilled necessities.
If we want men and women emotionally available and aware of who they are, we must educate them and their families.
We must provide citizens places and tools to regain trust in how to re-connect with themselves and institutions. And finally, give positions of social action or protection to those who are genuinely and academically capable of promoting progress in places of public importance. Of course, this would require Universities’ tight selection criteria, including personality tests to outwit personality disorders and the like.
It does lead me to another reality, the urgency of living happy 24/24 hours. Or when and how someone tells you after a loss that you have to move on or find someone better, which is a synonym of lack of respect for your pain and emotional avoidance. Pain is real, and everyone must sit with their pain to grieve. But this will be for another article.
Pedro V of Portugal died at only 24 years old in 1861 victim of typhoid fever. Pedro was a second degree cousin of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with whom he had a close relationship.
Keep in mind that: You don’t have to live long to do good for others. You have to be and pay attention to your surroundings while educating yourself.
With love,
Alexandra
References:
Mónica, F. M. (2007). D. Pedro V. (1a ed., pp. 277-291). Temas e Debates.
Ouso Escrever 