“Rizal and Myself” is a composition of association between the writer and the hero, Jose Rizal.
To give a brief history regarding what I know about the national icon, a flashback of my childhood deserves a peek and a review. Way back when I was four, I got a one peso coin as a change for the first item that I bought in the sari-sari store. At six, I visualized the life of Jose in a television show “Bayani”, which illustrated the hero’s story from childhood till death. But in assurance, acting and money does not have to do with my comparison with him.
A confession of truth must first be established in order to understand the writer’s stand regarding our “Bayani”. Since I first read a history book, way back taking my primary education, the champion in the name of Pepe isn’t just my kind of hero. There might have been another “Rizal” if he weren’t around. Also, lurking within me are questions that seemed to doubt the credibility of the one who is called “the national hero” – certain issues that a little boy cannot seem to understand. Like issues regarding his irony on being too idealistic and breaker of his own ideals, his pedophilic - incest relationship with Leonor Rivera, his use of prostitutes in Austria, his retraction, his eligibility of the title “National Hero” as used by Americans as a strategic icon and lots and lots more.
I firmly believe that nobody is perfect, even Rizal isn’t one. But then again I also concede to the fact that he was a leader and servant to the Filipinos in his own way. So what makes more sense at this moment is that he did a good thing for our country and at times we owe him our nationality.
Now back to the body – it will consist of positivistic point of view, regarding Rizal’s beliefs and mine. Using the format BAR (beliefs, actions and results) I will present the Rizal in me.
To formally start, the writer would be discussing Rizal’s beliefs in three points:
- Education
- Revolutionist
- Youth Advocate
EDUCATION
Rizal’s primary belief is Education. His first lessons where taught by his mother, Teodora, who taught him how to read and write. That was then honed in a local school where he got his first beating from a professor, continued it in Ateneo to become crème de la crème, last stop in the Philippines is UST then out to Europe to study Medicine.
In their time, neglect of the Spaniards to the Filipinos was the big issue – neglect that deprived Filipinos of education. But luckily Jose was one of the few Filipinos who had the feel of being educated. Surely he had a great time acquiring knowledge from studying, which in the long run made a big part of him.
Not only did he made good in educating himself inside the walls of the different institutions here and abroad, but also, he made use of informal education that made him show his excellence further more. He made researches and experimentation regarding the social and physical make-up of man. He experimented on plants of all kinds and its cultivation. Collected and made differentiation of shells. He distinguished different races of people. Recorded and discovered thirty-eight new varieties of fishes. He studied twenty different languages of the world. He made literature, love of his life. And he even shared his knowledge and once became a teacher in Dapitan.
In return he made himself better than the rest, by studying more than one could have ever imagined. They say, Rizal was one of the brightest people born in his generation but people cannot just disregard his great work ethic. In line with that he was then given latin honors for his show of excellence. He’s also named and known for different titles such as the anthropologist, archeologist, botanist, conchologist, educator, ethnologist, father of community school, ichthyologist, journalist, linguist, ophthalmologist, philologist, philosopher, physician, polyglot, researcher, scientist, sociologist and zoologist.
I myself am an advocate of education, like Rizal did; I believe that education would be the way forward. Although for me getting a diploma would be neat but vocational education would also do, for it is not always vital to think that having a blue collar job precedes better living. I do believe that education indeed needs attention in ones life, but I’m not closing the avenue for other opportunity that is in need of strength, endurance and skill. For instance a person could be famous and rich for certain reasons like culinary, handicrafts, art, agricultural and man-power based jobs.
Since I was little besides playing, my favorite thing to do is to go to school and study; sometimes I do incorporate my play with education through teacher-teacheran. I too, like Pepe, love to study animals, in my case fishes and anthropods are of my best interest. I do watch a lot of discovery channel when I was a kid – until now. I do believe that I am a math wiz, so I hone them every now and then. I also entered several contests that measures wit and knowledge. Those are just some of the things I made in order to test my self and help strengthen my belief on education.
As a result the efforts yielded a better me. I have been a consistent honor student when I was in my elementary and high school years. I got several awards like, best in math, history and science. I too had several medals reminding my rank with regards to the contests that I have been into. But the best thing of all is the recognition from friends and colleagues that hey “Kelly” is not your average kind of person and also it is really incomparable that the feeling of elated pride that comes from your Parents when you surprise them with awards and stuff, oh how I miss those moments (sigh). Although these are symbols of what I have done during my studying career, I still feel empty and there is still a need for more.
REVOLUTIONIST
Being a revolutionist is not about shedding blood or making a rebellious move against tyrant leaders, but being one is gauged by wanting a total revamp, a total change in a system, i.e. in the government. Rizal’s effort on the part of the Filipinos truly is an epitome of wanting total change and will be gradually presented and interpreted as we move further.
Rizal at first was part of many movements who wants to reform the government, to notice the wanting of equality between the Filipino priests against the Spanish friars, to be heard and be represented in the royal audiencia, to be educated without neglect, believes that the pen is mightier than the sword battling all adversities through the freedom of the press and speech and so on and so forth.
Yes, Jose as been all that in his previous encounters who would love to be a part of motherSpain. He was just being realistic, that he knows if swords would be fought with swords blood will just be shed and lives would be wasted. Way back then, his only purpose was to conform to what can be achieved in a peaceful manner.
All things has changed when he came back from Spain with both eyes widely opened by reality in European nations, which signals the start of the revolutionist in him. In Europe he was influenced by the French revolution that, hey we are bound to become freemen and not mere puppets of the current governing body. Thus having that premise Rizal made a proposition of the La Liga Filipina.
The highlight of the Liga was that there would be a representative for every region in a congress to addressing the individual needs of the communities. After which these regions would be gathered into one, to be called as a different entity to mother Spain, and being called as a Nation. Having the concept of being one and being an independent body to the colonial land entails a new opening and total change. Rizal was the first person to coin the concept of nation in the Philippine history and true enough just the sound of it requires total change regarding a colony like the islands of the Philippines.
His actions were futile, to the point that it did not concretized until the very end but his concept of being another free land from a mother colony open the eyes of others to shout for revolt. As a result, the Philippines now is a free land, resulting from the actions of Andres Bonifacio which was inspired by the novels, the ideals and the philosophies of Jose Rizal. Even if it wasn’t finished to the very end by Bonifacio, the thought of having a nation was made concretized.
Like Rizal, I too am screaming for total change, in many things though, not only in my views about the government, but also to the deepest darkest mistakes that we Filipinos tend to do, not because we like it to be done, but because we don’t care enough that we are making such mistakes. If only I am to be heard, I do not only want reform for my country, what I want is change for the betterment.
As I would like to be heard and as I would like my ideas to prosper I joined our debate society or our high school varsity team. I myself wish to fight, i.e. to wage a war against tyranny, apathy and ignorance, and the avenue that opened for me is through debating. Debating is not only an art or a science but it is a lifestyle of exchanging ideas with the whole world. Training for the betterment of my skills was my first action and as I excel and exceed my own expectations I have inspired some people to get into the world of debating, I trained them and shared all what I know except for experience.
As a result I have entered various knock-out rounds, and I’ve been held 19th best speaker over-all in the 2004 National Asian’s High School Debate Championship. Were in I was the captain of Claret team C. I also have trained various students that eventually after a year or so prospered and become top-ranked debaters of our time in the Philippines, on which in several events their debates were televised and ideas were broadcasted to the world. Saying: “hey we Filipinos aren’t ignorant at all and what we want is all good for our country”. Still debating for me isn’t about boasting your pride, badgering other debaters for it looks cool when you see them wilt like a vegetable or even winning, but what I see is that debating should be made beautiful and should get fit with honor.
YOUTH ADVOCATE
Rizal has been known to have pushed the limits of him as a youth. With all his ideals, what caught my attention is his being faithful to believing in the youth. As he quoted, “O youth the hope of our father land”. Rizal believed that the future is at stake and should be honed for the betterment of our nation.
Jose takes his bet based on his personal experience; for he too have had been part of the youth. He saw that in excelling and incorporating his other beliefs such as education greatly affects the status of a person. It may sound non-ideal for not all people are give the chance and opportunity way back then but the mere fact of having reality and feasibility at his side, greater chances are then concretize.
As an action, as he was given the chance to spread the love, he had pursue his advocacy thru his writings in the symbolism of Basilio who had first educated, second did not lose hope even with poverty aside, lastly he made a moral decision telling everybody that there is still hope in the youth and lets not waste it by waging physical war against our tyrants. Also, as he was exiled in Dapitan, he did not fitter away the chance to teach the children how to read, write, be merry and be learned at the same time.
All his actions and ideals regarding the youth cultivated the ideals over the years. Thus, it makes us owe the present time to Rizal, for it is a cycle for what you do in your younger years precedes what you are and who you are in the present time. In fact his ideals lead to free education, youth congresses, non-stock and non-profit organizations and lots, lots more that helps the youth in achieving the greatest good a person could have ever experienced in preparation to times of greater responsibility.
I am an advocate of that movement; I am an advocate of the youth. My belief in the youth is overwhelming that I too am still a youth but I push others to their limits to be and excellent, compassionate and committed individuals. I joined an organization who believes in empowering the youth – the Children’s Museum and Library Inc., Whom the servant leaders and organizers are always the youth, with minimal supervision of adults.
In line with that, the organization teaches a person how to be independent and how to be depended and looked upon by other individuals. As part of the National Executive Board, the term used for their officers, I have been inspired my co-youth to help, tell, educate and share everything that I know in life that will definitely help these younger people who someday we will look upon.
In return, I have seen leaders in my delegates; some are now leaders at their own institutions and fore-running organizations. Some I have seen them grow from a happy-go-lucky person to very able officers. I know that my efforts are not futile, for many of the products of what I do are now known personalities heading our state in various possibilities. Like National artist, Fernando Cena, Senator “Kiko” Panghilinan, President of PLDT Manny V. Panghilinan and the like. One thing is for sure, one of these days the kids that I taught and loved may be someday be like them or even be the head of our fatherland.
I myself can be like them in the near future, who knows what I’d be like and how my ambitions would make me do the impossible. If Rizal pulled off the incomparable because of his beliefs and ideals, so can we, nothing is impossible. Let us look upon Pepe as the good in him and let him be an inspiration to each and everyone of us. But then again, with all that is said and done, I still believe that keeping the faith alive will make us reach our own stars. With that stride to get the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow be guided with virtue as taught by our ever loving Father – i.e. the ultimate way forward.
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