RIZALs HEROISM

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort and
convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther
King Jr.
It has been half a century now, but Filipinos continue to debate on who should be the
countrys national hero. Many have doubted Jose P. Rizals aptness to hold the title as the
National Hero of the Philippines. They questioned his nationality and anti-clerical stance.
The questions stem from the fact that our usual notion of a national hero is someone who
is courageous, strong, able-bodied, and leads a military force into war against a colonial or
imperial power people such as George Washington, the Commander-in-Chief of the
continental army during the American revolutionary war and the first President of the
United States; Simon Bolivar, a Venezuelan military leader who was instrumental in the
revolutions against the Spanish empire; or Abraham Lincoln , who led America through
Civil war.
But what does it take to be a hero? In my opinion, for one to be a hero, one must sacrifice
himself for the betterment and the liberation of its people or perhaps a catalyst to such
liberation. Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo fall under this category. All of
them had their share of sacrifices, one incomparable from the other. Rizal was the catalyst
who awakened the revolutionary spirit of Filipinos, while Bonifacio and Aguinaldo acted on
it. Deciding the best among them is truly difficult because they are incomparable. One
cannot be lesser than the other.
However, given his circumstances, Rizal deserves the title as the National Hero of the
Philippines. At a young age, he was exposed to the harsh reality back then by being
downtrodden as an indio at school. Another was when he was a first year medical student
at UST, one dark night in 1878 Rizal got slashed at the back by a sword or a lieutenant of a
Guardia Civil whom Rizal was unable to salute due to darkness. Yet, he stood tall and firm
despite of his unprivileged stature and fought back not with his hands, but with his
excellent grades and performance that remained consistent up to his degree courses. Yes,
you there is no doubt that they are rich, but his family was not an exemption to the
cruelties of the Spaniards. His mother was imprisoned due to false charges. She was
accused of being an accomplice in the poisoning of a woman. Such wretched acts could
have contributed to Jose Rizals own hatred for the Spanish government. Any mothers
imprisonment would leave her child devastated. In spite of this, Jose Rizal did not despair
but used this as a driving force to fight the Spaniards.
Jose Rizal has the greatest example of a life dedicated for ultra-nationalism and
unbendable patriotism. He chose education and knowledge as his primary weapons to
defeat oppression instead of violence. Our country had enough of violence during the
colonization, World War, and Martial Law. And I still believe in the power of pen.

INDI PA NI TAPOS. TAPUSA