The Moral Legacies of Jose Rizal

1. Love of God

When Rizal was studying in Madrid, Spain (1882 1885), He assured his mother
of his trust in God; and when his Sister Olympia died after childbirth upon his arrival in the
Philippines from Europe in August 1887, Rizal remarked: I console myself saying that it was
the will of God and what He does must be the best.

As for me, my love for God have grown stronger and much fonder when I was
called inside the Church of Christ, in which this is where we learned the true words of God.
Knowing how we should continue to stand our ground in fighting for our faith even though it is
sometimes against our own satisfaction and needs, and how we should follow and unite with the
aim and spirit of the Church Administration happen what may.

2. Purity and Idealism

Pure and Spotless Must the Victim Be. Another virtue of Rizal worth emulating
was his insistence on purity of thoughts and clean behaviour, Perfection in virtue is a condition
of our union with God. In his famous El Filibusterismo, a Decalogue for the Political
Redemption and Human Dignification of the Filipinos, Father Florentino softly pressed the
challenge to perfection of character traits on the dying Simoun who used his ill-gotten wealth to
destroy Philippine society in working woe, distorting justice and fomenting avarice.

Purity and Idealism nowadays have become very hard to do, especially of times
where the environments influence is much harder to resist and the pressure given by our friends,
but as for me I remain pure and ideal as far as I can, as long as I am not stepping on someone
else and it is still accordance it maybe not on my will, but the will of the Father.

3. Noble Conduct

Do Good Always. Purity thoughts and clean behaviour require that

religiousness be shown in Good Conduct, Clean Conscience and Upright Thinking. Rizal
exhorted mothers to awaken the mind of the child and prepare it for every good desirable idea.

Just like how I continue to remain pure and ideal, I am also doing all the best that
I can for me to become a noble citizen, not by doing such a heroic act or anything else but by
simply doing what is right even though I have done it on the simplest and smallest way that I
can, because it is not the fact how big or extravagant youve done but it is the fact that as an
individual you remain to do what is right not for your own glory but for the glory of everyone
else.
 4. Love of Fellowmen

Let us think well of our fellowmen. Another great virtue of Rizal in conformity
with what God desires was his love for his fellowmen, Love of neighbour to be sincere entails
involvement in his behalf, Rizal thought on love our fellowmen are timely in these times.

Love for fellowmen is the same just like what is written on the Bible, in which we
must love our brothers and sisters in the faith even though it is not the literal way of showing
love where affection is present, but a love in which you show how you care for them even though
sometimes they didnt treat you the way you treat them, loving our own fellowmen is like loving
ourselves as a whole, not only by showing affection but showing how we should care for one
another and help each other as far as we can.

5. Love of Parents

I beg my beloved parents to always bless their son. Rizals great love for his
parents was very admirable. His concern over their sacrifices and his thoughtfulness are worth
initiating.

Love and obey your parents for this is the first rule with a promise, which is
according to the words of God. We should love our parents because they have sacrificed
themselves for our own sake, Me, I show my love for my parents not only by saying how much I
love them every day, but showing them that I truly love them by helping them in the household
chores, obeying and respecting them not only as an authority but it is according to the Bible and
lastly taking care of them not only when they are sick but even when they are not.

6. Obedience

I obeyed parents. When a person does what he is told, he is obedient.

Complying with that the authorities require of us is obedience. It may call for a little sacrifice on
our part of the good of the whole group. Rizal was a model of obedience.

Being obedient individual is not about following all what others ordered you to
do, it is not doing things what the authority asked you to do, and being obedient is doing and
following what is right and at the same time following the orders given unto you. As for me, I
follow things which are instructed to especially when these instructions came from my parents
because one thing I know for sure is that they are ordering me to do something that will someday
help me or things that I can use for future use, but when other people or authority orders me
around, sometimes i dont usually follow it unless it is not against to the law and the words of
God.
 7. Courage

If Im to be condemned for desiring the welfare of my country, Condemn me.

Rizals courage in loving his country is a virtue that is very relevant today. His moral courage to
do only the best for his people is worth imitating by our leaders. He possessed the essential
element of responsive leadership, that is attending to the needs of the people in order to keep
their love and affection.

Having courage doesnt mean that you have nothing to be afraid of, because even
the bravest soldiers and warriors have their own weaknesses; sometimes being strong enough to
stand on your ground is one way of showing how strong you are. For me, I show my sense of
courageousness by standing on things for what is right most especially when it comes to the
things which are against to the will of God. I always show my courageousness by going against
the norm most especially when it is the right to be done.

8. Fortitude

Do not fear that some may fall. Fortitude or perseverance means strength of
mind in meeting or enduring pain, adversity or peril. Rizal practiced fortitude in serving his
country. Fortitude in any undertaking requires faith and hope according to Rizal.

Facing difficult problems most especially tribulations and adversity sometimes

can be the most difficult thing we have to do, especially when all of these things come one after
another or sometimes it all just appeared at the same moment, but I face all these problems first
and foremost by seeking help and guidance with our Almighty Father for He is the only one
which I can rely on most especially of times when possible all becomes impossible, knowing that
He is the only Father Almighty and nothing is impossible for him, but at the same time I also do
things for myself, just like taking things slowly and analyzing the problem thoroughly, seeking
help from my parents and sometimes to people who already experience the problems that I am
now facing and learning from their experiences.

9. Courtesy and Politeness

I want to be polite and nice. Politeness and courtesy are virtues that give
harmony and charm in our daily life. Courtesy is grateful and considerate behaviour toward
others, it demand attention, politeness, refinement and affidability. Politeness is a quality of
being well-bred.

Being polite is a way of showing what you have become from the very first day
that you are exposed unto your environment; it also shows how disciplined and well trained your
parents have moulded you. I show my politeness and courtesy as an individual by doing what is
always right, even though I also do things which are not right, I always do other ways so that I
can get back from the wrong things that I have done.

10. Gratitude

I am very grateful. When a person shows gratefulness, he has grateful nature.

He that urges gratitude wrote Seneca, pleads the cause of both God and men, for without it we
can neither be sociable nor religious. Ther is much greatness of mind in acknowledging a good
turn, as in doing it.

Showing gratitude is the same as returning all the favours back, its like returning
all the glory back to those where it truly belongs. Just like how I show my gratitude for all the
things that my parents have done to me, all their sacrifices and their hardships when they are
raising me, I return all the things that theyve done unto me by showing how much I love them,
and being thankful for all their work for me, and also by simply returning back the favour by
helping them do things, obeying all of their commandments and showing them how much I love
them each and every day.

11. Serene

It is necessary that there be serenity of spirit. A man is serene if he has an

unruffled mind. Serenity of spirit stems from strong personal discipline. Rizal related a
conversation between a school teacher and Crisostomo Ibarra wanted to know the problems of
learning adn teaching. Whe asked by Ibarra about his problems, the teacher spoke against
corporal punishment inflicted on the pupils. Rizals regard for tranquillity of spirit, physical and
moral repose and willingness is never more timely that today.

I tried to be as serene as I can especially of times when right decisions are needed
on the most crucial time, by simply calming myself out and thinking critically and analytically
whichever decision would be the great answer in solving the problem that I am facing, evaluation
of the choices is also one of the ways how I keep my serenity in making choices, knowing all the
advantages and disadvantages of each choices is very critical in making decisions because you
might sometimes choose what is positive at first but suddenly it turns out to be the wrong
decision.

12. Devotion of Truth

It is not good to hide the truth. Rizals constant search for truth in serving his
country was an inspiring virtue that endeared him to his people. This is the same simple trait our
people are looking from our leaders. Wanting to get at the cause of his peoples backwardness,
Rizal made intensive studies and carried on extensive observations on the progress of nations.
 Most of the time I stand my ground on what is right, even though it is not what I
expected it to be but simply thinking that the right might hurt me a little at first but its aftermath
would be my satisfaction, that is why as far as I can, I always continue to reveal what is the truth
and what it should be, another thing, Sometimes I also withdraw myself from the truth because it
may not be the right time or right way in telling the truth, just like on my experience when my
friend was being abused by her relative, I did a white lie there just to protect the right of my
friend as a human being and after that telling it to my parents so that they will have the authority
to talk to my friends aunt and clear things out.

13. Thrift

I economize. Thrift is a virtue of being economical in the use of material,

money time and energy. Rizal practiced the habit of thrift when he was a student in Madrid,
Spain he would have his shoes repaired instead buying new ones. Now and then he economized
in food expenses. When Paterno brothers wanted him to join the Ateneo de Madrid, a cultural
society, he turned down the suggestion saying. I find the dues a little exorbitant.

I show my thriftiness by simply being practical, such practicality like instead of

eating at the fast food chains, I always eat on places where it is budget friendly at the same time
it can accommodate my needs especially my cravings for food, because logically speaking you
are only paying for the tax and also for the name not the food when you are eating on a well
known restaurants or food chains. I also show my thriftiness on things that I wanted, like the
dress that we use for worship service, instead of buying new dress; I always mix and match other
attire so that it will look new even though it is not. Being practical is also being wise, not just the
fact that you saved money or effort from such things or action that youve done, you also help
yourself to be thrifty and budget-wise person.

14. Will Power

Always with our gaze fixed on our country. Rizals decision to give his life for
his country demonstrated the perfection of his will to do the duty assigned to him by God. This
was an admirable virtue considering that Spain had adopted a policy of implanting an inferiority
complex on the Filipinos the better to govern them. Rizal did not accept the belief that his people
were irredeemable. He had a clear vision of what to do to make his people happy and he exerted
his best to accomplish this objective.

Having a strong will is sometimes needed especially when we want things to be

done according to what is pleasing to our self, Just like how I have shown my will power on
pursuing my goals and dreams in life, but we still need the help of our Almighty Father through
devotional prayer and by exerting enough effort so that all our dreams will happen. Just like how
I prayed so much for something that I really wanted and needed in my life, I prayed about it
regularly and decided to have a devotional prayer just for it, and at the same time exerting some
effort about what I want, and now I already have what I wanted, not only I am a member of the
Church of Christ another wish have also been granted unto me by God.

15. Prudent

For reason of delicacy I have suppressed my correspondence. Prudence is virtue

that guides our mind in choosing the best means of accomplishing a thing. It directs us to the
most polite and profitable course of action. It guides all other virtues because it points out the
mean between excess and defect in the other virtues. If we do not practice prudence, we are
liable to folly and excesses.

Being prudent is doing the right thing at the right time at the right moment of it.
Commonly I am prudent in terms of my academic performance, I always think of what is right
and what is wrong. I always think of things and evaluate each of it and knowing what would be
the right decision for me and also for the future. I commonly over think things especially when I
needed crucial decision on a pressured time, but by simply inhaling and exhaling deeply and
focusing my mind on things that I am experiencing I can easily overcome it.

16. Initiative

The greatness of a Man is in guiding the people in its forward way. It is a

persons readiness to think a line of conduct and ability to carry it out on his own responsibility.
Initiative is a virtue needed in the progress of society.

I always show my initiative especially when doing things that are needed to be
done as fast as possible, mostly my initiative on things appears both on my academics and also
while helping my Mom with our daily chores, at school I always show the initiative to lead a
group when all the members are just loafing around and doing nothing, I stand up from being the
leader instead of just staying on the group doing nothing, and at home I always have the initiative
to clean the house especially when I have the time to do it just to help my parents in our daily
chores.

17. Charity

I feel Happy when I can give joy to somebody. Charity is the greatest of all the
virtues because it inclines us to love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbours
for the sake of God.

Helping others especially those who are in need are one way of showing charity, it
is also according to the commandments of God to help those people who are need, but
sometimes being helpful and understanding is not applicable at all times, at some point we
should always think of things especially when we are about to give someone something for their
needs, just like what my high school teacher told us that, helping beggars is one way of charity
but that doesnt mean you always have to do it, sometimes you need to hold back from helping
them the things that they need but teaching them what they are supposed to do in order for them
to improve and attain success.

18. Love of Country

My dream was my countrys prosperity. Dedication to ones duty was an

admirable virtue of Rizal, In saying that it is mans duty to seek his own perfection, Rizal set an
idea for man to attain. He elaborated on this idealism. Rizal dedicated his whole life in securing
freedom for his country and happiness for his people, a devotion unparalleled in the history of
his country. My mission, he told his former mentor at the Ateneo, Father Paula de Sanchez, is
to make men worthy.

In this generation, showing our love for our country is not like how the Filipinos
have to sacrifice their lives for the sake of our Country, nowadays, doing such act that can
strengthen or show the nationalism inside us would be enough, even though its a small thing to
do it shows a big impact on the whole perspective of the country, Just like by simply patronizing
the products of the local provinces and landmarks instead of patronizing products from other
countries, I also show my love for my country by continuing to embody the ideals and
aspirations of the true Filipino, by embracing the Filipino culture which is not against the words
and teachings of our Almighty God.

19. Love for Justice

Let us be just. Rizal fought hard for justice not only for himself and his family
but also for his people.

Showing justice on the Philippines might not be the same as giving justice on
other countries, but justice doesnt always mean it have to be put unto the court for trials, but
instead doing what is right, doing what is needed and doing what is supposed to do is enough
justice an individual like me can do. Doing the best at school for my future is also an enough
reason to justify all the hardship and sacrifices my parents have done for me just to send me to
the school.

20. Self Control

I have deprived myself or many pleasure. When a man can check his action
and feelings, he has self control. The will acts only in seeking what is good, depending on the
intellect for its data. This is the reason why we must take great care in presenting only good ideas
to the will. Rizal showed much self control his lifetime. Two important examples are worth
recalling. During his students days in Madrid, he manifested self control. Once he visited the
house of the Paterno brothers. They showed him their house and Rizal was thankful for their
hospitality. When Pedro proposed that Rizal exhibit the pictures he had, he refused.
 Self control can be the most confusing and hardest thing to be done especially
when it is against our will or maybe it is very satisfying. Just like how I control myself from
being influenced by the environment and also by my peers and continuing to stand my ground
against it. Self control can also be seen by holding and withdrawing yourself up from being taken
away inside the Church of Christ, it is how we regulate and refrain ourselves from being taken
away our privilege and rights to worship God. By simply passing the entire test; continue living a
life in accordance to what God wants is enough way to control yourself.

21. Tolerance

One must have a deep respect for every idea sincerely conceived. A person who
respects the contrary opinions of another is tolerant.

As far as I can, I always keep my tolerance especially when leading a group on a

academic environment, such example is about being open to suggestion when planning, I always
listen to the suggestion given by my group mates then after acquiring all their suggestion all of
us will do brainstorming to compose what is the most useful and perfect way to finish our
activity. Sometimes, I also tolerate those things that I experience such as those things just like
when I separate my emotional needs on things that I need to do such judgements, I always
continue to understand that being emotional is one way of letting ourselves out but it is not
recommended to be done at all times, sometimes being emotional is one of the most major factor
that can cause our decision to fail.

22. Honesty

The greatest honor that a son can pay to his parents is integrity and a good man.
Integrity is uprightness or a state of being of sound moral principle. Rizals honesty was the
result of his constant love and search for the truth, He possessed I to a high degree of excellence
which everyone of us should imitate. Lets forget, sincerity is a sign of humility, the virtue which
makes us know the truth about ourselves, to accept the truth and live according to it. The basic
element of humility is the acceptance that whatever we possess we owe to God who has planned
a duty for us.

Being honest is a good trait to be seen on each and every one of us, but sometimes
being honest doesnt apply to all situations, just like what happen to me when I was asked by my
friends aunt, what I did there is lying but it is a white lie, because just like what ive said
honesty is a very good trait everyone should acquire but we should always think whether being
honest would be the very best thing to do.

23. Living by Example

Gladly I depart to expose myself to danger to confirm with my example what I

have always preached. Rizals examples on idealism, charity and surrender are inspiring. Events
showing his love for country and people and dedication to duty are worth-while imitating.
Instances in which he displayed courage, will power, leadership and self abnegation are
admirable. Events revealing his honesty, love and faith in God, love for fellowmen and love for
parents are shining virtues for everyone.

Living by example nowadays is one big responsibility of every individual in a

society especially inside the family, just like me. I always set and live like an example for my
younger sister, I always do things responsibly and live a good life. Living as an example is a
responsibility given to each and every one of us in order to build a better community, commonly
elders who cant do this responsibility shows the manifestation inside their family, bad character
and attitude can be seen on their children or siblings, that it why being a good example is very
good thing to do because you are not only helping yourself out you are also helping in building a
well disciplined community.

24. Self Sacrifice

My ambition is not to win honors. Another admirable virtue practice by Rizal

was abnegation or self-denial. Self denial means giving up ones desires for a better cause, as a
working for welfare of ones country. Self-denial implies self-sacrifice, love and humility. Rizal
sincerely believed that he was not the only man capable leading his people.

Sacrificing what you want for the better is not a failing experience for us,
sometimes we might hurt and dissatisfy ourselves at first but after some time it can become a
very good experience, just like how we should sacrifice in doing all the commandments of our
Lord God, even though we have our own life and our own way of living, following the
commandments of the Almighty Father should be seen inside our lives, and sacrifice is one of the
most common experience we might encounter in doing it, because not all the things that we want
are good for us, sometimes it maybe pleasing and satisfying for our own pleasure but it is against
the will of our God, so you have to choose wisely in doing such things and always remember to
continue following all the commandments of God even though it is not according to what we
really wanted.