REBUTICA, KYLE JUSTIN B.

INDIVIDUAL THOUGHT PAPER – RZL110

Is Rizal obsolete or not in the present times?
Dr. Jose Rizal remains important today, especially to the youth. And the wonderful
thing is, to make him important today, we do not have to grimace Rizal into unnatural
types. He becomes the hero we need, on his own merits, as a man not only seeking to
provoke national identity but to establish a national identity. Rizal's significance lies not in
what we falsely conclude he is, but in who he was.
The Idea of Freedom. The youth must understand the deeper sense of how
freedom should be defined based on the interpretation of Jose Rizal and have a strong
national appreciation of how one person should feel about their country. It can also
encourage them to understand critical attitudes and factors that help young people from
their sense of patriotism in their nation.
Filipino Indolence. The relevance of Rizal today, I sincerely think, is poor. When
he is tragically misunderstood, how can he be more? As illustrated in Jose Rizal's
understanding of it. He sees indolence as a misrepresentation of how we are viewed by
the Spaniards because of their dominance during Rizal's time as the present rules. It is
also intended to demonstrate that Filipinos are based on them as ignorant and it still
shows in this modern world as we equate it to the everyday lives that young people are
facing and losing their inability to do household chores. Our national hero is Rizal, and
we are told that he is our national hero. That is not because we know that he is our national
hero. This is the defect in the whole affair. In our creation of the Philippine National
Identity, this is the error.
Nation-Building. In society, there is no unity; elements of all cultures remain in
conflict. The unifying force is identity, the way certain parts are pulled together. With each
other, our heroes are at odds. With themselves, they are at war. We struggle to be the
cornerstones of our civilization and national identity.
Forgotten Generation. Today’s youth do not know who Rizal is. Many famous
figures are known to them and they are not aware that the Philippines is a very wonderful
person. Muslim Filipinos, Malaysians, and Indonesians revered Rizal once regarded as
the finest Malay in history. After him, several Muslim men are named. Over 20 poems
were written by Rizal. Both are about loving our nation and preparing to die for it. Rizal is
still at the highest level of the class at home and overseas.
Rizal is relevant and not obsolete. He must be. Because his philosophies are so a
part of our history, so intrinsically a part of who we are, that truly understanding and
believing in them means we become a better nation.
References

Constantino, R. (1959). Our Task: To Make Rizal Obosolete. Manila: Manila Chronicles.