The essence of Rizal
Being raised in a small, semi-rural town meant constant exposure to neighboring fellow youngsters chasing each other and playing a game at the town plaza that seemed impossible to ignore. Amid the fun of joining or watching such, every Filipino kid should have been able to stumble upon a relatively huge statue of someone holding a book, imposing curious questions regarding its purpose of establishment and what it takes to have one built for them someday.
The annual ‘Rizal Day’ is one of our many ways to celebrate the life and works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, aside from building statues of him in city or town plazas and schools. This year’s commemoration marks its 127th anniversary, first instituted by former President Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898 to be celebrated every December 30, which is also the death anniversary of Rizal. Rites are held throughout towns or cities in the country, notably in Rizal Park, Manila, where the incumbent President leads the ceremony. Furthermore, the law mandates the date to be a public holiday and requires Philippine flags in the country to remain at half-staff throughout the day.
There are a myriad of ways to describe Jose P. Rizal and his contributions to the country, which could be considered as the rationale behind national policies exclusively dedicated to him, such as the standardized inscription of his face on the Philippine one-peso coin and the mandatory teaching of his life and works in tertiary education. Rizal was, in precis, highly intelligent and extraordinarily talented. He was a physician who learned ophthalmology from prestigious universities abroad, motivated by his mother’s deteriorating eyesight. He practiced general medicine, of which he offered for free during his exile in Dapitan. Moreover, aside from medicine and his renowned literary pieces that sparked revolutionary nationalism among the then-colonized Filipinos, Rizal likewise exhibited a diverse set of other skills from natural to social sciences and humanities and art–as an educator, a polyglot, a journalist, a painter, a sculptor, a playwright, a farmer, the sky’s the limit of this list.
However, I appeal to youngsters or nostalgic readers of this article who relate to being amazed at least once by Rizal being everywhere as a statue, or a coin, to not fully attribute his aforesaid polymath abilities as the main reason for his great influence. Rather, focus more on the consistent theme as to how and why such abilities of Rizal were demonstrated and, ultimately, embedded in history forever: to help other people to the best of his abilities and contribute to society for the betterment of our country. Truly, he is not only an epitome of a nationalist and an intellectual leader but also a manifestation of hope and vision. The essence of Rizal extends beyond fighting for Philippine independence; his values are applicable even in the minuscule parts of our lives and everyone can learn such for their application and preservation of his sacrifice.
Recall the essence of Rizal in fighting amid the challenges we have in our country today. Take a stance, and always help and contribute to the betterment of our nation and countrymen. With this, you might not get your own monument built like Rizal, but you can accomplish the very reason why such portraits of his are almost everywhere.
