Words not guns

At the end of each year, I look back not only at the events of the past but also indulge in my favorite ”history game.” I ask a series of “what if “ questions and wonder if the events of the past year would have been different?

What if Andres Bonifacio and General Luna were not assassinated, would the Philippine Revolution have been successful? What if Ninoy Aquino had not been assassinated, would there still be a People Power Revolution?

What if the American fleet in Pearl Harbor were ready for the attack and the Japanese failed to destroy them, would the Second World War been shorter in time? If MacArthur have received the assistance they needed, would there be no more surrender at Bataan?

On a geopolitical question, what if John Kennedy had not been assassinated, could the Vietnam War been avoided? Even further back, if Spain had delayed its conquest of the Philippines by a century, would this country be now a Muslim nation?

While these are interesting mind games, I believe that the historical trends would not have changed. Arnold Toynbee writes that history is the rise and fall of civilizations.

American power was too strong to be defeated by a Filipino army which was not fully supported by a Metro Manila elite. The Marcos regime was doomed to fall and the people were ready to return to democracy. The Second World War would have continued and the United States was not ready to send the men and arms MacArthur needed. The United States was already in Vietnam during the Kennedy presidency. Perhaps, Kennedy would have left Vietnam sooner, but it was the height of the Cold War and the Communist domino theory meant America had to try and stop Communist expansion.

The only question I am not sure of what the Philippines would be like if this was a Muslim nation. Perhaps, we would be another Indonesia.

What if Donald Trump was not elected. The United States would still be a divided people with an ongoing culture war and a rise in racism and intolerance. The populists of the world today were elected because people are looking for this type of leadership. How long this phenomenon will last, I do not know.

There are, however, giant personalities in the history of mankind. They have influenced us through their words not by force of arms or war. They have influenced history more than generals and warriors. I speak of people like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. It is said that from the beginning of time, it is words that aroused a people to rise against injustice. But, it also words that have been the cause of terrorism.

The most stirring speeches have come from history’s greatest warriors, activists, politicians and revolutionaries. Jose Rizal’s two novels sparked a revolution. Winston Churchill’s speeches have become classics that are memorized.  There are other classics like Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death”; Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream,” Mahatma Gandhi’s “Non violence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed”; and, Ninoy Aquino’s “The Filipino is worth dying for.”

There are other powerful words that are less known. Nelson Mandela once wrote: “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. It is an ideal I am prepared to die.”

Some speeches never catch the public’s attention but are so stirring. There is a speech by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1868 when she was advocating for the right to vote for women in America. It was a long speech but here is an excerpt: “Here that great conservator of women’s love, if permitted to assert itself, as it naturally would in freedom against oppression, violence and war, would hold all these destructive forces in check, for woman knows the cost of life better than a man does and not with her consent would one drop of blood ever be shed, and one life sacrificed in vain.”

There still so many historical events that I feel our people should know more about. The Christianization of the Filipino people changed our entire history; but, how did it exactly happen? Was it planned, forced or did the people welcome Christian conversion?

In recent history, I feel that the Filipino guerrilla movement during the Japanese era is so unappreciated. I have not read my comprehensive on this patriotic war and I think its heroes have not been properly recognized. I still wonder whether we will ever know  the real story behind the assassination of Ninoy Aquino.

As I look towards 2018, I wonder if it will just be an extension of 2017 or will it be a year of radical change. I suspect it will just be an extension. Our news will continue to be dominated by politics, personality clashes, wars, and scandals. Leaders have two directions they can take. Either they want to leave a legacy or they want to consolidate power.

I like to remind people that the great men in history had the most impact on their people when they were out of power –  Socrates, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mandela and Ninoy Aquino. They used the power of their words rather than guns to influence history.