Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Realonda remains very relevant today in this age of the millennials because the young need a model for total personality development, an icon for excellence in both science and art, an example of selfless love for country and people, and an inspiration for struggle, sacrifice, and hard work despite all the temptations to just enjoy life and take advantage of all the amenities the modern world offers.
He lived in an era when there was no internet, cellphone, laptop, Grab, Uber, airplanes, or modern facilities enjoyed by the youth today.
He had to walk miles and miles and had to write hundreds of pages of prose and poetry, gems of his genius and yet, he accomplished so much in his brief lifetime that ended in tragedy.
Born in 1861 and executed in 1896, he was barely 35 years old when his accomplished life was cut short by the oppressor’s bullets.
Today is the 122nd anniversary of Rizal’s execution, and I still question why Filipinos, have the propensity to celebrate his death instead of his birth.
He was a polymath, a genius, a multi-talented man whose mind was very much ahead of his time. He was the contemporary of Gandhi and Jawaharlal Neru, as well as his fellow literary icon, Rabindranath Tagore.
Rizal learned the alphabet at two years old and could write poems at five. He was an icon of academic excellence in San Juan de Letran, Ateneo, and the University of Sto. Tomas. He was always given a grade of “sobresaliente.”
He was an achiever in whatever endeavor he put his mind and heart into. He was a writer, novelist, poet, dramatist, sculptor, and painter.
He was a doctor, eye surgeon, and community organizer. He was also a fencing expert, a pistol aficionado, a boxer, a martial arts practitioner, and many more.
The youth today should be awed at the magnitude of his expertise, and at the wide range of his fields of interest.
He was a world traveler at a time when there were no international flights. He was a lover of women, music, and song.
He was a man of the world who never hesitated to try anything new. He was not contented with the status quo.
He always ventured outside comfort zones. He dared to challenge the state of things.
He was forward-looking, a visionary, a strategic thinker and fearless social reformist.
His greatest works “Noli me tangere” and “El Filibusterismo” inspired both Andres Bonifacio and General Emilio Aguinaldo to fight for freedom for our people.
He was criticized for his lukewarm support of the revolution, but actually, it was his writings that ignited and fired that revolution.
Rizal was actually an advocate for peaceful reforms. He believed Filipinos were not ready to confront the Spanish forces because they lacked military strategies and tactics.
Besides, we had nothing to counter the cannons and guns of the oppressors. But Bonifacio and Aguinaldo, inspired by Rizal’s nationalism, thought that the only way to gain freedom was a bloody revolution.
In Dapitan where he was exiled, Rizal taught the example of community organization in order to achieve economic development and political consciousness.
He instilled in the people the importance of education and love of country. He taught the people to make life better by being organized, united, and working in harmony.
With all of today’s comforts and convenience for them, the young can very well reflect on the life of Rizal and determine for themselves what they can do to help our country and people.