“The youth is the hope of the fatherland”
- Dr. Jose Rizal
The
Philippines, a rich and wonderful country, salutes to Dr. Jose P. Rizal - a
national hero, a Filipino who believes that our country depends upon the youth,
for a bright future.
We
may not admit it but, the mentality that we have, has been influenced largely
by our past and that the youth has yet the chance to be molded into great
leaders.
We,
the youth, still has the chance to pursue the dreams, hopes, and aspirations of
Ka Jose, to see a free and prospering
country, which was one of the many great reasons why he has written his
renowned novels.
In
a sense, if he was still alive to this very day, he would write about the crusade
of our President, Benigno S. Aquino III, his reforms among others, patungo sa matuwid na daan.
Our
president has a similar dream with Ka
Jose - freedom. Freedom from poverty and corruption, freedom from
oppression, freedom from everything that can be considered as a hindrance to
the development and progress of our beloved country.
One
specific crusade our president spearheaded, ever since he was elected, was the
battle against corruption which can also be seen in some of Rizal’s novels.
Corruption
does not only speak for the unsatisfied-rich, for it is a system wherein we
have players. We have the ones who corrupt, and the ones who let them be
corrupted. As a goal, I feel for them, and also believe that this system, which
gradually turned into a culture, should be eradicated to give room for the
betterment of our country.
The
idea of corruption also dwells in the past. Though we speak of material
aspects, corruption can take place in the minds and hearts of the society as
well.
In
Rizal’s novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Felibusterismo, he shows us that our
mind sets has been corrupted by foreign invaders and has been forged into a
submissive mind which tolerates abuse.
Remember
the overpriced tax of the Spaniards towards us? Or the forced work (polo y
servicio)? We were oppressed, abused and we suffered throughout their reign,
but we didn’t even bother to complain. This was the reason why Rizal sacrificed
a great deal to open the eyes of the people, to let them see the light, the
freedom, the democracy that he saw as he travelled the world.
We
might ask how this was possible. How did we tolerate this kind of treatment?
Well, as we can derive from his novels, we can see that throughout the Spanish
era, there was no such thing as separation of church and state.
The
priests, at those times, held high position in the society. As for both the
church and state are one, whatever laws the government has to offer, we would
have no choice but to obey it - For to disobey the law, is to disobey the
church, and to disobey the church, is to disobey God.
Actually,
our country is rich. We are blessed with natural resources that can suffice the
needs of the people. It is our crooked mindset that says that we are poor, that
we can’t make it, etc. Because of the corruption and wrong mindsets, there is a
possibility for our dreams to go down the drain.
For
once, let us not be the reason for the denouement of our country’s progress.
Let us step beyond the obstacles such as corruption and poor mentality which
limits all the great things that we can do.
As
Rizal said, and I quote, “Ang hindi
lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating as paroroonan.”
Let
us look back at the lessons of the past. Let us go forward and face the bright
future that was already laid before us, 150 years ago. Let us mold the youth
and let them lead the way to a straight path, let them illuminate and unveil
the darkness and shadows of the past.
