A Reflective Essay
I’ve always enjoyed reading the works of Shakespeare, Poe, Whitman, Franklin, and other authors from classical to contemporary back in high school. They never failed to acquire my interest as I study them. But somehow, I never really studied Rizal’s novels on the same approach as I did for my English literature classes. I reckon that it’s because his works are deeply rooted from our country’s history which, for me, somehow became too redundant and seemingly “boring” because of closely related topics from Araling Panlipunan and Filipino subjects since grade school. Honestly, I was kind of surprised that we still had to take a Study of Rizal course in college. Well, I wasn’t exactly aware of the Republic Act 1425 or Rizal Law until now. But after reading the first chapter of The Study of Rizal Course: Reverence Without Understanding, I can say that I feel like I’ve gained a new found sense of appreciation for Rizal, his works and his accomplishments.
The mandated Rizal Law precisely presented a number of objectives on why including Rizal’s novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, in the curricula of private & public schools, colleges, and universities significant in contributing to the cultivation of the youth’s overall moral, personal and vocational development. Other than the ones that are indicated in the Republic Act 1425, there are a couple of reasons I have realized that have resonated with me the most. Although they are somehow besides its point of being nationalistic and patriotic in nature.
First, is that studying the life of Rizal urges us to think differently about the challenges that we face. Reading about how he responded to his personal inferiorities in a positive way triggered me into thinking about how we could turn our weaknesses as catalysts, to turn them into so much more than just setbacks and hindrances. Those weaknesses could turn into possibilities. That even Rizal, one of the most prominent national heroes, encountered mundane experiences from body image inferiorities to racial discrimination and prejudice. Still, he became a perfect embodiment of why being educated is crucial in pushing through the obstacles that we may face in our society today.
I’ve also come to realize that although there are people who still question the relevance of studying Rizal and his works – because I, myself, had been one of them – it has been mandated by law for a reason. When you really look at it, this would be more than beneficial when taught properly. In that aspect, it’s not that different from other courses. And just like in reading fiction, short stories, and novels written by my favorite authors, I would pretty much enjoy Rizal’s works the same way if I hadn’t been too intimidated by it. Other than that, his writings are also viable source of vibrant and enticing narratives.
Lastly, it becomes a stepping stone as we try to self-actualize. Yes, studying his life and works require understanding about the factual details and sequences of events that had happened way back the Spanish colonization period. But this course doesn’t have to be all about memorizing names, dates, quotations, and places that we’d probably forget as the time goes by. Instead, we could approach this course as an opportunity to look back and determine the foundations that had greatly helped in molding our society and our Filipino culture itself. To realize how important it is to know how to communicate and use our voices. To be aware on how crucial it is for us to use our abilities to protect what we have as Filipinos.
Through knowing what had happened in the past and understanding the reason why they happened, we’d be able to ponder upon them. We’d be able to learn from them not only as individuals who need to take part in resolving our nation’s current predicaments, but also as a collective whole in responding to our society’s call for hopeful and altruistic deeds. I feel like I entered college expecting to only focus on learning what I need for my chosen career path. Now I realized that having that kind of perspective was really shallow of me. Taking up a science course doesn’t mean that we should neglect everything unrelated to science. This just proves that being given the chance to study the life and works of Rizal is an opportunity that we should grab as students in the medical field. Thus, relevant for it humanizes ourselves and continuously reminds us our duties and responsibilities as Filipinos.
Comments