PI10 supplying Me with more Facts and Opinions

Utilizing learning from the classroom scene to my everyday life is one major turn about that I have noticed through one semester of learning the Life and Works of Rizal. The awareness of how Rizal lived his life makes me more determined to live mine to its potential and to actually make a an impact to other people's lives. With all the news on the koalas, the amazon, Hongkong, plastic pollution and climate change, I started to think about what the point of pursuing my college life when I could actually do volunteer and charity works to directly support programs that pursue helping these areas. The thought of dropping flashed in my mind and I immediately dismissed it for I knew that education or my intellectual development is the highest form of treasure that I could acquire alongside the shaping of my morals and virtues, while in the university, surrounded by a diverse set of people. This made me correlate with the fact that Rizal, if he was in shoes, would definitely opt to just study and finish the six-year degree on time to be a citizen specializing in the welfare of animals. Serving the country by working with animals would be my part in this society. 

I have realized that Rizal is more than just a hero, he to me is like a friend that he has never met, a one-sided relationship that I think that I have with him. He becoming a more significant figure than he was before has influenced my way of thinking, the way I see the societal problems and how to theoretically solve them and how to live my life by my own means and my own set of goals to achieve the greatest possible good in order to help other people. I am very much fueled to do my share in this world and I can now say that the study on Rizal's life and works have brought me to where I am now, drawing inspiration on the national hero to never back down, to be rational and to fight for the nation in your own means. I really appreciate the class for I did not only learned facts but my opinions on things have broadened and that is what I am aiming for, learning.

As the semester closes to an end, I'd like to express how thankful I am that for the first time in a while, I have enjoyed learning in a new perspective. The correlations between the problems in  Rizal's time to our time today, are significantly similar, and learning the roots of all these chaotic mess of society, my drive to find possible remedies is fueled by Rizal determination. Though he showed hopelessness, anger and negativity that can be inferred from his works, he showed the down slope of things, that everything has an uphill and a downhill portion. PI made me feel that he was also an ordinary person who became very extraordinary as he succeeded in harnessing his full potential all for his family and the Philippine nation. I am grateful for his existence. I am fortunate enough to have learned all these under a great professor also. I know that I will stumble more in life and will encounter hopelessness like Rizal, yet I will stand and be reminded of how determination can go a long way.

Retrieved at https://makeagif.com/gif/jose-rizal-the-movie-part-17-of-17-ZAQ88x

The Unfold

Rizal's life was filled with adventure, thrill, intellectual discoveries and tons of drama right before his death. His life has been featured and is still being relayed to the modern day era to be studied upon and to set an example to the Filipino youth. PI10 would not be in the curriculum of each university if Rizal's life and works did not greatly impact the history and the "kamalayan" of the Filipino people, to stand up for who we are as a people and what we are capable of as a race.

One of the interesting things that I found out about Rizal is him stuffing his pockets and shoes with stones and paper right before he was executed. It made me think of the possible secrets he could've written in those papers, last thoughts that ran in his mind, whether these were about fear, the Philippines, his family, God. It just awakened my curiosity if there were important anecdotes that we never knew that existed in those bits of paper. Another one would be learning that his waistline was 25-26 inches, when in fact mine is 26-27 inches. Where is the justice in that? Did Rizal even eat properly? For a man 5'3" in height to maintain such proportions and a freshie college girl is bigger in size. I maybe bitter but this fact has brought my interest on Rizal to a new different level. I hope he was not anorexic or did not skip meals. But in Dapitan it was said that he had three viands per meal so he must have had a fast metabolism or inherently had small proportions. The last fact that blew my mind away was Rizal trying drugs, hashish to be exact. As an experimental teenage boy, if I were him I'd do the same thing. At this point in my life, being reckless is what I feel. Getting piercings, tattoos, trying weed (shh Tokhang is still there) and dying my hair are the things that are on my list. When I knew of this fact, I felt the normalcy and the tendency of Rizal to experiment with such things and with life. Somehow, I could relate to him at this level and I'm glad to have learned that fact because it makes me feel that Rizal, too, is like me.

I realized that Rizal is a normal human being that his emotions and feelings drive him to do what he did in his terms. Rizal also feels common feelings like homesickness, especially, which I greatly relate to after studying for almost 7 years now away from home. I felt his longing for the familiar air of his hometown and now makes me feel a bigger desire to really go home, to feel that comfort of family and friends nearby. I also would like to emphasize that I realized the extent of his rationality, the he was very virtuous at the same time resorted to reason, finding the balance in his way of thinking. This could be observed in the perspectives of his stories, the creativity of his works, the way his opinions were translated to his writings. 

I am forever grateful for Jose Rizal's existence. He is legitimate idol who may be very mainstream, but is indeed an icon that every Filipino should look up to. Yet one question keeps bugging my mind. Did Rizal fall in love with Maximo Viola? There are anomalies about Rizal's sexuality and have linked their friendship to something deeper. I just want to know whether Rizal was that advance of a man to know that LGBTQIA+ rights would someday be a rising topic.

Kulas and his Misadventures: the Search for the Filipino Identity

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Ganito Kami Ngayon Paano Kayo Ngayon constructively describes the Philippine setting in the 20th century as the  the reign of Spain closes to an end as the Americans replace them while the indios are still fighting for the country's sovereign and independence from foreign control. A mix of all the sectors in the society, the film vividly showcased the social standards, conditions, errors and falsehoods of the society, the evilness that resides in the characters as the portray people in the society and the "makwela" scenarios in which the protagonist Kulas face the challenges as he journeys in finding his identity, his country men's affinity through the war times. 

It would be right to say that Kulas was a very naive man, a person who is a "kaladkarin" which  were evident in the first parts of the movie as he happened to meet a friar who required much needed help to find his son, asked him a favor to the task. He immediately answered a yes despite the fact that he was mistreated first when he helped the friar get back to his convent. He wandered and found the said son, Bindoy. One interesting detail on his way to get Bindoy was the group of Katipuneros having a meeting. That was Kulas' first encounter of the revolutionary men and he did not mind them or did not even seem curious of them for he was just focused on his prior goal of getting Bindoy back to his father. That scene indicates the primary introduction of the revolution. The urge to join the fight might not be surfacing at first as to what happened to Kulas, yet it will slowly surge to the exterior.

He also encountered a group of performers who were on their way to Manila. Diding was one beautiful woman who was a part of the group who captured Kulas' eyes. He was left awestruck by her beauty, a woman whose ambition was to become an actress. From there they separated ways as the alleged independence of the Philippines from Spain took place and the group stayed in Cavite. Everyone was joyous and the celebration was in the air. Kulas and Bindoy continued their long journey to Manila as they meet a Chinese merchant, Lim, who became an integral part in Kulas' life later in the movie.

In Manila, he was given the a prize of a house owned by Padre Gil and along with this is the dividends of the friar. Kulas became an overnight rich man yet he was in a state of shock for how could a mere country bumpkin be a man of the mansion, he had no educational background, had no idea how the upper class people lived. He accepted the offer wholeheartedly for it was his nature, not able to say no to things asked of him. Here, he serves as a clean canvas, fresh from the ideas of the revolution, the world of parties and celebrations, recreational activities such as fencing. From there his path crossed with Diding's once more as he was trying to escape from Kidlat, his jailmate. He made sure to follow Diding and offered her to live under his home. They became a thing yet Diding was more interested in achieving her dream, therefore using another man to get this. He was Don Tibor who used his powers and connections to help Diding be in the spotlight. Diding just decided out of the blue, left Kulas to be with Don Tibur.

Kulas was left devastated. He had his first heartbreak. Amidst this emotional turmoil, he was sent to the guardia civil headquarters to be asked as a witness of Kidlat. Both of them were jailed once more and they managed to escape as they were beng transferred to another area. The both went to Lim's place to seek refuge and their Kidlat expressed his revolutionary notions. He was a part of the revolutionists and from there Lim helped them cross the bridge to Mandaluyong and camouflaging the two detainees using copra. There, gunfire was already crossing from the two groups, Kulas was shot and Lim was shot dead as he was trying to save Kulas. Kulas then realizes the passion of the revolutionists, the love of Lim to his friends, and the intensity of the war that impacts his life. He woke up in an American Hospital area and there he saw the injured men that were involved in the war. 

He was taken under Don Tibor's home to fully recover even if it was against his will, and there, Diding was present now eager to be with Kulas in marriage. They enjoyed each other's company at first but as Don Tibor became paralyzed and the wife of his came of Iloilo, things went downhill in their relationship. Diding was deeply in love with Don Tibor and once again, Kulas was left at the sidelines. In their final scene together, Kulas expressed his wondering mind, his deep love for Diding, but he arrived at a much greater calling. He wanted to join the revolution, a spark inside of him was lighted. His current life, a limited one, made no sense to him anymore and cannot go back to his past reality, his past way of living especially as the war grew larger. He bid farewell to his beloved Diding and went far to see how he can achieve his goal once more. The final scene was very simple, yet after all the ups and downs in the previous ones, it was a great movie ender when Kulas emphasized to the kids that he's met that they also were Filipinos, not just " taga diyan, taga roon, taga rito's. " I felt the whole scenario and made me realize that anyone can be a Filipino, as long as you claim your right to be one and you exercise it by acting upon your duties as a Filipino, contributing to the society.

Kulas was a blank space yet to be filled with the rough motions of life and the sequence of events in his life taught hin many lessons that brought him to a higher ground. At first it evident that Kulas enjoyed the simpler ways of life, only with his horse Kidlat, the bonding moments with Bindoy, and such. But he became enlightened as his life progressed, seeking for a greater purpose. He became open minded. He became an actual citizen of the country not just a mere Tagalog. He achieved that level of progress and to me it was what's important. He proved himself as a Filipino as he metamorphosed in embracing his becoming of a Filipino.

Idleness from the Colonial Illness

Retrieved from https://www.amazon.co.uk/Indolence-Filipino-Jose-Rizal/dp/1545479089

Enough with the praises on how beautifully written "The Indolence of the Filipino People" is, because it is one of a kind, a true sate of the art piece from the National Hero. Rizal established his creative and critical literary skills in a wide span of diverse works and proved himself a master of uncovering the fact of the matter and abolishing the hoax that later writers imply of Filipinos as being indolent. This particular composition exhibits a different viewpoint in presenting the truth, the root, the origin of the label tagged to the Filipino people. Rizal with his annotations and references translated all of the miseries in Filipino history directly attacking the Spanish colonialists. As I enjoy reading and knowing the source of the how the term was patched to the Filipinos, I cannot help but be sad to find all the accounts to be of truth, that from the very start, the Filipinos were bound to face such fate, attributed to laziness and idleness. As I internalize Rizal's words I cannot help but connect the past and the future where I am stuck pondering whether the new generation of Filipinos can still escape this character.

In going about this work of Rizal, I have listed the points which struck me in a deeper level, these passages gave headstrong claims which undoubtedly makes sense in my perspective, in a Filipino of the modern time's take to all of these. I can relate to this modern era and that I can empathize greatly as I see the current condition of the Philippines. These points showcase what we call the cancer or the root of the indolence of Filipinos. He embodied being a historian, sociologist, medical practitioner in taking into account the points that he wanted to display at very resilient claims supported with trusted facts and analysis. I greatly believe that Filipinos are not indolent people, but are just tagged to be such, as I follow through Rizal's work, this is what I stand for.

Among Rizal's many points the first one is with regards with Christianity, wherein the Filipinos are discouraged by friars to not dwell on the thought of bringing the worldly possessions to heaven, which encourages not striving to attain great earthly ownership. This also reflect the state of the Spanish and Filipino setting where the heads of the offices which are Kastilas are either late in coming to work or do not comply with the needed work done by an official, while the Filipino staff arrive early to finish a day's work and more. This setup compromises the way of life and thinking of the colonial Filipinos leaving them with thoughts of unjustly working or flow of the world for them. They would rather stay in poverty than to be in a position of pure groundless and unjustified state in life where only minimal effort is needed to achieve much benefits in return.

The Filipinos also experienced a sense of betrayal from the western counterparts, for as they emerge from the social strata towards a higher post, example would be becoming the cabeza de barangay, they would enjoy the perks of the position yet one wrong move, one misunderstanding with the church r the government officials, they would be subjected to blasphemy and from there their careers would plummet down. As Filipinos witness this in three centuries, it had been instilled within them to only settle for what is simple and what is safe. They have become restricted with the fact that the Spanish have taken over the highest positions, therefore people's livelihoods, properties, skills, education, basically the entirety of the lives of the Filipinos, were under the Spanish rule, resulting to the so called indolence of the Philippines, the reason of why Rizal underwent all these research to present us with the origin of how this act of indolence infiltrated the bloodstreams of the Filipino people. This was one of the key points that have observed in the narration.

The Filipinos were "nangangapa" at that time for they were forced to work with the limited resources that they could put their hands and minds into. Fertile land properties were under the religious sectors  disabling people from managing their own or even working for these sectors without any conflict, and here comes education which the Filipinos were denied to be a part of the academe at first, so they resorted to learn Latin, Spanish and other subject of interest from the mere references they could afford to get a hold of. The Spanish were privileged enough to attain enlightenment while Filipinos were discouraged to do so for they will question and revolt against the crown. Filipinos settled at the bottom for what they could have to attain safety in a place and time of depression in a physically and emotionally unstable society. Noticing these points from Rizal's excerpts, I cannot help but see these in a new light regarding the correlation of all these in the modern world.

I call these accounts of unconscious resorting to being indolent as the modern day burnout. As people become more and more attached to the system of an institution, how things go or how life runs, people become robots, settling for a manual life of this and that, set A to set B only, to and fro. People tend to get tired, not tired physically, for the bodily strength can be regained in just one sleep, but a certain type of exhaustion of the mind and the soul, which are difficult to refuel once the power source or the light within has become busted. I can account my high school experience to this, where in a sea of people who are as smart or are way smarter than you breath the same air as you are placed in an institution vying and surviving a very demanding requirement system of the school, who would not be left out of light after six years of staying there. I have never felt so drained in my life, as a teenager I was left with tons of things to study on and do when my peers would be outside experiencing the world at their own pace. I felt that I was stripped down with this right, to chill as an adolescent. That is why I can say I can put my feet in the Spanish era, and feel what my ancestors have felt. Getting worn out by the system that supports you is something to be of concern, because it spreads like an illness, a cancer that mutates along the lines and transforms to other sets of malignant tumors that grow inside the minds and souls of people. I feel that it has no cure, but the least that us Filipinos could do to really show that the indolence tag is not for us, is to at least try and seek new horizons, by focusing on what the nation's needs, concerns and illnesses, as we find the elusive cure if there is any to the ailments of our society. Filipinos are not lazy, just burnt out.

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