KARA KRISTINE T.

NARISMA HIST 10- LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

BSBA- 2A

RIZAL: TALISMAN FOR NATIONAL STUPIDITY

Rizal appears to have had the same destiny as the majority of well-known
people who are idolized yet have no exceptional value. His words have been
appropriated by politicians and unimpressive government employees to express their
dull thoughts in poetic words. His personal experiences have been transformed into the
basis for anecdotes that may be used to prove whatever absurdly trivial virtue that a
member of our mediocre elite would like to espouse. Rizal has come to symbolize the
idiocy of the nation. As a result, in addition to our admiration for him, there appears to
be a sense of disdain for all the characteristics and attributes that are being attached to
him.
All notable historical figures eventually succumb to popular imagination and
continue to exist in alternate timelines. The elevation of Rizal as a magical folk hero and
the cause of innumerable miraculous events is arguably the biggest paradox of his
legacy. Some people contend that he is an immortal who lived to see his execution and
is still with us now. Numerous religious groups that go by the names Rizalistas or
Rizalians assert that he is the Christ incarnate. His mystical mythologize makes one
wonder what Rizal, whose most well-known sculpture is named "The Triumph of
Science over Death," would have thought of it. The frailocracy was to be overthrown,
according to Rizal, not with physical force but rather with education. The ability to read
and speak the languages of authority was a tool against Church ignorance and
obscurantism. But mystery has many uses; it can be a cloak to shield the interests of
the wealthy or a charm to give the weak confidence.
Rizal's claim to be a revolutionary calls for a deeper understanding of his
philosophy and writings than has been previously provided in "popular" history. There is
no denying that Rizal started out as a reformist, just like so many others. But as he
grew, his beliefs adjusted to take into account the circumstances. Our society's
incapacity to view history as a narrative continues to be a major weakness. We
commonly extrapolate the mindsets of one time period onto another, failing to see
progress and change. We view our past as static and unchanging.