Because the present can be considered something worthy of Jose Rizal’s ink.

Through his
compositions, Rizal resisted oppression; however, oppressors in the present differ from those in
the past. The similarity is that neither oppression can be eliminated through silence, but only
through outright rejection. Thus, the Rizal Course can address many asperities evident today,
and can once again instill in us the values displayed by Jose Rizal such as patriotism,
nationalism, and bravery. Jose Rizal once said “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan,”
however, some of the youths he had high hopes for, spread unsubstantiated facts, blatantly
ignore history, and does not value experiences of their fellowmen in the past. Therefore, maybe
through this endeavor, his hopes would become a reality. ‘Respect my opinion’, a common
response when being corrected from erroneous idea displayed regarding the past. A clear
evidence of disrespect to our history, because history is different from opinion, it is a lived
experience of many fellow Filipinos like Jose Rizal. Through this course, hopefully, we will see
the enemy of nationalism—in the past it was the oppressors, in the present it could be our lack
of knowledge. But maybe, it is Jose Rizal yet again who can revolutionize the people who
needed one. After all, the antidote of ignorance is knowledge.