WORKSHEET 4

1. What is your own definition of the word, “bayani’ or hero”?

For me, bayani is a person who is admired or idealized for his

extraordinary courage and ability and talents, with outstanding achievements, or
someone who did something noble or brave like saving a life or sacrificing his life
for the greater good like what Jose Rizal did. Most people conceive the idea of a
hero as a person who after their death has been recognized by a nation. It would
be easier to define the word Bayani to the English translation of hero, but to the
Filipino people, it has more elements. A Bayani never concern their own personal
pleasure, nor do they expect compensation for what they do, rather their actions
are done out of kindness. In other words, a Bayani is one that humbly recognizes
the interest of what is bigger that the individual, like the group, the community,
the nation, humanity, and the environment.

2. What do you think are the reasons why the concepts of bayani or
kabayanihan have shifted and evolved through the years?

Since people are continually looking for someone to admire and imitate,
the conception of bayani has varied and developed throughout time. Today one
need not die or do such courageous act to be named a hero. Time has really
evolved and so does our standard in defining a Filipino hero. Filipinos’ criteria of
public figures are different now than it was more than a hundred years ago,
maybe because no one is perfect. Today so many were
acknowledged as heroes by following certain criteria

3. Do you agree with Dr. Zeus Salazar that one does not need to die to
become a hero? Explain your answer

I agree because, one can become a hero in so many ways not just by
dying. One just needs to think and act like a hero. Becoming heroic does not
necessarily mean you have to fight. Thus, you can still be a living hero when you
do something great, not for oneself, but for a greater good, for the community or
for the nation. Old and dead heroes were those who contributed to
the birth of a nation, modern hero is one who pushes the envelope further by
contributing to a nation in a global world.