Happy Birthday Dr. Jose Rizal!

Today our Filipino nation celebrates the birthday of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. If he were alive today, he would be 148 years old! Dr. Jose Rizal was born at the province of Calamba, Laguna. He died for his revolutionary and nationalistic ideas. His death was the ultimate straw for sparking a much unified revolution of our nation under the hands of the Spaniards. Dr. Rizal is an extraordinary hero. During those times when many brave Filipinos wanted to engage in a bloody revolution, he was the man of patience, logic and reason. He cautioned the revolutionary heroes from engaging in a bloody war, not because he did not share their hopes for the nation, but because he is realistic and wise enough to note that our people do not have the necessary resources like money and firearms to succeed. He never wanted them to lose their lives in a battle where they would be obviously overpowered, without a chance of succeeding. He urged them to bid their time; to wait and plan for the right time.

Dr. Jose Rizal's war was of a different kind. Through his novels and stories, he reawakened the nationalistic spirit of the Filipino nation. He exposed the people to the cruelties of it's Spanish oppressors: the corruption of the government and the church, the outright discrimination of Filipinos in their own country and many other injustices. His 2 masterpieces: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo was a brave testament of the sufferings of the Filipinos. Back then, the possession and distribution of any material which exposes the suffering plight of the Filipinos from it's conquerors were strictly prohibited. The possession of those kinds of materials, which may turn the Filipinos from their conquerors are considered grounds for execution. It was to be considered a suicidal act for Dr. Jose Rizal to write and publish his 2 masterpieces and many other works. However, our national hero was prepared to face death in his mission to serve as the Filipinos' voice of truth. For his love of country, he was sentenced to death on December 30, 1896 through a firing squad. He died at a young age of 35.

Dr. Jose Rizal is not only a man of revolution but a true genius. It would be really hard for me to enumerate his achievements so instead I am posting these extracted passages:

Rizal's multifacetedness was described by his German friend, Dr. Adolf Meyer, as "stupendous." Documented studies show him to be a polymath with the ability to master various skills and subjects. He was an ophthalmologist, sculptor, painter, educator, farmer, historian, playwright and journalist. Besides poetry and creative writing, he dabbled, with varying degrees of expertise, in architecture, cartography, economics, ethnology, anthropology, sociology, dramatics, martial arts, fencing and pistol shooting. He was also a Freemason, joining Acacia Lodge No. 9 during his time in Spain, he became a Master Mason in 1884.- Wikipedia

Having traveled extensively in Europe, America and Asia, he mastered 22 languages. These include Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Malayan, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other native dialects. A versatile genius, he was an architect, artists, businessman, cartoonist, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist, nationalist, naturalist, novelist, opthalmic surgeon, poet, propagandist, psychologist, scientist, sculptor, sociologist, and theologian.- joserizal.ph

I remember that as a kid at school, me and my classmates used to have a really hard time in memorizing the languages Dr. Rizal mastered. Aside from his long name, José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, we were also asked to memorize his many achievements, professions and even the many countries where he traveled and resided, all of which gave me and my schoolmates a really hard time.

I am proud and happy that our country has a national hero like Dr. Jose Rizal. He and our other heroes gave their lives for our freedom. I hope that all of my fellow Filipinos around the world continue to give them the honor they forever deserve.

To Dr. Jose Rizal, we pray for you, and we thank you with our hearts! You are truly the Pride of the Malay Race! Mabuhay Ka!

"He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination."
(in Tagalog: "Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinangalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.")- Jose Rizal

"He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and a smelly fish."
(in Tagalog: "Ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika, daig pa ang hayop at malansang isda.")- Jose Rizal

"I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land. You who have it to see, welcome it -- and forget not those who have fallen during the night!"
-- José Rizal, Noli Me Tangere (translated by Charles Derbyshire as The Social Cancer)

Mabuhay ka Dr. Jose Rizal! Mabuhay Pilipinas!