To commemorate the 162nd birth anniversary of our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, we pay tribute as well to one of the top winners of an essay writing contest this columnist had the opportunity to judge. We did not know the contestants as we were only given numbers to correspond to their papers.
When the winners were announced, the judges (or, perhaps it was just me) did not get to meet them in person. Fast forward to today, I realized that one of the winners turned out to be the outgoing president of the Foundation University Student Government who just graduated last Saturday, June 10, magna cum laude in A.B. Political Science.
This is Analyn Besario’s winning essay, “Youths, the Carpenters of Better Future.”
“The youth is the hope of the fatherland,” Dr. Jose Rizal proclaimed with great confidence and expectations. Amid the unstoppable flow of Internet and the raging advancements of technologies, this anecdote from the Philippines’ foremost national hero succeeded to survive through the years; laying out a destiny for the young generations to fulfill.
A legacy etched, a path imprinted and a challenge for every young soul to be of good service to the nation and their fellowmen. Centuries ago, the Philippines was a country of deep chaos and painful tragedies. An archipelago subjected to cruel foreign dominion, violence, and abuses but with blazing Filipino spirits wired together for change and independence; the bondage and chains of being colonized and caged have finally been broken.
However, as we move forward to the era of great civilization the story of our glorious past seemed to be unrated and given less attention. The tales of bravery of those who fought for our country’s freedom have been less circulating. The youth being the so-called shapers of the future have become so preoccupied with social media, latest flicks and trends as well as up-to-date gimmicks. We have become so obsessed about updating our statuses and posting our whereabouts, actions that obviously do not depict Dr. Jose Rizal’s teachings. We have been so caught up with all the perks of the modern world that we tend to forget to give credit to our glorious past that have shaped the present as magnificent as it is now.
As youths, we should all be reminded that too much is expected of us in this millennia. Despite being tagged by society as babies of the “me first generation” belonging to the population of generation Z, dependent and reluctant; Dr. Jose Rizal did not give us the title of being the hope of the fatherland for nothing. He believed in our capacity to change society’s cynical perspective about the youth and turn it into something inspiring and uplifting. Dr. Jose Rizal was young when he started to attack the Spanish regime with his amazing literary works exposing their ill-agendas and self-serving motives. It was at his youth when he ignited the hope and inspired the Filipinos to take action and make a move. At a young age he managed to create an impact and initiate a change in Philippine history using his intelligence. What made him stand out among the masses of Filipino heroes who devoted their lives for the country’s independence is his idealistic principle of achieving peace and unity through education not war, not bolos, nor canyons. Why does Dr. Jose Rizal, despite the unchanging times and uncertainties, entitled us as the makers of tomorrow? It is probably because he had made change possible during his time and it will never be an impossibility for us, only if we fix our hearts to his teachings and love the country just as it was loved and died for before we even existed.
During his time, education seemed to be one of the greatest impossibility, it was only attained by Filipinos of well-known decent. However, today’s generation have paved the way for free education and almost limitless access to learning materials whether printed or published online. Thus, it is our role to immerse ourselves with skills and knowledge that would assist in lifting the Philippines one step higher.
Just like Jose Rizal, we are not meant to live in this world forever. He died tragically, but he was able to find his majestic calling and purpose and that is to offer his life for his countrymen. We should disregard self-benefitting thoughts and cultivate in us the value of patriotism that Dr. Jose Rizal and other iconic heroes have offered and showed to the country. We are young, but this does not mean, we are incapable. We are millennials, but this does not automatically label us as dependent babies. We are capable of initiating change, we just need people to believe.
As Dr. Jose Rizal prophesized, the youth is the hope of the nation. We are the hope of the nation. – NWI
