The Youth in Rizal in the Youth It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great deal.

It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any edifice. -Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda Every year, the Philippines commemorates the martyrdom and heroism of Dr. Jose Rizal through its flag raising ceremony held in Rizal Park and in various Rizal monuments throughout the country. As December 30 is recognized as a national holiday by the country, does its citizens have the same esteem and gratitude the government has for our national hero? Does he still have a place in this era of social networking, memes, and pop culture? And do we, the youth that Rizal himself has deemed the hope of the nation is fulfilling the trust he gave us? Without education and liberty, which are the soil and the sun of man, no reform is possible, no measure can give the result desired. -Dr. Jose Rizal (Indolence of the Filipinos-La Solidaridad) Rizals greatest contribution to the youth is his firm belief that education is the key to a bright future. Education though a universal right, is not granted to by everyone. Complete education is enjoyed only by a privileged few. In his letter to the women of Malolos, Rizal writes Ignorance is servitude, because as a man thinks, so he is; a man who does not think for himself and allowed himself to be guided by the thought of another is like the beast led by a halter. The present situation of our educational system is not so different from Rizals time. Many of the youth of today are lucky to be even able to finish secondary school. That lack of education leads to many youths to be tricked and taken advantage of by various evil elements. Some are used as commodities for human trafficking, used as traders of illegal drugs. By having a proper education, Rizal believes such interference can be averted through informed decisions and independent will as opposed to the constant decision mongering of people who perceived themselves of superior intellect. Idealistically, yes the Filipino youth is relevant to Rizal but the underlying question is Rizal relevant to the Filipino youth? Rizal has a clear vision for us but are we fulfilling our end

of the agreement? The sad reality is many of todays youth have strayed from the path Rizal has already laid out for us. Early pregnancies, solvent snorting antics under bridges, a rise of underage related crimes, and out of school youths are probably turning Rizal in his grave and making him shed tears for us, the youth that he gave his life away for. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. -Anonymous This is where the fundamental belief of Rizal that education is the key in making us, the youth the hope of this nation comes into the picture. When Rizal was exiled in Dapitan in 1892, one for the first things he did was to establish a school. The school trained boys how to speak in Spanish, farming and agricultural skills, as well as physical education. The boys that Rizal taught eventually led respectable lives in Dapitan Another evidence of Rizals belief that education is the shown in Rizals famous sculptures The Triumph of Science over Death and The Triumph of Death over Life. The dichotomy of Rizals masterpiece shows that scientific advancement leads humankind overcoming the bane of death, whereas the lack of knowledge and the prevalence of ignorance lead to the loss of life. From Rizals example education prepares us with the necessary skill needed in order to survive in life. The norms of society have already dictated that a proper education is the key to a better tomorrow. For us to overcome the sad reality that has been befalling our youth, we must study hard and give our best for the country but the question is how do you make Rizal relevant without boring the students to death? If you were to ask your friends, your neighbors, or any random person you meet in the street to name a Philippines hero, the very first person that they will probably give you is Jose Rizal. The fact that the majority of Filipinos recognize Rizal proves that he still enjoys popularity pop culturally wise. The stereotypical view the youth have for Rizal is someone taken out from a history book, someone that needs to be studied as a part of a home work or a requirement in school but

that is not always the case. Rizal has now become a pop cultural icon that helps us revisit the past and rekindle the nationalist within us. A good example is Team Manila Lifestyle, a nationalistic themed clothing and apparel brand. For their logo they chose Rizal but had him wear shades to reflect the modern theme of neo-nationalism. Rizals pop culture popularity has reached even greater heights when he was included as a secret character for multiplayer mode of the international bestselling video game Medal of Honor alongside other famous historical characters like William Shakespeare and Winston Churchill. Video games being a mainstream commodity enjoyed by many youngsters, Rizals name will be easy to remember. Popularity wise, Rizal has already established himself as part of our national identity but what about his works, ideal, and aspiration that has truly immortalized him in the pages of history? Do we still pay attention to it? I can proudly say yes. I firmly believe that as long as concept of education exists in our country, Rizals memory lives on. Its not about the wreath laying and the long speech about Rizals greatness, what truly matters is we continue on what he had started. As long as we keep on passing the torch of knowledge, as long as we view the youth and the next generation as our hope the future then Rizals death would not have been in vain. Freedom is not always about being free from foreign interference or from a mad dictator but when you are free from the shackles of ignorance and by the end of the day we could sigh in relief and whisper Consummatum Est.