Critique on the Life, Works and Teachings of Jose Rizal

Introspection on Jose Rizal’s Account:Submitted to the Faculty of Department of Social Sciences,

College of Arts and Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in PI 100

Carlota N. VillaromanBSAT3-2

PI 100 (Jose Rizal’s Life Works and Teachings)May 10, 2012

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Critique on the Life, Works and Teachings of Jose Rizal

Introspection on Jose Rizal’s Account:Submitted to the Faculty of Department of Social Sciences,

College of Arts and Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in PI 100

CARLOTA N. VILLAROMANBSAT3-2

PI 100 (Jose Rizal’s Life Works and Teachings)May 10, 2012

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Part One: Introduction

Today, we enjoy more freedoms and material advantages; all thanks to the revolutionary

heroes like Jose Rizal, our national hero who led them all in the nobility of his character,

applications of his talents, and utmost sacrifice of his life. In the act of political martyrdom which

he faced with dignity, he even converted some of his enemies to his cause to destroy the moral

authority of the Spanish Empire in the Philippines and redeem his oppressed people.

Dr. Jose Rizal is an actor, agriculturist, ambassador of good will, animal lover,

anthropologist, archeologist, ascetic, book lover, botanist, businessman, cartographer, chess

player, citizen of the world, commentator, conchologist, educator, ethnologist, father of

community school, fencer, freemason abroad, horticulture and farmer, historian, humorist,

ichthyologist, japanophile, journalist, laboratory worker, linguist, lover of truth, musician,

mythologist, nationalist, newspaperman, ophthalmologist, orientalist, pharmacologist, philologist,

philosopher, physical culturist, physicians, plant lover, poet, politician, polyglot, proofreader,

propagandist, public relation man, reformer, researcher, revolutionist, rhetorician, rural

reconstruction worker, sanitary engineer, scientist, sculptor, sharp shooter, sinologist,

sociologist, sodalist, sportsman, tourist, traveler, tuberculosis expert, youth leader, zoologist,

dramatist, essayist, novelist, historian, architect, ethnologist, sculptor, surveyor, economist,

geographer, bibliophile, grammarian, folklorist, translator, inventor, magician, humorist, satirist,

polemicist and prophet. 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.

Truly, through the hereditary influence, environmental influence and aid of divine

providence that favorably molded Rizal, we had a hero of many-splendored genius. It was his

Austrian bosom friend, Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt who said "Rizal was the greatest

product of the Philippines and his coming to the world was like the appearance of a rare comet,

whose rare brilliance appears only every other century." Another German friend, Dr. Adolf B.

Meyer who admired his all-around knowledge and ability, remarked "Rizal’s many-sidedness

was stupendous." His cleverness since early boyhood turned into versatility in later years. Being

curious and inquisitive, he developed a rare facility of mastering varied subjects and

occupations.

He really serves as an inspiration not only to me, but to the mankind who studies his

past. As philosophers say, only when we know something do we begin to like it. Only when

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Rizal is known will the youth want to be like him. I have put forth my greatest respect on our own

national hero and commend him as one of the best people I admired in the history. He is an

exceptional man and his life has been highly documented, the most documented in fact, of all

the heroes in Asia. To weave his biography as short as possible is a challenge and I really hope

that my account of him which can be told in different folds and views would give these few

papers justice. =)

José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, the national hero of the Philippines,

pride of the Malayan race and foremost Filipino patriot, was born on the moonlit night of

Wednesday, June 19, 1861, in the lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh

child in a family of 11 children (2 boys and 9 girls). His name was chosen by his mother who

was a devotee of the Christian saint San Jose (St. Joseph). During the christening ceremony,

Father Collantes was impressed by the baby’s big head and said, “Someday he will become a

great man.” His words proved prophetic as confirmed by subsequent events.

Both his parents were educated and belonged to principalia, a town aristocracy in

Spanish Philippines. His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrious farmer whom Rizal

called "a model of fathers," came from Biñan, Laguna and studied in College of San Jose; while

his mother, Teodora Alonzo y Quintos, a highly cultured and accomplished woman whom Rizal

called "loving and prudent mother," was born in Meisic, Sta. Cruz, Manila and studied at College

of Santa Rosa. In Calamba, Rizal’s parents were able to live well. They harvested crops, did

stock raising, owned carriage, and owned even a private library (the largest in Calamba). Rizal’s

native town was a fitting cradle for a hero. Some of the earliest childhood memories he had

there was his happy days in the family garden, the daily Angelus prayer, and the nocturnal walk

in the town. At the age of 3, he learned the alphabet from his mother and began to take part in

the family prayers; at 5, while learning to read and write, he was able to read haltingly the

Spanish family Bible and he already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family

and relatives by his pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age 8, he

wrote a Tagalog poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kabata," the theme of which revolves on the love of

one’s language. After writing his first poem, he wrote his first dramatic work which was a

Tagalog comedy. He also entertained his town folks with magic-lantern exhibitions.

The hero’s first teacher was his mother who first discovered that her son had a talent for

poetry. Rizal also took schooling under Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz in Binan, and spent

many leisure hours at the house near an old painter, named Juancho. Four months after the

martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za, he was sent to Manila to study in Ateneo Municipal. Within the

period of 1872-1877, he had an interest in reading romantic novels. The reading habit enriched

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his fecund mind and the first favorite novel of Rizal was The Count of Monte Cristo. Rizal also

had the highest affection and respect for Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez whom he

considered his bst professor in the Ateneo. He described this Jesuit professor as “model of

uprightness, earnestness, and love for the advancement of his pupils.” In 1877, at the age of 16,

he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of "excellent" from the Ateneo

Municipal de Manila. The most brilliant Atenean of his time, he was truly “the pride of the

Jesuits” and the greatest alumnus of their Alma Mater. In the same year, he enrolled in

Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas, while at the same time took courses

leading to the degree of surveyor and expert assessor at the Ateneo. He took Philosophy and

Letters because his father liked it and he was still uncertain as what career to pursue. He

finished the latter course on March 21, 1877 and passed the Surveyor’s examination on May 21,

1878; but because of his age, 17, he was not granted license to practice the profession until

December 30, 1881. When he was eighteen years old, he received his first prize in a poetry

contest through the poem, A La Juventud Filipina. It was the first great poem in Spanish written

by a Filipino and it expressed for the first time the nationalistic concept that Filipinos were the

fair hope of their Fatherland. Inspired by the previous year triumph, Rizal was again awarded

the first prize through the winning allegory based on Greek classics which is El Consejo de los

Dioses. Upon learning that his mother was going blind, he decided to study medicine

specializing in ophthalmology. In 1878, he enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas

but had to stop in his studies when he felt that the Filipino students were being discriminated

upon by their Dominican tutors, the Dominican professors were hostile to him, and the method

of instruction was obsolete and repressive. On May 3, 1882, he sailed for Spain where he

continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. At that time, Spain was a

constitutional monarchy which granted freedom of speech, press, and assembly. Aside from

completing his studies, he pursued his “secret mission” which was to prepare himself in the

mighty task of liberating his oppresses people.On June 21, 1884, at the age of 23, he was

conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine and on June 19,1885, his 24th birthday, he

finished his course in Philosophy and Letters with a grade of "excellent." He did not bother to

secure the post-graduate degree of Doctor of Medicine because he knew it was good only for

teaching purposes and no friar-owned university or college in the Philippines would accept him

in its faculty staff.  He also attended the University of Paris and earned a second doctorate at

the University of Heidelberg. At the age of 25, Rizal completed in 1887 his eye specialization

under the renowned professor, Otto Becker.

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In the hope of securing political and social reforms for his country and at the same time

educate his countrymen, Rizal published, while in Europe, several works with highly nationalistic

and revolutionary desires. In March 21,1887, his daring book, Noli Me Tangere, a satirical novel

exposing the arrogance of the Spanish clergy, came off the press in Berlin. Few days before

that date, May 13, 1887, Rizal and Viola arrived at Leitmeritz, Bohemia and for the first time,

they saw the kind-hearted, old Austrian professor, Blumentritt. After five years of memorable

sojourn in Europe, Rizal returned to the Philippines in August 1887 and practiced medicine in

Calamba. Noli which is based on truth caused much uproar from its attackers and defenders

which pushed him to leave for his family’s sake. After visiting Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, and

United States, he stayed in London which for him was a safe place to carry his fight against

Spanish tyranny. In 1889, he wrote his first article in La Solidaridad, entitled Los Agricultores

Filipinos. He also wrote a pamphlet entitled La Vision del Fray Rodriguez and the famous Letter

To the Young Women of Malolos. In 1890, he reprinted in Paris, Morga’s Successos De Las

Islas Filipinas with his annotations to prove that the Filipinos had a civilization worthy to be

proud of even long before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil. Blumentritt commended his

fine historical scholarship but also frankly censured Rizal for his errors in its Prologue. He also

founded three Filipino societies namely, the Kidlat Club, the Indios Bravos, and the RDLM. In

the same year also, Rizal left Paris for Brussels to focus writing on his second novel. He also

wrote The New Orthography of the Tagalog Language and his pathetic poem, To My Muse. The

period 1890-1891 became a lonely second sojourn in Madrid. It was in Biarritz where he had a

serious romance with Nellie Boustead and finished the last chapter of El Fili. On September 18,

1891, El Filibusterismo, a sequel to the Noli and more revolutionary and tragic than the latter,

was printed in Ghent. Because of his fearless exposure of the injustices of Spanish officials,

Rizal triggered the hostility of those in power. He his relatives and Calamba folkmen were put

into trouble and those who had contacts with him were shadowed. The authorities were not only

finding faults but even fabricating charges to pin him down. He was imprisoned in Fort Santiago

from July 6, 1892 to July 15, 1892 on a charge that anti-friar pamphlets, Probes Frailes, were

found in the luggage of his sister Lucia who arrived with him from Hong Kong at noon of June

26, 1892. While a political exile in Dapitan, a remote town in Mindanao under missionary

jurisdiction of Jesuits, he engaged in agriculture, farming, fishing and commerce; he operated a

hospital; he promoted community development projects; he established a school for boys-

taught his pupils the English and Spanish languages, the arts; he constructed water dam and a

relief map of Mindanao; and continued his artistic and literary works. Rizal met Josephine

Bracken, an Irish girl of sweet eighteen and Dapitan became for him a heaven of bliss.

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By August 26, 1896, Philippine Revolution fermented by the Katipunan became a

nationwide uprising which led to the Declaration of Independence. Before Rizal left Dapitan, he

was elected honorary president by the Katipunan without his knowledge and his name would be

used by the revolutionaries in their battle cry. He was alarmed that the revolution was already

imminent and has no assurance of victory. However, it should not be interpreted that Rizal

refused to support the Philippine Revolution. He just had sensed that the revolution was

immature under Bonifacio who never left a single military victory. To dissociate himself from the

rebellion, Rizal volunteered his services as a doctor in Cuba and was given leave by the

Governor-General, Ramon Blanco, to administer victims of yellow fever. Rizal put his utmost

trust to Blanco but he was betrayed. His enemies lost no time in pressing him down. They were

able to enlist witnesses that linked him with the revolt and these were never allowed to be

confronted by him. Rizal was arrested en route to Cuba, imprisoned in Barcelona, and sent back

to Manila to stand the very unfair trial. From November 3, 1986, to the date of his execution, he

was committed to Fort Santiago. In his prison cell, he issued a manifesto declaring the

education of Filipinos as prerequisites to freedom and wrote an untitled poem, now known as

"Ultimo Adios" which is considered a masterpiece and a living document of his great love of our

country. This poem was hidden in an alcohol stove given by Pardo de Tavera and later handed

to his family with his few final letters. In his letter to his family he wrote: "Treat our aged parents

as you would wish to be treated...Love them greatly in memory of me...December 30, 1896." In

his final letter to Blumentritt, he wrote: “Tomorrow at 7, I shall be shot; but I am innocent of the

crime of rebellion. I am going to die with a tranquil conscience.” After a mock trial, he was

convicted of three charges (rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association or conspiracy)

and was sentenced to death. In the cold morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, 35 years old,

was shot at Bagumbayan Field.

Part Two: Significance of Rizal’s Letter

With the many literary works of Jose Rizal, ranging from novels, poems, essays, notes to

speeches, it’s really hard to embark on to something which can be considered the best. Noli Me

Tangere and El Filibusterismo are the most unforgotten works. But with this fact, I would like to

consider that Rizal’s delicate grip in holding the pen does not stop from the two novels. As I was

choosing the piece I would be concentrating for this paper, I cannot really commit for “the one”

because my scattered brain cannot choose from the “best of the best” options. I badly wanted to

consider the poems My First Inspiration, Through Education Our Motherland Receives Light, To

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the Filipino Youth, Ultimo Adios and To my Muse, which are really noteworthy literary works.

They are in fact considered one of the best ever penned in the Poetry of Philippine Literature.

From the four poems, I wanted to deal with To My Muse because it has really stroke my heart

the first time I read it. It lacks exquisiteness and is less polished but is passionate in feeling

since it was against a background of mental anguish in Brussels, when he was worried by family

disasters, that he wrote the pathetic poem. I know that I could synthesized and relate this poem

into my life especially that in it are my favorite lines, “Now must I ponder deep, meditate and

struggle on; even sometimes I must weep; for he who love would keep great pain has

undergone.” I would remember the times I am undergoing emotional struggle and like what

Rizal said in the same poem, (“In the place of thought sincere that our hearts may feel, we must

seize a pen of steel and with verse and line severe, fling abroad a jest and jeer”), I do seize the

world of art to escape my torments. I wander into the world of music, books, and films in order to

find merriment. When there’s no escape from the time-consuming world, I opt to make another

world. I learned to love midnights, specifically, doing things at midnight. Like this paper. Midnight

becomes a gift for me, as if it is the only time for freedom and soul liberality. It gives me comfort

and ease of mind, knowing that I can forgo with my sentiments by involving myself with my true

passion which is art. Art is sometimes a lie which would make me realize the truth.

I also considered to undertake the period of life in Rizal, which is his exile in Dapitan

from 1892-1896. That period is Chapter 22 in Zaide’s book and is probably the longest chapter,

and even though, I find it worthwhile and somewhat smiling to read because I have come to love

how Rizal turned the unexciting four-year interregnum into an abundantly fruitful one. I could

best relate this period of Rizal into my life when I came to find that everything in life is not

always destiny. We have the choice and the power to create beauty from what we hold and

what is today present. This period also proves that the journey matters more than the destiny.

The two remaining choices that battled in my mind are To the Young Women of Malolos and

The Indolence of the Filipinos. These works are respectively under Appendix C and D of Zaide’s

book. I like The Indolence of the Filipinos because it’s not just a simple defense on the so-called

indolent nature of the Filipino but with it is the assertion that the education of the native was

“from his birth until he sinks into his grave…is brutalizing, depressive and anti-human” and

“deprives him of his dignity.” Personally, before I have to come read the reading, I hold on with

so much integrity that the true function of education should be to help us live freely and without

fear. Education should really help us find out what is for us, worthwhile, lovable and deeply

significant. It should not bar our lives into living miserably, which is tantamount to doing

something in a routine where there is only boredom, decay, and death.

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My decision to focus on To the Young Women of Malolos came after I had the privilege

to read the whole letter in Appendix C of Zaide’s book. It’s really a beautiful letter. As an art

dweller, I am really convicted that we should not always focus on those which are famous and

already known. I know Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are really self-acclaimed novels.

But a letter like To the Young Women of Malolos should also be given emphasis and

appreciation. Sometimes, works that are really not well-known are those that truly strike the

heart and makes sense and impact.

Sa Mga Kababayang Dalaga sa Malolos or To The Young Women of Malolos (English

Translation) is a letter in Tagalog dated February 22, 1889 in London. This has been written at

the request of Marcelo H. del Pilar from Barcelona on February 17, 1889 to praise the 20 young

women of Malolos for their courage to elevate a petition on December 12, 1888 to Governor

General Valeriano Weyler asking that they be given permission to open a “night school” for the

teaching of Spanish under Teodoro Sandiko. Despite the opposition of Fr. Felipe Garcia,

Spanish parish priest of Malolos, the young women, in defiance of the friar’s wrath, bravely

continued their agitation of the school-a thing unheard of in the Philippines in those times. They

finally succeeded in obtaining a government approval to their project on the condition that

Senorita Guadalupe Reyes should be their teacher. The incident caused a great stir in the

Philippines and in far-away Spain. Although Rizal was busy annotating Morga’s book in London

he penned this famous letter and sent it to del Pilar on February 22, 1889 for transmittal to

Malolos.

According to Mariano Ponce, it was published for the first time in the supplementary

pamphlet of the El Renacimiento in 1902. The Spanish translation was made by Epifanio de los

Santos Cristobal and was published in the La Revista Filipina in December 1916. It was

published in Letter No. 233 in the Epistolario Rizalino, Manila, Bureau of Printing 1931, II, 122. It

was also published as a Letter to the Young Women of Malolos by the Bureau of Printing, 1952,

in 32 pages. The main points of this famous letter were: 1) A Filipino mother should teach her

children love of God, fatherland, and mankind, 2) The Filipino mother should be glad, like the

Spartan mother, to offer her sons in the defense of the fatherland, 3) A Filipino woman should

know how to preserve her dignity and honor, 4) A Filipino woman should educate herself, aside

from retaining her good racial virtues, and 5) Faith is not merely reciting long prayers and

wearing religious pictures, but rather it is living the real Christian way with good morals and

good manners

The full text of the letter in original Tagalog and in English and Spanish translations is

edited by Teodoro M. Kalaw and published by the National Library, Manila, 1932. I have

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somewhat read this letter on page 323 to 332 (10 pages) of Zaide’s book and my heart melted.

When Rizal wrote a certain literary work, his works do not just compose beautiful words and

great literary expertise but also, words of substance and deep meaning. His works are made of

words that communicate. I believe the main points of the letter are addressed not only to the

women of Malolos, but also to the young women of our generation like me, who can well relate

to much of its points, especially the vital, fifth point which is my focus on Part 3.

While it is true that young age should be venerated because of their travails and

experiences, the life Rizal had lived is consecrated to the happiness of people which already

adds some years, though not many of his age. Rizal humbly requested the young women of

Malolos in the latter part of the letter, for them to ponder on the seven reflections enumerated;

and I felt like I was also humbly requested to do the same. Those seven reflections which

remained in me and formed part of my learning were:

1) The tyranny of some is possible only through the cowardice and negligence on the part

of others.

2) What makes one contemptible is lack of dignity and abject fear of him who holds one in

contempt.

3) 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.

4) He who loves his independence must first aid his fellowman, because he who refuses

protection to others will find himself without it; the isolated rib of the buri palm is easily

broken, but not so the broom made of the ribs of the palm bound together.

5) If the Filipina will not change her mode of being, let her rear no more children, let her

merely give birth to them. She must cease to be the mistress of the home, otherwise she

will unconsciously betray husband, child, native, land, and all.

6) All men are born equal, naked, without bonds. God did not create man to be a slave; nor

did he endow him with intelligence to have him hoodwinked, or adorn him with reason to

have him deceived by others.  It is not fatuous to refuse to worship one's equal, to

cultivate one's intellect, and to make use of reason in all things.  Consider well what kind

of religion they are teaching you.  See whether it is the will of God or according to the

teachings of Christ that the poor be succored and those who suffer alleviated.  Consider

what they preaching to you, the object of the sermon, what is behind the

masses, novenas, rosaries, scapularies, images, miracles, candles, belts, etc. etc; which

they daily keep before your minds; ears and eyes; jostling, shouting, and coaxing;

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investigate whence they came and whiter they go and then compare that religion with

the pure religion of Christ and see whether the pretended observance of the life of Christ

does not remind you of the fat milk cow or the fattened pig, which is encouraged to grow

fat nor through love of the animal, but for grossly mercenary motives.

Part Three: Impact of Rizal’s Letter with My Life

According to Rizal, we know that religiousness does not consist of long periods spent on

knees, nor in endless prayers, big rosarios, and grimy scapularies, but in a spotless conduct,

firm intention and upright judgment. I agree that blind obedience is itself the cause and origin of

those whims, and those guilty of it are really to be blamed. Why should we submit to another our

thoughts, seeing that thought is noble and free? Rizal added that it is cowardice and erroneous

to believe that saintliness consists in blind obedience. Usually, the deceiver is fond of using the

saying that “It is presumptuous to rely on one’s own judgment,” but in my opinion, it is more

presumptuous for a person to put his judgment above that of others and try to make it prevail

over theirs. It is more even blasphemous for a person to attribute every movement of his lips to

God to brand his own enemy as an enemy of God. Rizal commended the young women of

Malolos who were courageous enough not to abide the authorities who work mysteriously under

the cloak of religion. Through the young girls, Rizal found new hopes knowing he has them as

allies and are confident of victory of his cause. He wanted us to be reasonable and open our

eyes, especially us women, because we are the first to influence the consciousness of man. We

cannot expect honor nor prosperity so long as we are educated in a wrong way.

Focusing not only on the nationalistic and feministic stand of the letter, I want to reflect

based on how I see obedience to authority as something basically good or bad (especially that

religion is a powerful tool for moving thousands of people). I hail with so much integrity the fifth

main point of the letter which is: Faith is not merely reciting long prayers and wearing religious

pictures, but rather it is living the real Christian way with good morals and good manners. Not

only during Rizal’s time but also today when our society raises us to believe that obedience is

good and disobedience is bad. We are taught that we should all do what we’re told and see

disobedient people as almost always bad people. Society tells us this, but I hope this would not

be true for all.

Most people will even be obedient to the point of causing harm to others, because to be

disobedient requires the courage to be alone against authority. I remembered during our

Philosophy class that in Stanley Milgram’s "Perils of Obedience" experiment, his studies

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showed that 60% of ordinary people would agree to obey an authority figure even when morality

is at stake. These experiments, conducted at a time when the world was still struggling to

understand the atrocities committed by the Nazis in World War II, shed considerable (and

disturbing) light on the perplexing behavior of ordinary people and American soldiers in

obedience to authority.

But even without the need for experiment, it is no more surprising to find out in our

present society the dismaying, fundamental lesson of Milgram’s study: ordinary people, doing

their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents or instruments in

terrible destructive process. Ordinary citizens are ordered to destroy other people. And they do

so because they consider it their duty to obey orders. They become so absorbed in the narrow

technical aspects of the tasks that they lose sight of broader consequences. I wonder how

possible it is for others to easily kill/torture a mass because I cannot taint my hand with blood

nor even punch my enemy just for the sake of abiding the authority. I will never sleep any worse

for doing a very immoral act. But yes, everything can be possible for authorities, even for

religious leaders. Common adjustment is set which is for the tasked killer to assign the

responsibility to the authority rather than themselves to justify the behavior. September 11

bombing, Nazi extermination of European Jews and Maguindanao Massacre are just few of the

worst crimes that provide a startling evidence of disrespect of humanity. C. P. Snow pointed out

that when we think of the long and gloomy history of man, we will find that more heinous crimes

have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of

rebellion. It is so alarming to see how authority overrides the morality of humankind. It is

necessary to put a question mark on the long praised virtue of obedience now that it serves a

malevolent cause of many of the monstrous sins recorded in history. The question now: Is

disobedience to authority good or bad? If obedience to authority is the problem, what do we

suppose is the solution? Without obedience, wouldn’t be there chaos. Anarchy? How do we

know when to obey?

The conflict between compliance with the demands of those in authority and individuals

having private and sometimes different views has been a subject of debate since ancient times

in religion and philosophy. God’s command to Abraham to kill his son, being one example. Also,

obedience to authority is now given emphasis as themes for movies. Films such as The

General’s Daughter, A Few Good Men, starring Tom Cruise, and my favorite Law Abiding

Citizen starring Gerard Butler present both sides of the need for absolute obedience versus the

right of individual conscience.

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This is perhaps the crux of the issue—the issue of obedience to authority cannot be a

simple black and white question. One cannot have a society with absolutely no obedience to

authority or even too little authority. It will simply result in disastrous anarchy: Individuals have to

surrender some of their own autonomy for the welfare of the larger group. On the other extreme,

when the state refuses to allow individuals to exercise their right of freedom, we move closer to

totalitarianism. Almost everyone will agree that some degree of authority in certain individuals or

groups is desirable for the proper functioning of a society. The problem arises when the

obedience to authority is taken to extremes. Unfortunately, history has shown that this happens

time and again, usually with undesirable results. It is this blind obedience to authority that every

individual with a conscience needs to guard against. So the best answer in any civilized society

is to take the middle path.

Disobedience is not always wrong. The truth is sometimes it is necessary to be

disobedient. In Hebrew mythology, human history began because of an act of disobedience.

Adam and Eve gained independence from nature by disobeying God and eating an apple.

Man’s development has largely been affected by being disobedient to authority. Authority has

tried to prevent new ideas and keep things as they are, so that authority will remain intact. It’s

as though we are allowing society to imprison us by accepting the roles assigned to us.

Obedience is a behaviour deeply ingrained in us. It is often an impulse that overrides

ethics and sympathy. There is much evidence of this, including the Holocaust. It was not just a

small group of deranged individuals that committed these atrocities; it was people who had blind

obedience to authority. We are prone to obey because when we are obedient to an authority it

makes us feel safe and protected. We can’t make mistakes because the authority decides for

us. We can’t be alone, because the authority watches over us. So, no matter what our

behavior is, it can be justified on the ground that we are only following orders, doing what we’re

told from above. We can easily be brought to view ourselves as an instrument for carrying out

another person’s wishes, and so we no longer feel responsible for our actions. Unfortunately,

that can make us feel responsible to the authority, instead of the content of the orders the

authority is giving. Morality is still there, but the focus is changed. We feel the need to perform

well, out of obligation or duty, to those who are in authority.

This does not necessarily mean that all disobedience is good and all obedience is bad.

That would ignore the relationship between obedience and disobedience. An act of obedience

to one principle is usually an act of disobedience to another. Many martyrs of religion, science,

and freedom have had to disobey those who wanted to stop them in order to obey their own

consciences, the laws of humanity and reason. If a man can only obey, he is a slave and will

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accomplish very little. But, if a man can only disobey, he is a rebel and does not act in the

name of a conviction or principle.

For me, we should passionately believe that those of us who value independent and

individual thinking can resist the trend instead of going along with the herd. We must be aware

of the propaganda techniques used by the governments, advertisers and other people in

positions of authority to manipulate and control group behavior. We must consciously resist

pressures to conform such as peer pressure, dogma and theories propagated by political and

religious leaders and parties. For me, any act which results in submitting one’s will to someone

else’s is a cowardly act. We should learn how to resist and say NO when we it’s proper to say

NO.

God, law, parents, and educational institution has become my source of authority yet

despite the conformities I have to observed, I never felt the restriction of affirming my own

individual will and autonomy. I still have the freedom to scrutinize the orders that are detrimental

and not worth following, and I think, obedience to authority is the healthiest when it is not taken

on extreme levels. I’m glad my authorities has not so far ordered me to do immoral acts

because if they do so, I would absolutely defy them and consider them no more my authorities

from the very beginning.

Like Rizal, I do not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for Catholics

and that outside Christianity, salvation was not possible even if Catholics composed only a

small minority of the world’s religious groups. Nor did I believe in the Catholic observation of

fasting as a sacrifice, nor in the sale of such religious items as the cross, medals, rosaries and

the like in order to propagate the Faith and raise church funds. I also derided the superstitious

beliefs propagated by the priests in the church and in the schools. All of these and a lot more

are evidences of Rizal’s religious philosophy. 

Religion not only from our past, but also today divides the people, instead of uniting

them. Weighing the acts of compassion motivated by religious impulses against the atrocities

committed in the name of religion is difficult and ultimately not useful. Human history tells that

religious persons promulgate dogmas and creeds that require compliance. They impose

disciplinary measures against members who disobey or disrespect those rules or dogmas. The

Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, for example, instituted the dreaded Holy Inquisition to

prosecute heretics. That’s why Joan of Arc was burned at stake and the astronomer Galileo was

arrested to trial, and almost executed, until he refracted his scientifically valid teaching that the

earth revolved around the sun and not the other way around as the church believed it to be.

They measure faithfulness to God with human sacrifices BUT to kill for God is not the thing.

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Humans cannot demand that gods and religions be abandoned; instead, humans must take

responsibility for their choices.

The fifth point of the letter also suggests that spirituality is not the same as religiosity.

Being religious means following the beliefs, doctrines, practices, traditions and rituals of a

particular organized religious institution, such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, etc. Among the

Christians, for example, a person is regarded as religious if he or she goes to mass every

Sunday, receives holy communion, prays the rosary, makes contribution to the parish church,

confess his or her sins to the priests, and gives alms to the poor.

Even if the person treats his maids like slaves, watches pornographic films, cheats on

his income tax and business deals, he or she is still considered religious person and a

respected member of his parish. Religiosity deals with external, not with internals. It deals with

the obvious and what can be seen, not with unseen or the invisible. Religiosity is what one

shows to others, or how others see what he does in connection with his church’s beliefs and

practices. It has nothing to do with what he does in secret or with his unseen relationship with

the divine.

Spirituality, on the other hand, is a very individual thing. It need not conform to dogmas,

practices, beliefs and rituals of church. One may practice spirituality completely alone and

follows no official rules. To be spiritual is to commune with the highest spiritual being in your

own unique way. Your actions need not be sanctioned or approved by an authority figure like

bishop or rabbi. A spiritual person is his own authority. His relationship with the divine is his own

perception of what is good, true and beautiful. He does not try to convince others that he is right

and the others wrong. He is content to live his faith in harmony with others.

The religious person, on the other hand, tries all the time to convince others that he is

right and the others are wrong. He believes he has a divine duty to convert everybody to his

own church’s way of thinking. He believes that only through his religion can salvation be

attained.

If you don’t believe that religion divides and spirituality unites, place the priests, rabbis,

imams, theologians and defenders of the faith of all religions in one room and they will kill each

other. But if you put spiritual and mystical people of all religions in one room, they will embrace

each other as brothers and sisters.

I believe that once we die, God will not ask us what religion we belonged on earth before

being allowed to enter into his kingdom. Religion is completely irrelevant to our salvation. What

he would ask most likely is this: “How have you lived your life and how much have you loved?” I

am sure religious people will object to this, which proves my point.

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If I believe in God, I can defend my faith not by useless, massive human sacrifices but

by elevating Word of God to its true beauty in the exercise of good deeds. It is not enough to

confess that we believe in the commandment “to love our enemies” on a purely cognitive way

without any solid action. I also have to do something out of what I received from God.

Part Four: My Biographical Sketch

My name is Carlota Nicolas Villaroman, born on May 13, 1993 at Poblacion Sur, Licab,

Nueva Ecija where I spent my early childhood. The love of my father, Tomas A. Villaroman, Jr.

and my mother, Annabel B Nicolas sprouted three siblings but unfortunately the eldest (older

than me) died during birth. I have a brother two years younger than me named Marc David who

is now about to enrol at B.S. Agriculture, CLSU and being the only daughter of the family made

my parents protective of me.

My childhood years had been a short phase which I spent with my closest Villaroman

and Nicolas relatives. Licab is my hometown and there’s no place like it which assured me

comfort, strong family ties and happiness, most especially. During those times, my world had

been simply revolving with my dear aunts, uncles, teen-age cousins, good family friends, and

grandparents. I belong to a large family since in my father’s side, they are eight siblings and on

my mother’s side, they are six siblings. I have many cousins of my age to play with those

moments. That was my only world. I never knew about “pain” other than the wounds and scars I

committed. I never knew about Marcos regime other than fairy tales of Peter Pan. I was reared

by my one and only Lolo Tommy, who happened to be the town mayor of Licab for 36 years. He

loves me so much but an innocent two to five years old girl won’t bother of what love simply

means. He took best care of me and he’s proud of joining me to pretty contests. I’m always

touched when they say that my Lolo still have my little picture of me in his wallet. The simple yet

lively living in the province is perhaps the mystery over the craziest Christmas Day and New

Year’s Eve we had. There’s no better way to celebrate these occasions than being with the

family. My cousins and I usually go to farm, parties, plaza, and fiestas at night. We lingered

around the town with the pick-up, ate native foods, and sang in Videoke. I now come to thinking

that life is all about simplicity. Being a child has given me no worries and if I could still

remember, I never had a big problem which caused me emotional pain or disgust. Fun is

obviously what a little child knows.

While my mother was busy and devoted working in CLSU Administration those times

(even up to now), I was reared by my disciplinarian father. I remember the times when my father

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wanted me to finish my dish, with NO leftovers. Hard as I tried, I know by that time that my dad

wanted me to learn the lesson of valuing God’s grace. I’m a certified Daddy’s girl and lots of my

curiosity had been answered by him. The most important lesson that he imparted on me is

“takot sa Diyos”.

When my mother and father realized the hardship it has to take commuting from Licab to

CLSU everyday, they decided to live in Science Ville Subdivision at Magtanggol. My father

started working at NIA Casecnan and after taking my Day Care years in Licab, I continued

studying at CHSI Kindergarten where I first met two of my longest buddies in CLSU, Melvin R.

Estolano, now BS Statistics and Jefferson A. Selispara, now BS Civil Engineering. Melvin was

at first my enemy because we pinched each other when we were seatmates but ultimately, we

ended up being best friends. Hehe He is one of the persons who can tell the story of my life and

my secrets. We had been schoolmate for 17 years and he knows a lot about me. The life in

Science Ville became hard but together with our neighbors, we struggled. We endured six years

of inconsistent water and electricity provision. I know my parents had unconditional sacrifice just

to fetch water everyday for us to be able to go to school. I remember when me, my mother, and

my brother were in a red Honda motorcycle (still the same motorcycle we used to bring us to

school) and we fell in the dirty mud. From the moment on, I had a mind open for learning

continuously. My father has a good collection of books and magazines, and it gave me

tremendous knowledge. Most importantly, a good understanding of love came to me. By the age

of 10, I saw love as sacrificing. I saw love based on how my parents love me. My mother always

reminded me of studying very hard because education is the best gift they could give to me.

Throughout my elementary years, my mind had a good concentration and I valued academic

performance so much. My parent’s sacrifice is what drives me so much to study harder (even up

to now). I took my elementary at Dep-Ed CLSU Elemantary School and I would be proud to

declare I’m from public school. This institution had developed me mentally and physically. My

classmates and I were totally engaged to sports such as football and volleyball, but my very first

encounter to competition was on chess. My father first taught me how to play the board game.

My skill on Journalism, specifically Sportswriting, has also been developed, much more when I

participated in Regional Schools Press Conference at Baler, Aurora. I was awarded Best in

Math and Science, Journalism Awardee, Cultural Awardee, and Salutatorian which made my

parents happy. There’s more to those medals that I treasure for the very significant thing that I

learned in elementary is to “shoot for the moon.” If you fail, you will land among the stars.

I maintained a very good study habit and it brought me to University Science High

School. This time, we are now residing peacefully in Sawmill, CLSU. Past is past, we usually

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say. But memories of the past have crucially affected me. My high school years seriously

brought the biggest change to me. Those four years had been a long journey and there’s no

way to cut the story short. Every day came a new story and each story is a history. I felt the

greatest pain, regret, disgust and sorrow. I encountered one of the worst pains in the world but

letting go gave me freedom. I’ve overcame the pain’s depressing power and pain is something

beautiful once you defeated it. In fact, it made me stronger than before. I found heaven and hell.

I know crying and being dumped. I learned how to hear goodbyes and sorry. 2008 is a very

tough year but everything that happened is worth it! Because of the trials, my faith in God

becomes stronger. All the teachers I had in elementary and high school are not just simple

teachers but also mentors in life. They are the ones who inspire me and believe in me; perhaps

they are all like Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez who brought out the best from Rizal. I met

different kinds of mentor that change my perspective in life. Ma’am Maria Linda Abella, our math

teacher, taught so much about reality. Even Maam Mercy Reyes, believed so much in my

capabilities and see me perfectly. She treated me like a daughter and my low self-esteem

appraised. All my advisers have really touched my heart in an influential way. The knowledge

they shared seemed to be countless and immeasurable. To hear from an experienced person

has been a warning to look deliberate attention to my acts and decisions.

Mentally, the USHS taught me leadership, independency and management. I am very

passionate in joining clubs such as Debate Society, Seekers Science Club, The Researchers

and Student Body Organization where I became the Auditor General. I used to be Top 1 in the

early years and in Top 10 in later years. I actively engaged in many extra-curricular activities

which balanced the bookish life. Physically, a lot of my friends trusted me to play for Badminton,

Javelin Throw, Discuss Throw and Tennis events every Annual Sportsfest. It’s always been a

pleasure for me to be the Captain Ball and Miss Sportsfest of our section. In my last year in

high school, I was given the chance to participate in Region III Olympics (SCUAA) for

Badminton Singles. The moment when Coach Lorelie Vee gave me consent to play for

Badminton is clearly painted in my heart. Sports is something I cannot live without. The USHS

has been an incredible training ground; it almost consumed our strength to a great extent. We

daily lacked sleep and sacrificed tons of hours to finish problem sets in Physics, thesis and

independent film. This made me value time like a real, real gold. To a busy student, one minute

makes a big difference. I met different kinds of mentor that change my perspective in life.

Nothing also compares to my high school buddies who helped me treat problems as changing.

Pain is nothing when you’re bound by true friendship. I see my sense and purpose due to them

and to see someone believes in me makes the most out of me. They are not just friends. They

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are my brothers and sisters. They are my family. Within those four years, what is instilled in me

is a good independency. I also realized that giving everything is not always beautiful. That was

when I loved nothing but the wrong person. I seemingly see myself to be dramatically

independent and easy-going after what happened. You cannot love without loving yourself.

There go my friends who shared me the idea of living life to the fullest. Sure, over the years of

growing up my heart has been broken many times. How can your heart not break when you lose

a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when your true friends or family misunderstand or

betray you? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A

heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect. I cannot

forget my high school days because I found the most beautiful people from it. I never felt any

untrue and instrumental relationships because even though there’s competition, I find it healthy.

When we have problems and lots of overnights to do, we struggle and triumph together. There’s

no one left behind. The best friends I have come from USHS and they are really irreplaceable.

There came a time when I made the biggest decision in my life. It’s the hardest decision

in my life. It’s the hardest trading off of both dreams which I ever faced in my entire life; and

remembering this story would always make me cry. I cared so much about my studies when I

was in high school. Like any other USHS alumni and senior students in any secondary schools,

studying in one of the best universities of the Philippines is a dream-come true. I felt the

happiest when I passed B.S. Economics at University of the Philippines and B.S. Accountancy

at Central Luzon State University. I’m one of the Top 20 CLSU-CAT passers (which merited me

full scholarship) but letting go of University of the Philippines disturbed my mind. Every night of

my remaining high school days, starting the day when I obtained the results of the only two

college entrance examinations I took, I could not engaged myself from committing between any

of the two decisions because I cannot leave my family to study far away. I knew it by heart. I

love my family so much. My parents knew that dream of mine, and I knew also that it would pain

them to see me go away. I used to seek advices from most experienced persons I relied to.

Some advised me to pursue the opportunity in UP, while others told me stay here in CLSU. At

the end of witty conversations, it would still be my decision. I couldn’t seem to make the final

decision. I cried every night and I prayed to God to help me choose the right decision and face

the consequence. It was very hard. I don’t even know how to state how hard it was for me to

choose. I knew my heart would be the one to decide. Studying in UP is a dream and a new

venture, the fact that I’ve been studying in CLSU for half of my life. But I couldn’t pay the cost of

giving up CLSU. CLSU is very dear to me. My family is there. I won’t have to worry about my

lodging and tuition fees as I have the scholarship throughout the coming semesters, and it

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would be harder for my family to earn bucks for me if I go to UP. I knew it’s more than financial. I

imagined the consequences of living in UP without my family. It’s not also being too dependent.

I just know that UP decision would hurt them. And I felt it so much.

What I did was I enrolled at the two schools. I enrolled at CLSU. Me and my family also

went to UP and they enrolled me. They helped me arrange anything I needed to study there. I

felt so selfish. I felt so sad. I was teary-eyed those times. My heart was hurting. I felt my parents

were sad too. We went to UP Dormitory to reserve for a room. It was even more heart-breaking

to see the eyes of my loved ones full of sadness when the lady guard showed me my room. I

felt how they love me so much and would not want to let go of me, though their smiles on their

faces won’t show. I also imagined how I could be living in this room when I badly miss them so

much. I will never ever forget that stabbing pain I felt as we went home. Until then, I knew what

my heart wanted.

My mother asked me to go back to UP, the date we were scheduled to return for the

lifting of my things there. I rescinded my mother’s offer, and told her “Dito na ko mag-aaral.” She

asked me if I was sure and I said yes. I hugged my pillow and tears fell from my eyes

throughout the day. This gave me pain, because my dream was really to study at UP, but I

accepted the fate of studying here in CLSU. My soul still got sad, cause I was blinded and

restricted by the view that UP is my forsaken dream. I felt living in mediocrity. I abused soul

searching and ended up being a prison of my own mind. Some of my thoughts boggled me to

the point that I hate how they frustrated and ate me. Bearing some pain alone is like carrying the

world. Though I know I can pursue my goal of becoming a CPA for my mother, it did not

somewhat settled for my heart did not stop of wondering and asking what could have been and

what would have been if I study in UP.

Being a college student is the turning point in my life. Everything changed and my

paradigm shifted. Everything sinked well and become clear in me and I continually hold on to

God’s plan for me. God proved to me that everything in life has reasons; reasons which we may

not understand at first, but will eventually clear doubts and fears in the end. I trusted GOD even

better and I let Him rule my life. I love my life and I never thought I could be this happy. I simply

learned to abide my old-time favorite artist’s quote that “When you are sorrowful look again in

your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”

Kahlil Gibran is right. I was once weeping for that which has been my delight. I was once

sorrowful but I looked again in my heart, and found that in my heart resides true happiness. I am

very happy every single day of my life, for being near and dear to my family. I always love the

feeling of going home after a dreadful and unbearable stress in school. My high school

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classmates always envy me for being near in my solace. I feel lucky and thankful that I was able

to share even the important four or five years of my life with my loved ones who are now

growing old. I’m happy to be able to spend my rough college life with them. For after every

hectic days in school, my loving mother, funny father, and cool brother just cancel the gloomy

feeling whenever I find them relaxing and watching at home. I even gain real brotherhood from

my college friends who stick with me through good times and bad. God pushed me to my limits

and brought me to meeting coaches who imparted immeasurable lessons on me. He sent me to

SCUAA and stores in me a spirit of a fighter. I will never forget the lessons I learned from the

trainings and the battles I had with my beloved badminton team. God also graced me a

teammate in life who believes in pushing this college race of graduating and surpassing all trials

and hardship. He became my strength and my comfort zone. He taught me greatness in little

things. He touches my heart and always gives me bear hugs when everything seems to fall

apart. He’s my true friend and I dream a happy life with him.

Most of the children in the world are more unfortunate than me. I would not dare

question the opportunity in CLSU when CLSU has, for years, brought the best in me. I learned a

lot from this institution and this third year, I am still learning a lot. Yes, I study. But this is no

more about grades; its acquiring a learned art and knowing by heart. I know that through the

books I read and the professors that impart their knowledge, God is moulding me into a

competent accountant. In the end, it’s not the school that will put you into passing the bar

examinations, but the threshold you have invested in studying well. Despite the thick bundles of

book to be read and lack of sleep, God takes care of my health and still helps me maintain my

grade. He helps me to be a consistent college scholar. I seriously almost turned out to be more

of an owl, sacrificing tons of hours to finish problem sets but I know in time, all these sufferings

will be worth it. All these hardships are cancelled by the smile of my mother who is very happy

when I get high grades.

My foremost philosophy in life is: For as long as you find fulfillment and see your

purpose with the craft you do, it will never be hard to be happy (and it will never be tiring to do

the things that make you happy). Pursuing the things you’re passionate about regardless of

other’s opinion is the best thing to happen in life. We cannot unravel time whenever we feel

regretful, miserable and empty of the things we used to do that didn’t make any sense to us. In

the end, it’s really not the wealth, power, fame, pleasure, gratification and any possession

which you will acquire that will matter in life but the intense wisdom and happiness with the

same people with whom you share a part of yourself. This has been my ultimate philosophy in

life ever since I entered college.

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Substantially, I owe a lot of my philosophy from my experience of pain and atonement

alone, with friends, and with family which requires another paper to uncover. Because of these, I

learn to concern myself not only with what the golden egg can give, but also with the hen that

lays the egg. I make it a point to not lose sight of who makes or enables me to let me happen

what I want in life. Also, my choice or sense of what should be important and prioritized is now

pegged for long range effects and purpose-driven view. I learned to love, laugh, and live with

intentions.

I know I’m a happy person as I can be. Dreams will always change but it is for a fact that

I am dreaming because of my family. I’ve been longing to ease the burden of the people I love

the most. I want to reach out people and be a real blood entrepreneur someday.

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