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Monday, January 11, 2010

RIZAL'S UNFINISHED NOVEL - EXCERPT

An excerpt from his unfinished novel: The Friars and The Filipinos.

"When St. Peter saw that things were taking a bad aspect, he began to slip out little by little, taking advantage of the confusion; and when he herd the officer call his Master a filibuster, he returned to his old habits – he left the barracks and ran away as fast as he could. Unfortunately, it was mid-day and there was no rooster to crow. He had a hazy idea of the word filibuster, which he had heard from somebody in Heaven, and remembering nothing and thinking of his own danger, he abandoned his Master."

The way I understand it, Rizal was showing that St. Peter still didn't get it. He may knew Jesus' principle but he(St. Peter)never claim it as his own. He will always say, "Jesus said so" or "it is He who said it not me".

Since Rizal is already long dead and a hero, we can now use his principle in his name or say "Rizal said so" but would he really want that? In a letter addressed to the young women of Malolos, he said this,

"I do not expect to be believed simply because it is I who am saying this; there are many people who do not listen to reason, but will listen only to those who wear the cassock or have gray hair or no teeth; but while it is true that the aged should be venerated, because of their travails and experience, yet the life I have lived, consecrated to the happiness of the people, adds some years, though not many of my age. I do not pretend to be looked upon as an idol or fetish and to be believed and listened to with the eyes closed, the head bowed, and the arms crossed over the breast; what I ask of all is to reflect on what I tell him, think it over and shift it carefully through the sieve of reasons."

If you know my principle and you think it is right then defend it as if it is your own and do not drag others name into trouble but your own. If your principle is the same as my principle then we will defend it together. If our principle becomes "karaniwan", then we have won.

If Rizal's principle would be the same as mine, if we have the same vision, and with this principle and vision there would be an enemy then we have an enemy in common. At least that's the way I understand him so far.

I remember the movie "V for vendetta" where the hero fights the established order but in the end he got killed but although they got him, he did something that lead to its downfall. He made everybody wear a costume that looks the same as his, he made himself "karaniwan".

-----sarda------

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