Jose Rizal

THEUNIS, LOUISE T.
BS Pharmacy - 1A
In the Philippines today, we are made to study the life and works of Rizal as a subject in college.
We are taught about his books, his travels, his family and his escapades, his greatness. We are taught to admire him, to look up to him. Not that I really mind that, but, like most historical figures, we only know of his great deeds, making little of the normal, everyday struggles that make him human. That is why we look at him and people like him as just figures who did great things in the past. I, however, believe that to learn more about him, to truly understand who José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda really is, we need to be able to relate with him.
I absolutely understand that it is hard to dwell much in the simplicities of Rizal's life, but I wouldn't mind knowing even the smallest of details just so that we see him not as a person divine and better than all of us, but as someone who could have been the person living next door. He was an extraordinary man, I admit, a genius even. But he was human all the same. That was what struck me most in the article entitled Rizal and Children, written by Ambeth Ocampo. The plainness in which he was presented is what prompted me to read the article to the end.
The article talked about the letters exchanged between Rizal and his family. I have always wondered how Jose Rizal felt while he was away from his home, traveling far and wide, all alone. I can imagine he felt homesick, as the article stated. The parts quoted from the letters could be compared to what we do as young students, sending e-mails to dad, calling mom on the phone, talking about how everything is going and what is new. It's funny, at the same time delightful and relatable, to imagine him talking on the phone, saying, "Hey Mom, how are you? And my siblings? How about little Leoncio?
Really? How old is he now? Did he get any thinner? Haha." Not that that comes close to how they communicated, it's just similar and makes it all the more relatable, all the more interesting.
After reading that article, I felt compelled to read more about Rizal's ordinariness. I read that he was a man of medium height and small built. He was also a great lover, having entertained many ladies over the course of his life. Rizal first lived at the Amor de Rios house close to the Universidad Central de
Madrid. He had a limited allowance of P50 a month when he was studying there. This was further reduced to P35 a month when their family farm had bad harvests. I also read about Rizal's daily life during his exile in Dapitan - practicing medicine, teaching, and farming and gardening. He grew many fruit trees and domesticated some animals. To quote the article Jose Rizal's Bitter Sweet Life in Dapitan,
"Rizal would rise at five in the morning to see his plants, feed his animals, and prepare breakfast. Having taken his morning meal, he would treat the patients who had come to his house. Paddling his boat called ‘baroto’ (he had two of them), he would then proceed to Dapitan town to attend to his other patients there the whole morning. Rizal would return to Talisay to take his lunch. Teaching his pupils would begin at about 2 pm and would end at 4 or 5 in the afternoon. With the help of his pupils, Rizal would spend the rest of the afternoon in farming—planting trees, watering the plants, and pruning the fruits. Rizal then would spend the night reading and writing." I didn't know all this until now, did you?
It's not necessary to study all these minor details; it's just nice to know that he was just like that. It's easier to relate to and it's easier to imagine and remember his story that way. The next time we discuss about when Rizal was in Madrid, I'll be thinking, "Rizal liked to take light meals with wine at the Viva
Madrid restaurant. I think I'd like that too."