Little Bad Boy

LITTLE BAD BOY (BINATANG RIZAL SA EUROPA) A Reaction Paper Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Philippines’ national hero is an icon we been studying since my year in kindergarten. In my primary and secondary years Dr. Rizal’s life is a topic we keep on discussing and studying. Now that I am in my collegiate year, Rizal’s Life and Works is a subject that is part of the curriculum to be studied. Honestly, I don’t see the logic of scrutinizing Dr. Rizal’s life but after watching this documentary from I-witness GMA 7, I realized the reason why to do so. His life is a good example for us fellow Filipinos. Examining what he did and his vision for the Philippines. He went to Paris, France at the age of 28 years old, a doctor, a political activist, a good writer, and most especially as a tourist. Why so special? Because he went there to observe political aspects. His nationalism is so on fire that while his there his vision for the Philippines is so high, high like the Eiffel Tower. It is true what the video said that “we don’t really know Rizal”, instead we just know him as a national hero. What we don’t know is that Dr. Rizal is a normal person too. A person who enjoy plays like Moulin Rouge near Hotel de Paris, Rizal’s first home in Paris. He also falls in love and be part of a love triangle. This exposes Rizal as a normal person just like us. But what is really admirable about Rizal is that his passion for our country doesn’t burn low. His life in Paris, even though his a doctor, is not grandeur. He lives in an affordable hotel and often walks to work or other places. This embodied the ordinary Filipino people. He balanced his effort to study the political systems in Paris and then work and train as an Ophthalmologist under a great one with a little bit of a social life and fun moments. I am amazed how Dr. Jose Rizal do all these things away from his home grounds without forgetting his prime mission on visiting Paris. The most important reason is Rizal’s nationalism and the eagerness to learn more about new philosophies concerning human rights. Moreover, these things about Dr. Rizal makes me proud as a Filipino because a person who can just study abroad because of his elite bloodline still pushes himself to equip himself with the best weapons against the colonialism. His nationalism is overflowing, a selfless act to sacrifice even his own self for our liberty. Yet, Jean Paul Verstracten is an encouragement and also a slapped in the face for the Filipinos. His effort to educate the people about our national hero. His efforts encourage us to also take time to know Rizal and his sacrifices for our country but a slapped in the face because why it takes a foreign man to know these things. Why not us, why not us his fellow countrymen, the people he sacrificed his life for