LIFE OF JOSE RIZAL: IMPACT ON THE NATION AND SOCIETY

Dr. Jose Rizal is one of the people who left their mark to the Philippines and the Filipino people
and whose impact you can still see and feel the traces on even today. Rizal is such an integral part of the
history that at the young age of 6 or 7 years old when children start their elementary days, they are
already introduced to the National Hero. The studies don’t stop at elementary but continue on to high
school until you reach university. The studies always consist of the same elements- Rizal’s life, works,
and his heroism. Scholars also continue to study his works and life hoping to shed new information to
Rizal or his work. Such was his influence.

There have been debates that Rizal shouldn’t be the national hero of the Philippines giventhat
unlike the other notable heroes, Rizal wielded a pen instead of a bolo to fight for the people. His use of
the pen and paper was one of the aspects that made him the national hero. Researchers also confirmed
that Rizal was the only hero to die of political martyrdom, making him suitable for the title. And if that
isn’t enough, you need only to look at Rizal’s life to see that it could be seen as a divine providence that
Rizal would be a hero of the Philippines.

We’ve tackled about Rizal being the hero and his life and works and all these have been studied
and discussed extensively. However, the study doesn’t stop there. Studying Rizal’s life is not only to give
us a biography and a history lesson on the Philippine history but also to teach us the impact Rizal has on
us. If you look around- in your home, city, school, etc., can you still see hints of Rizal’s influence? If that
is the case, why is his influence so great that it even lives on to this day? To understand and have a
better grasp of the story, we must first know more about Jose Rizal’s life and works and how they came
to influence us, society, and the nation.