You only die once, and if you do not die well, a good opportunity is lost and will not present itself again.

Editorial: “YOMU” means to read in Japanese by Dennis Sun

SADNESS IN THE SEASON

There is happiness in this season—for us, Christians, celebrating Christmas Day! Then, there is excitement in this season—for us, people, around the world welcoming the brand New Year! But, there should be sadness—for us, Filipinos, for forgetting and failing to genuinely celebrate Rizal’s Day.

Yes, we know Rizal, our national hero. But on this day, for most of us, I bet that we are more thankful for this extra day-off to prepare for the coming New Year, than reflect on his martyrdom.

Rizal Day is a Philippine national holiday commemorating the execution of Jose Rizal in Bagumbayan (present day Rizal Park) on the 30th day of December. On this momentous day in our history, marked by laying wreaths of flowers at monuments of Rizal around the country and captured for a few inconsequential minutes on TV, we troop to the pop-up stores to buy illegal firecrackers, and go crazy with buying anything “round” for good luck. If our own leaders cannot find the time to celebrate this day, why should we even care about the value of reflecting on what Rizal stood for, about the value of education, integrity, and the value of truly caring, heck, dying for our country against foreign interests.

And that is truly, truly unfortunate. We now have a current generation that is failing in education. We are ranked lowest (yes that is correct, lowest) in international rankings in Math, Science and Reading in a survey that recently came out. We have mountains in Zambales that have been carved out for sand to be used for reclamation in the West Philippine Sea by China. Unthinkable isn’t it? And don’t get me started in the hypocrisy of our politicians who go to Holy Mass every Sunday but steal from the poor. This is a key moment in our history where reflecting on Jose Rizal and his life, his books, and the values he stood for, should provoke a national soul searching, and a call to real action by the national leadership, and not just lip service. We need a Rizal in our lives if we are to move forward with pride and dignity.

It is sad because Rizal Day happens during the Christmas season when most Filipinos continue celebrating this happiest day of the year. And it will not reach its climax until New Year’s eve when it becomes the noisiest and most dangerous night of the year. It’s not a best time to be aware that one is a Filipino but a time to be together with family and friends no matter what country or nationality they are.

A sad day for Rizal? A sad day for the country it is! We have lost this chance to reflect on the life of a great Filipino. For all of us Filipinos living in Japan, we can reflect on the life of Rizal on his travels abroad. Like Rizal, we all have experienced difficulties living in lands so different from ours.

Rizal actually went to Japan and stayed for a month and a half. It was one of his happiest moments having been charmed by the natural beauty of Japan, the picturesque of the temples and shrines, and especially the manners and discipline of the Japanese people. Rizal wanted to learn more about Japan so he studied the language and was able to speak it in a few days time!

I wonder if Rizal were alive today. Perhaps, he wouldn’t waste anymore time writing another sequel to his books (Noli and Fili), but would rather create posts that would become viral in Facebook, Tweeter, Instagram and Youtube criticizing and condemning fake news, killings, incompetent and corrupt leaders, intimidation and vulgarity in the government, and so on.

And as for those who should be shot at the park, let them be those corrupt and bad leaders destroying the country into ruins to be the first in line.

Dennis Sun as Jose Rizal