If placed in such a horrifying predicament, I never would have done what Rizal did. I won’t be a hypocrite. I don’t have that kind of bravery. If I were Rizal, I would have stayed in Hongkong and preserved my life so that I could live longer. Why would I want to sacrifice my life for my countrymen? What good have they done for me? Like what Joseph and I would always say to each other whenever we don’t find things relevant to our lives, “ANO BANG BEARING NITO SA BUHAY KO?”. Truly enough, an expression of selfishness. And what does this say about Jose Rizal? What does my interpretation of Rizal’s actions say about our national hero? Well, just one thing. He’s not like me. He’s the opposite of me. And so he’s brave unlike me. He’s patriotic, definitely unlike me. And I am very much convinced that if I would survey the people asking them if they’re willing to die for their country, I’d probably get almost 100% No’s. This is the reality that the world is facing. Almost all of us are afraid to die. We do every possible means to avoid death, and so if you ask the youth of today if Rizal’s decision to go back to Manila was a brilliant move, they’d say no. This is what makes Rizal different from other heroes, well particularly Andres Bonifacio. According to my research, when Bonifacio was about to be shot, he was on his knees begging for his life to be spared. If this incident were held true, I wouldn’t want to discuss further this issue between Bonifacio and Rizal for the rightful title of National hero of the Philippines. Obviously enough, Rizal has proven himself more worthy of the title. And so rap everything up, I would like to end this reflection paper with a few lines from the poem of Jose Rizal, Land that I love, Farewell.