THE VIEW FROM RIZAL Dr. Jun Ynares Tomorrow, the last Monday of August, the nation will observe “Araw ng mga Bayani,” or National Heroes Day. When we were still kids, we looked forward to this day for one simple reason – it is a holiday, which means having the chance to have one more day to play and spend time with family and friends. As we grew up, we realized how important it is to have heroes and to have a day dedicated to honoring them. Our country started marking this day in the early 1930s. The government decided that a day should be set aside to honor a group of Filipinos who played key roles in the nation’s liberation from Spanish rule. That group of national heroes for whom the “Araw ng Bayani” was designated included Dr. Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Melchora Aquino, the painter Juan Luna, Gabriela Silang, and Mindanao’s Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat after whom a province was named. We had some ideas as to why these names made it to the list. These Filipinos were brave, remarkably intelligent, and were fiercely patriotic. There was a time it seemed to us that they were several cuts above the rest. They possessed qualities, talents, and strengths that ordinary people did not have. So, we placed them on pedestals and mounted their larger-than-life images atop monuments. We looked up to them and thought to ourselves that we can never be like them. Our teachers told us to emulate them, that we should be like them. When we were kids, we wondered how that could happen. We could not imagine ourselves having the super brains of a Rizal or of a Mabini. We did not think we had enough artistic talent to create murals as awesome as Juan Luna’s. There must have been a problem in the way we were made to understand what heroism meant and what stuff heroes are made of. We could not imagine ourselves being one, and so we decided that heroes were for history books and classes, and for parades and school programs held a few days each year. Then, growing up, we realized one cannot do without a hero in life. So, we started looking for “heroes” closer to our “level” – the kind that we can mimic or at least pretend to be. We looked into the world of celebrities to find one. We found them in the rebellious aura of rock bands; in the elegant appeal of high-living stars of television and filmdom; in the flamboyant gait and derring-do of athletes and giants in the field of sports. We outgrew them, eventually. We were to find out later that our idea of their lives and lifestyles was merely the creation of publicists and public relations agents. We wanted “heroes” with more substance and meaning in their lives. We discovered what we were looking for in what we call the “heroes of the everyday.” These are people leading mostly ordinary lives. When adversities come, they rise to the occasion. They display courage and compassion that are out of the ordinary. By doing so, they inspire us to discover the aspects of our character and our capabilities that are special. Today, the “heroes of the everyday” include doctors, nurses, and all the other health workers who man the frontlines in the war against the pandemic. The list also includes our soldiers, law enforcers, local government workers, and others who do their best to keep order in our society as we wade through the chaos and confusion triggered by the crisis. The list must include every one of us – we who struggle to survive, to make ends meet, to make sure that there is food on our family’s dinner table amid the difficulties of our economic situation. Our teachers told us that heroes are meant to be admired and to be set as an example in our lives. In these extraordinary times, we must give every Filipino a pat on the back. We have gone through nearly half-a-year of tough times. Yet, our spirits have remained unbroken. During these tough times, we managed to get on our feet, pull our shoulders back, hold our heads up high, and face each and every day with solid hope. We know that hope is contagious. By holding on to ours, we give others the same. Tomorrow, we shall pause to remember the great Filipinos who gave up their lives to gain freedom and independence for our nation. We shall remember them with much gratitude in our hearts. We shall also remember the heroism of every Filipino who faces the current crisis with the same courage as that which was displayed by Rizal, Bonifacio, Del Pilar, Mabini, Luna, Gabriela Silang, and Melchora Aquino. To the heroes of the everyday, we say, thank you. Yes, tomorrow will be a day to remember heroes and the heroic spirit which throbs in our hearts and flows in our veins. *For feedback, please email it to [email protected] or send it to #4 Horse Shoe Drive, Beverly Hills Subdivision, Bgy. Beverly Hills, Antipolo City, Rizal.