ADVERTISEMENT
970x220
.navbar-nav.header-menu { width: 100%; justify-content: center; } .tab-menu-outers .nav-item{ width: unset; } .tab-bar-social.mt-5 { margin-top: 0 !important; } .second-header-menu { margin-top: 27px; padding: 12px 0; border-top: 1px solid #C3C1AE; border-bottom: 1px solid #C3C1AE; } .third-header-menu{ padding: 12px 0; } .bottom-header-menu { margin-right: 25px; text-decoration: none; font-family: "Canicule Display v0.3 Trial" , serif; font-weight: 500; font-size: 15px; line-height: 16px; color: black; } .bottom-header-menu:hover { color: #0A58CA !important; } header .time-date-section { display: flex; align-items: end; } header .mb-header-center .align-items-center .col-3 , header .mb-header-center .align-items-center .col-6, header .top-header-container .col-md-6{ z-index: 100; } header .desktop-menu-bar li:hover a{ background: transparent; color: #2E3192 !important; } @media(max-width: 767px) { header.header.mb-header{ display:none; } .second-header-menu .justify-content-center{ justify-content: start !important; } .second-header-menu ul , .third-header-menu ul{ display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; width: 100%; } }

Why heroes are important

Published Aug 27, 2024 21:32 pm  |  Updated Aug 27, 2024 21:32 pm

OF TREES AND FOREST

manny villar.jpg
Araw ng mga Bayani or National Heroes Day was originally commemorated every last Sunday of August. This was based on Republic Act No. 3827 which celebrated the first National Heroes Day on Oct. 28, 1931. When I was Senate President, we passed Republic Act No. 9492 which rationalized the celebration of nationwide holidays and changed the day of the National Heroes Day celebrations to the last Monday of August every year.

The idea was to pay tribute to the “Cry of Pugad Lawin,” a momentous event in the history of our nation since it signified our symbolic first resistance to Spanish colonial rule. The “Cry of Pugad Lawin” might be hotly debated in terms of where and when it actually transpired but there is no doubt as to its impact in the struggle for our nation’s freedom and independence.

Since Araw ng mga Bayani does not pay tribute to any particular hero, it is customary to include in this celebration all the heroes, known and unknown, dead or alive, who continue to fight for the country. Underlying the celebrations of National Heroes, in addition to the holidays we already have for specific individual heroes (Rizal, Bonifacio, for instance), is the belief that remembering our heroes, cultivating admiration for great Filipinos who performed heroic acts is good for citizenship and for the nation. But why do we need heroes? Why should we celebrate heroes?

My first introduction to heroes was of course in school where they taught us about the heroes of the country—I remember being made to buy postcards of all our national heroes. But later on, I was also introduced to a different kind of heroism. When we studied world history we learned that in Ancient Greece, a hero was “a human, male or female, of the remote past, who was endowed with superhuman abilities by virtue of being descended from an immortal god.” 

One of the realizations I had studying the Greek heroes was the fact that their mortality seemed to be the defining factor. They were “god-like” not gods but they were exceptional. Heracles or Hercules was the strongest man alive, Achilles was the best soldier, Odysseus had the most guile. They were great; they were superhuman. But they were not exempt from that most human of all destinies—death.

I remember being amazed at the stories of Greek mythology especially that of Hercules who was the product of Zeus’ extramarital affair with Alcmene. Hercules showed superhuman strength in dealing with all the challenges he faced in life. Most famously, he was given 12 deadly labors as atonement for his sins. But Hercules overcame all of the series of difficult tasks.

I do not recall if I considered Hercules my personal hero at the time—he had many flaws after all—but I do remember being amazed not by his strength but by his perseverance.  The way he overcame the Labors of Heracles tell us something about the abilities of human beings to go beyond what they are capable of. It was a lesson about our potential for greatness despite all the hurdles life throws at us.

That is why we need heroes. That is why we need to look up to someone as a role model. We need someone to admire but not worship; someone to respect but not follow blindly. We need them so we can discover what we are capable of. We need heroes so we can be inspired to work harder, persevere more and fight on as we navigate life. 

It does not matter who your heroes are—your father or mother, a teacher you admire, a superhero from films, a national hero, your OFW neighbor, front liners who helped you in crisis, or anyone else who became bigger than what they are in order to serve others. What is important is the realization that everyone can do heroic acts. All of us can be heroes. Maligayang Araw ng Bayani sa ating lahat!

 

(Email: [email protected] and/or http://www.mannyvillar.com)

 

Related Tags

OF TREES AND FORESTS FORMER SENATE PRESIDENT MANNY VILLAR
ADVERTISEMENT
300x250
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0 72px 0 12px; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // The two offset values // changed to 10 from 1 , 2 const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } function isNearBottom() { return window.innerHeight + window.scrollY >= document.documentElement.scrollHeight - 100; } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; // Skip if already loading if (isNearBottom()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; // Set flag to prevent multiple calls const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { loadCount++; // Increment only after successful execution }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; // Reset flag after execution }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); }); // Mutation Observer for Newly Loaded Articles const observer = new MutationObserver(() => { const articles = document.querySelectorAll(".articles-observe"); if (articles.length > 0) { observeArticles(articles); } }); observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true }); // Intersection Observer for Updating URL function observeArticles(articles) { const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); articles.forEach(article => intersectionObserver.observe(article)); }
.col-md-12.noPadding.col-xs-12:has(.mb-header-bottom) {padding: 0;} .bottom-footer {color: #fff;background-color: #2E3192;padding: 8px 0;} .bottom-footer .bottom-footer-menu {font-family: Inter;font-weight: 400;font-size: 12px;line-height: 16px;padding: 0px 10px !important;color: #fff !important;text-decoration: none; } .bottom-footer .container {display: flex;justify-content: space-between;align-items: center; } .bottom-footer p{font-family: "Inter";font-weight: 400;font-size: 12px;line-height: 16px;margin-bottom: 0;} .subscribe-button{position: absolute;bottom: 15%;right: 11%;} .subscribe-container {position: fixed;display: flex;align-items: center;background-color: white;height: 50px;border-radius: 50px;box-shadow: 1px 3px 8px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);width: 50px;overflow: hidden;transition: width 0.3s ease-in-out;text-decoration: none;white-space: nowrap; } .subscribe-icon {background-color: #2E3192;color: white;border-radius: 50%;width: 50px;height: 50px;display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;font-size: 18px;flex-shrink: 0;transition: border-radius 0.3s ease-in-out; } .subscribe-text {font-size: 18px;font-weight: bold;color: black;margin-left: 0;margin-right: 0;width: 0;visibility: hidden;opacity: 0;transition: opacity 0.3s ease, width 0.3s ease;} .subscribe-container:hover {cursor: pointer;width: 170px;} .subscribe-container:hover .subscribe-icon {border-bottom-right-radius: 0;border-top-right-radius: 0;} .subscribe-container:hover .subscribe-text {visibility: visible;opacity: 1;margin-left: 10px;margin-right: 10px;width: auto;} h6.footer-heading{ font-weight: 700; } #bottom-footer ul li { display: flex; align-items: center; } @media screen and (min-width: 767px) and (max-width: 991px) { .bottom-footer p, .bottom-footer .bottom-footer-menu{ font-size: 9px; } } @media(max-width: 767px) { .bottom-footer .container {display: block;} .bottom-footer .container .justify-content-center{margin-top: 20px !important;} .bottom-footer .container .justify-content-center .list-group{ width: 100%; display: grid; row-gap: 10px; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr; justify-content: unset; } .bottom-footer p{font-size: 10px;} .subscribe-container { width: 50px !important; overflow: hidden;} .subscribe-container:hover { width: 50px !important;} .subscribe-container .subscribe-text {display: none !important;} .subscribe-button{right: 15%;bottom:7%;} } .mb-header-bottom .header-menu:hover { color: #2E3192 !important; } @media(max-width: 400px) { .bottom-footer .container .justify-content-center .list-group{ grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; } }

Sign up by email to receive news.