Heroes (3)

Indeed, great sacrifices were required of these heroes. Hardship and deprivation, fear and anxiety, were all unavoidable circumstances in their lofty aspirations to fight for what is right. Threats of execution were living realities for them, and which fructified in the cases of Rizal, Bonifacio, Aquino and many more. But these images of heroism were accompanied by an enduring spirit even in the face of death.

To embody courage under the most gruesome circumstance, and many of them were tortured, they had to repress their fears of pain and death. To embody toughness, they had to repress their feelings of vulnerability and sacrifice their time with, and emotions for, their families. To embody toughness, they had to repress their sensitivities. To fight the demons of the times, they had to repress compassion for their adversaries.

But the greed and megalomania of tyrants, whom these heroes have confronted, will keep on re-emerging as evil has a tenacious conduct that cannot be banished from the world. Even laws will not suffice to prohibit such conduct as even lawmakers become privy to the evil, the greed, and the contempt for the suffering masses of our people.

But the lessons of history are clear and the lives of our heroes are sufficiently tactile in making us aware of ourselves in the shaping of our destiny. Awareness reduces the chances of being manipulated by plunderers. When we finally take action on our awareness, it is when the hero within ourselves blossoms. And when collective action takes place, it is when the demons of greed, plunder, and corruption, start quaking in their steps. ericfmallonga@yahoo.com