A Time for New Heroes
Do heroes make history, or are they products of their time? Many seem to believe that it is a bit of both. Context is important, but so are the hero’s actions. Gandhi’s heroism is great because it happened during a most critical junction of India’s history. The time was right, yet without Gandhi’s unique leadership style he wouldn’t have been a hero.
The path of human progress or a nation’s history is marked by several inflection points, times when the convergence of events becomes unstoppable and their significance transcend individual lives or lifetimes. The French Revolution, the American Civil War, and the two World Wars come to mind. It is in these occasions when people rise up to become heroes.
When you ask a Filipino to mention a national hero, the expected answer would be Rizal or his contemporaries. Late 19th century was a critical point in Philippine history, when Spanish global power was coming to an end. Rizal and his friends began defining a Filipino identity and even fought for it. Those were heroic acts indeed.
After World War II, other Asian states formed or strengthened their own identities too. Mao made China whole. Indonesia was united by Sukarno. Lew Kuan Yew founded Singapore. It was never easy. Korea had to split. Vietnam had to lose a generation. There were heroes who shone in winning political freedom for these countries.
The world has since moved on, and at a faster pace. The second half of the 20th century saw the rapid development of technology, the heightened demand for civil liberties, the end of the Cold War, globalization, among others.
The Asian economic miracles saw many Asian economies become tigers, which led to vast improvements in the well-being of their people. This became the shining moment for many Asians, when economic freedom – freedom from poverty and backwardness – led to an increased sense of confidence. To them this was the new revolution, and there were many heroes who rose to the occasion.
Deng succeeded for China, Park for Korea. Lee was unique for Singapore, having guided it through both political and economic revolutions. Others tried but faltered, among them Marcos.
Filipinos have been in need of a new kind hero for a long time now. More than a hundred years since they tasted political freedom, they still are not economically free.
The biggest irony is that there is no shortage of people pretending to be heroes. Politicians old and new – all want a piece of the action – but are only advancing myopic interests. The noveau elite, including pretenders and actors, who want to announce their arrival into the power circle; the “People Power” crusaders who are frozen in time, twenty years to be exact; the Left, which once lost its relevance and want to be part of the mainstream to veer the country to their ends; the military officers who are being used as pawns and occasionally savor the smell of power. In their squabbling, the people are left to fend for themselves, no, left to die in landslides and stampedes.
It is time for Filipino heroes to rise, or the people will totally give up and abandon their country and leave it to the dogs. Many have done so. Soon only the dogs will be left.
The path of human progress or a nation’s history is marked by several inflection points, times when the convergence of events becomes unstoppable and their significance transcend individual lives or lifetimes. The French Revolution, the American Civil War, and the two World Wars come to mind. It is in these occasions when people rise up to become heroes.
When you ask a Filipino to mention a national hero, the expected answer would be Rizal or his contemporaries. Late 19th century was a critical point in Philippine history, when Spanish global power was coming to an end. Rizal and his friends began defining a Filipino identity and even fought for it. Those were heroic acts indeed.
After World War II, other Asian states formed or strengthened their own identities too. Mao made China whole. Indonesia was united by Sukarno. Lew Kuan Yew founded Singapore. It was never easy. Korea had to split. Vietnam had to lose a generation. There were heroes who shone in winning political freedom for these countries.
The world has since moved on, and at a faster pace. The second half of the 20th century saw the rapid development of technology, the heightened demand for civil liberties, the end of the Cold War, globalization, among others.
The Asian economic miracles saw many Asian economies become tigers, which led to vast improvements in the well-being of their people. This became the shining moment for many Asians, when economic freedom – freedom from poverty and backwardness – led to an increased sense of confidence. To them this was the new revolution, and there were many heroes who rose to the occasion.
Deng succeeded for China, Park for Korea. Lee was unique for Singapore, having guided it through both political and economic revolutions. Others tried but faltered, among them Marcos.
Filipinos have been in need of a new kind hero for a long time now. More than a hundred years since they tasted political freedom, they still are not economically free.
The biggest irony is that there is no shortage of people pretending to be heroes. Politicians old and new – all want a piece of the action – but are only advancing myopic interests. The noveau elite, including pretenders and actors, who want to announce their arrival into the power circle; the “People Power” crusaders who are frozen in time, twenty years to be exact; the Left, which once lost its relevance and want to be part of the mainstream to veer the country to their ends; the military officers who are being used as pawns and occasionally savor the smell of power. In their squabbling, the people are left to fend for themselves, no, left to die in landslides and stampedes.
It is time for Filipino heroes to rise, or the people will totally give up and abandon their country and leave it to the dogs. Many have done so. Soon only the dogs will be left.
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