"He who suffers disgrace for his country
Is called the lord of the land.
He who takes upon himself the country’s misfortunes
Becomes the king of the empire."
(Tao Te Ching, 78)
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"Filipinos are worth dying for."; it is one of the most influential and bravest statements in the history of the Philippines which was said by the very father of Filipino democracy: Former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr.
It was during the time of Martial Law, under the presidency of the Former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, when there was an excessive amount of public bloodshed and wide killings all across the country. Such kind of law though was interpreted by the few of the scholars in our nation, not as something that entails a preparation for a war or what, but rather as something that is intended to increase the tenure (occupation) of the current president. But the former senator Aquino, who was not in favor to the happenings and consequences that such law has given to the Filipinos, did not support such law, and instead clashes it back for he knows it is of no use; it will just do nothing but bad. As for his dispute, he assured everyone that he "will never agree to such, until the last drop of his blood". He died when he returned in the Philippines after being assassinated by an unidentified gunman. But his death? What did it brought to the hearts and minds of the Filipino people?
As for the statement of the Tao above, clearly, the man who suffers and feels the state disaster, or even sacrifices his/her own life for the country will then be treated as the leader of the land; the king of the empire. Like Aquino, when he died, a lot of supporters went along from his wake, down to his actual burial. From that, a lot of people got mad; they realized that they are not happy anymore to the government. From there rises a huge dominion; an imperial group that aims nothing but the democracy everyone of us must have. And the dominion was to be accredited to the said senator who was willing to suffer and die for his country, and is then therefore the worshiped, adored, praised, idolized, respected and ever-venerated person since 1986 in the Filipino context, who was considered to be the "spine" of the Philippine egalitarianism; the king of the democratic realms of the Philippines; former senator Benigno Aquino Jr.
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