The Rich Jose Rizal and His Experiences Being Broke
by Imagine Jose Rizal starving and penniless in Germany. Yes, it did happen.
Well, it does happen to everyone, some might say. Even billionaires have experienced being broke at least once in their life. The eternally famous national hero of the Philippines was known for being equally blessed with the intellect and wealth. When he experienced being broke, it is not the fact that he underwent poverty per se that is amazing. Rather, it is how he handled being broke. In Madrid, Jose Rizal had to live a frugal life with an austere budgeting of his money for food, clothing and school materials and time for his studies and social life.
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That is typical even to students in the modern times who live far from their family. However, it was in Berlin where Rizal experienced such dire poverty when his allowance was delayed due to a calamity in the Philippines. Prior to that, he was able to form a group of Filipino intellectuals there to write a novel to expose the plight of Filipinos under the Spaniards. However, those people who promised to support were busy gambling and womanizing. Jose Rizal was left without financial support from his family, which was unintentional, and moral support from his colleagues, which was brought about by their selfish nonchalance.
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Though under poverty and poor health, Jose Rizal didn’t give up and went on writing the novel he planned and Noli Me Tangere was born. The challenge didn’t stop there. How would he publish the novel when he was penniless? Thanks to a friend who financed the printing costs of the novel it would’ve been thrown into flames. Our national hero showed us that during our worst situation, we can produce our best masterpiece.
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