The Curious Case Of Apolinario Mabini In The Modern Era

There was a post in someone’s Facebook that went viral in lieu of the showing of “Heneral Luna”. I found it amusing that an important figure in history, Apolinario Mabini (A.M.), was lost to the younger generation, which should not be, because his role in reshaping the Philippines was vital, even if he was on his wheelchair.

The girl asking her boyfriend why A.M. was on his chair all throughout the movie roused netizens to mock her, that she should have paid attention to her history class, stressing further the need for less internet time and selfie indulgence. They may seem separate arguments, the time spend online may not be the cause of her ignorance. However, the fact that a teenager asked it and considering there is an abundance of information, what then the youth has been doing with it. Obviously, there was negligence on her part and forgetting a Philippine hero is quite unforgivable and, every re-share compounds the crime (imagine that in thousands). How then are the younger generations behaving in this digital era?

On the other hand, the one who posted it on her wall could have not posted it, but that was her prerogative. In a sense, it brought something good. It became a point of discussion. It raised awareness on everyone the importance of history, individual responsibility and medium of communication. How everyone is going to take it from there however, remains to be seen.

There was an interesting point my friend raised when we discussed about the viral post. He said that maybe the girl knew about Apolinario Mabini, but her recollection of him as polio-victim hero on a wheelchair was not deeply rooted, because polio has been contained (thanks to medicine!) and there are not many victims around on wheelchairs she could associate with the disease. It could be the case.

Still…

Excuses do not make blunders right.

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This period in history, wherein almost all information is available in a stroke of a finger, we should feel lucky. Bless are the souls who revolutionized the digital universe. They make life easy! From the ways of tying shoes to the big bang of the universe, the internet provides million links in a matter of seconds and all one needs to do is choose which one of the links provides the closest information to what he or she is looking for. We do not even need to exert much effort.

Gone are the days when students have to make a queue in the library to make reservations on the assigned reading materials. They do not need to wait for hours or days of the availability (because someone else have it before them and forgot to return) of the reserved books.  They do not need to rush to the library after class to find answers to their assignments, nor do they need to stay for hours inside the library because the reference materials they are using are not to be taken out. They do not need to borrow books from classmates or friends, either.  All these considered, it is a good thing. Less time spend on research would mean a spare time for other (valuable) pursuits.

However, it promotes dependency. In the context of personal growth, it is not exactly commendable. It reduces the ability to be resourceful. If not lost, the ability to be analytical has also lessened.  Most are contented to accept information at face value and mistake it for a fact, without making further and deeper dig on the subject.  Why should they, if it is in the internet, it must be true, right?

With progress, have we become shallower individuals? We feed on gossips, showbiz news, and faster trends. We are indulgent: selfie, shoefie, bagfie, and etc-fies. Some correlate their worth with the likes they get. Some revolve their lives in social media. Does it fill what is missing in our lives? We can deny it if we must, but it has become the reality. And the youth is catching faster on it.

With too much information, I do not know though if this period has depth that could seduce the future minds, whether it has the same allure and enigma that draw us to the history of the past.

I hope so.