Epitome of a Critical Thinker (Andres Bonifacio)

Andres Bonifacio y de Castro

Andres Bonifacio y de Castro(1863-1897), a Filipino revolutionary hero, founded the Katipunan, a secret society which spearheaded the uprising against the Spanish and laid the groundwork for the first Philippine Republic. He grew up in the slums and knew from practical experience the actual conditions of the class struggle in his society. Orphaned early, he interrupted his primary schooling in order to earn a living as a craftsman and then as clerk-messenger and agent of foreign commercial firms in Manila. Absorbing the teachings of classic rationalism from the works of José Rizal, Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, Eugène Sue's The Wandering Jew, books on the French Revolution, and the lives of the presidents of the United States, Bonifacio acquired an understanding of the dynamics of the sociohistorical process. This led him to join the Liga Filipina, which Rizal organized in 1892 for the purpose of uniting and intensifying the nationalist movement for reforms.

After the brief introduction of who Andres Bonifacio really is let us now proceed in why I chose him as the epitome of a critical thinker. He was brave, intelligent, patriotic, wise and more. I chose Andres Bonifacio as a epitome of critical thinker as I am really amused and inspired of how he thought of having the Katipunan but it is not just ended there he also did everything he can and made it into the justice until the end.. The justice that I am talking about is the justice where they seek the freedom of us the Filipino people from Spaniards. Well, Andres was executed after he refused to recognize the new government which is the one where Emilio Aguinaldo was going to be the leader or the president. I did not read yet any articles or history if Andres knew that Emilio Aguinaldo but based on some that I have heard he did not knew that Emilio will execute him.

He thought of how to start the revolutionary society where he was going to be in a great danger because of that in the era of the Spaniards it is very strict. He thought of how to convince fellow Filipinos to be with him in fighting for the freedom of the Filipinos. He thought of the ways on how to execute their plans in the most safe and effective that they can even though the fact that it is not safe is undeniable. I mean no ordinary would do such things that will really make a big impact in the whole country not just in the community. He thought in the moments where he almost died after being shot but he did not since a fellow “kompanyero” sacrifice himself to die to save Andres from being stabbed in the neck. Imagine how Andres felt after he survived that, neither I would not have the capability to still think for other ways just to fight for the freedom that we, the Filipinos were dreaming to have but not all is willing to sacrifice and fight. He might not be perfect as he is still a person a human being however; he did his all just to fight what he believes in. He was a great leader as he was reminiscing by many; he will be remembered as a Filipino who fought for our independence and freedom until his last breath.

References:

Andres Bonifacio. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://biography.yourdictionary.com/andres-bonifacio