Boredom Day 3

"Because the sensible people," he continued with bitter irony, "would take you for a madman also. The people consider madmen those who do not think as they do, so they hold me as such, which I appreciate, because the day in which they think me returned to sanity, they will deprive me of the little liberty that I've purchased at the expense of the reputation of being a sane individual. And who knows but they are right? I do not live according to their rules, my principles and ideals are different. The gobernadorcillo enjoys among them the reputation of being a wise man because he learned nothing more than to serve chocolate and to put up with Padre Damaso's bad humor, so now he is wealthy, he disturbs the petty destinies of his fellow-townsmen, and at times he even talks of justice. 'That's a man of talent,' think the vulgar, 'look how from nothing he has made himself great!' But I, I inherited fortune and position, I have studied, and now I am poor, I am not trusted with the most ridiculous office, and all say, 'He's a fool! He doesn't know how to live!' The curate calls me 'philosopher' as a nickname and gives to understand that I am a charlatan who is making a show of what I learned in the higher schools, when that is exactly what benefits me the least. Perhaps I really am the fool and they the wise ones--who can say?"

-- Noli Me Tangere
-- Chapter 25
-- Paragraph 31

What Boredom Does

When I was taking up my undergraduate studies, I had a Social Science class focused on the life of Dr. Jose Rizal. I was young then -- very young -- and I had no interest whatsoever on the subject. I was taking up Mathematics so why in the world would I need to take this subject seriously? Like I said, I was young and so were my thoughts and emotions.

Lately, after taking my Ph. D. in Mathematics in another country (Japan) and got employed, I found myself surfing the internet more and more (due to boredom). Guess what? I looked for an online version of Noli Me Tangere and have been reading it since yesterday. This book was written (originally in archaic Spanish) by no other than Rizal himself. I'd rather say I got touched with these lines and I nearly wept:

Do not forget that if knowledge is the heritage of mankind, it is only the courageous who inherit it. I have tried to pass on to you what I got from my teachers, the sum of which I have endeavored to increase and transmit to the coming generation as far
as in me lay. You will now do the same for those who come after you, and you can treble it, since you are going to rich countries. They come here seeking wealth, go you to their country to seek also that other wealth which we lack! But remember that all that glitters is not gold.

I'm going to finish reading this novel...