In the twenty-fifth chapter of Noli Me Tangere entitled “In the House of the Sage”,
Crisostomo Ibarra visited Old Tasio, seeking for advice about his plan on building a
school for Filipinos.The philosopher had told Ibarra that he had come to the wrong
person; the friars and men in the office are the ones who he should consult to. Ibarra
found the idea absurd because he is against the people who insulted his father, Don
Rafael. The philosopher told him that going to those people does not mean that he will
follow them. Moreover, they have talked about language, politics and religion.

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One of Old Tasio’s advice to Ibarra is to bow down first at the friars as they are the
most influential people. To gain people’s favors, he should please them first. It is hard to
fight if you are on the ground of your enemies’ possession; you are powerless. Old Tasio
had compared the situation to a rose which tends to bow down when the strong wind
blows. This only implies that being weak restrains you to resist because it just increases
your tendency to break easily.Once you get stronger, you should learn to stand up because
that is the time where you could win. This is relatable to the current happenings in the
Philippines. We, the citizens, are silenced and forced to just obey what the leaders tell us.
On the contrary, I refuse to just follow them knowing that my fellow Filipinos were
oppressed and the government only wants to protect theirselves rather than the
countrymen. In my case, I may be weak and I need to bow to them first but I know, I am
not alone in this fight. Together with my fellow Filipinos, we are stronger and we can win
this fight for our rights.

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Moreover, the philosopher gave the said advice because people back then were loyal
followers of the Church. They are blind. They were greatly influenced by the religion and
just follow what the Church tells them. He also pointed out that other Filipinos were
suffering but they can not complain because they have no voice and their pain were not
seen but in reality, their heart bleeds. This is the effect of the colonization to Filipino
people. But the history is repeating itself. This is also happening now in the Philippines.
Other Filipinos were blindly loyal to the president than caring for the welfare of their
fellow Filipinos. Others are turning a blind eye and continuing to live a life full of
ignorance which only consent the oppressors. Those who are not affected remained silent.

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We all know that Noli Me Tangere was based from the real state of the Philippines on
Rizal’s time. In this chapter, the advises of Old Tasio enlightened us about the happenings
during the Spanish colonization. This have reflected the circumstances now in the
Philippines; the only difference is that the oppressors now are fellow Filipinos. This
chapter full of Old Tasio’s advises will always be remembered. One of the remarkable
thing he had said was that revenge does not change anything. The only way to make a
change is to plan tactically and know your enemies well. And for Ibarra’s case, he should
kiss the friars' hands first to bring change in San Diego.