The Intelligent Rebel

Let’s chat for a minute about rebels.

Depending on your upbringing (including how much Star Wars you grew up with), rebel may either have an extraordinarily positive or negative connotation with it.

And that’s fine. For me, rebels bring a mixed bag of feelings. I’m incredibly grateful for the rebels who fought for self governance here in the US. And, I’m ashamed of the rebels who likewise fought for “self governance” to maintain slavery in the US South.

Rebels, by definition, are incredibly divisive people. They take the givens, the best practices, and common understandings, and, for better or for worse, they throw them out the window.

However, digging deeper into these people, we find 2 different camps behind every “rebel-ution”:

1. The Anarchists

They are the rebels without a cause, the people who are just looking for an excuse to light torches and flip cars.

They abandon the known good because of laziness, boredom, and apathy. Indeed, you might even observe they know very little of the good.

The end result of their actions is a diminishing of the good, deepening of division, and ultimately, a slow return to the previous state.

2. The Enlightened

These are the rebels with a cause. They are driven by principle, and a desire for an increase in the good.

They leave the comfort of the known because they believe that something lies better in the darkness. They know the present good, sometimes better than the strongest proponents for the good. Their in-depth knowledge gives a signal that there may indeed be something better down the line.

The end result of their actions is an increased understanding of the good, a bridging of divisions, and ultimately, a change to a higher state.

So… before you grab your torch, abandon best practices, and leave the known good, take a second to reflect:

Do I understand the good I’m leaving?

Am I seeking deeper understanding?

What is driving me to pursue this path?

We need intentional rebels. We need those enlightened souls to help forge the path into the better unknown.