A rebel really does not have to strike out against anyone or anything. Most often people think that they do. But what a rebel is really doing is rising above all social, religious and political expectations and paradigms. Being a rebel is a journey of self-discovery. The Centre Stone on the Medicine Wheel holds teachings of personal integrity and authenticity. These teachings go to the core of what a rebel lives and breathes.
Unless we are the type of people who rely very strongly upon traditions and customs and expectations to define who we are, there is a rebel within each and every one of us. I was personally inspired by the rebels within my sisters back in the ’60’s and ’70’s, when feminism began. No, they were not the ones burning bras in bonfires and such. They were the ones positioning themselves in a predominantly male culture so that they would have influence to make positive changes for everyone. Some did so through the military, some through social justice, some through health care. Slowly, it all made a difference. Yes, they could become fierce when needed, but they were not ragers or radicals. They were front line activists who did not need to make a huge spectacle of things to get stuff accomplished.
This inspired me to become my own style of rebel. I shine light on situations. I see through the foggy mire of illusions that people put up around themselves and situations. I am usually the one who says stuff like, “Yes, all well and good, but what about THIS?” to which people freak their freak outs and admonish me for seeing through the illusions that they have so carefully and painstakingly crafted. And I am the one who cannot NOT do that. So sometimes they hate me. The thing is that I will shine that light WITHIN me FIRST. It is not like I go around pointing fingers. That really would miss the point. No, I like to go deep within and sort through my own quagmire of illusions to find my own inner truth. From there I have a compass with which to approach anything or anyone else around me.
Sometimes, because I have that compass, I can tell immediately if someone is a sphincter muscle. So I immediately respond with turning away and tuning them out. They have not necessarily had the chance to say or do anything…YET. But I know…IMMEDIATELY. And whenever I have doubted that process I have lived to regret it. So I now trust it. Often I will give them a chance anyway, knowing that the likelihood is quite high that they will prove themselves to be exactly what I know them to be, whether it is with me directly or with how they treat others. And they always do. So it is not like I am manifesting this stuff. I have no control over their actions or their free will. They are being who they are, and who I know them to be right from the get go.
They can be them. I will be me. I will not be bending myself into pretzel knots to try to please them or anyone else. So no, authority has no place in my life other than my own authority over who I choose to be. People are often shocked by the fact that I DO NOT do guilt. I make my choices. I do not feel guilty about making any choices that served to ensure my well being or the well being of others. I never will feel guilty about that sort of thing. I also do not feel guilty about not believing the same things that others choose to believe. That is their choice, and they can keep that to themselves. I make my choices and go about my life, not forcing any of that on them.
The thing is though that people are afraid of those who know themselves. We cannot be manipulated. They cannot trust us to do what they expect us to do. We have power over ourselves and that is something that they are not used to encountering. We are often criticized and condemned for being our authentic selves. We are often attacked for simply being different and unwavering in our steadfast knowledge of who we are. We cannot be pressured into doing what we know in our hearts is incongruent with who we are as human beings. And to top it all off, we have an aura about us, a magnetism, that is very attractive and that others want to be around. So we become popular and people stand up for us when others try to back bite and call us down. We really cannot be messed with. And that scares the living bejeebers out of them. Even if they are in misery and we are the only ones who can help them out of it, they will choose their misery over the assistance because they are afraid of the personal power that we hold. (heavy sigh)
A rebel will belong to nobody. No organisation can confine a rebel. No community can govern a rebel. No society can squash a rebel. No nation can rule a rebel. No religion can lord over a rebel. Because NONE of them can in any way alter what we know to be true of ourselves. That is just the way it is.